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Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22585/strange-war-bizarre-coverage
The West's Bizarre Coverage of the Iran War
(Gatestone Institute) Amir Taheri - In decades of journalism covering a dozen wars, I have never been as puzzled by media coverage of a conflict as I am today with how the Iran-U.S.-Israel war is depicted in much of the mainstream media. For the past three weeks, Iran has made no attacks on Israel, focusing on targeting Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations. And that is not to mention Iran's attacks on spectators such as Jordan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Cyprus. Another peculiar feature of this war is the targeting of civilian and/or dual-use infrastructure rather than purely military ones. Iranian drones hit hotels in Dubai and the civilian terminal in Kuwait Airport. But the most curious feature of this war, rarely seen in most previous conflicts, is its depiction by the mainstream media (MSM) through a prism of ideological and/or partisan prejudices. Because President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu do not enjoy widespread popularity across the globe, the MSM cover the war with a clear bias in favor of Iran. Some depict Iran as an innocent though a bit naughty country given to boasting and bragging but certainly not deserving a thrashing. Paris walls are plastered with posters shrieking "Trump, Netanyahu! Stop the War!" as if Iran was not involved except as a victim. European and American MSM try to portray Iran in rosy shades that make many Iranians uneasy, to say the least. What the MSM choose to ignore is the war within this war, one that the regime is waging against the Iranian people. Since the war began last February, hundreds of Iranians have been executed on spurious charges, while over 2,000 have been arrested across the country. To shed tears for such a regime and depict it as an innocent victim is a betrayal of the Iranian people. More importantly, it is a betrayal of the truth. The writer was executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979.