Baku, Azerbaijan, July 28
By Umid Niayesh – Trend:
Iranian lawmaker Hamid Resaei has criticized the culture ministry due to a secret order to media to not publish negative reports about the nuclear deal.
The ministry in a letter has announced that the media should be positive about the deal and to not criticize it. Meanwhile there is nothing in the deal to praise, the hardliner MP said, Iran ’s Tasnim news agency reported July 28.
Yesterday Hossein Noushabadi, the spokesman of the culture ministry, confirmed that the ministry has sent a letter to media with guidelines on covering nuclear deal news.
In what has been termed a “top secret” letter, the ministry’s press and information department released detailed instructions on how the country’s reporters should cover the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 (US, Russia, China, France, UK, and Germany), which was achieved in Vienna on July 14.
The two-page document relays directives from Iran 's Supreme National Security Council, saying editors should praise the deal and the negotiating team.
It stresses the need "to safeguard the achievements of the talks,” avoid sowing "doubt and disappointment among the public," and avoid giving the impression of "a rift" at the highest levels of government.
In addition to bans on general criticism of the Vienna talks and the resulting deal, members of the press have been informed they should emphasize that “the US extremists and Israel are opposing the deal”.
Journalists must frame the talks as a “unique” political event and “historical agreement” and praise the Iranian negotiators, demonstrating their “courage, politeness and professionalism,” the guideline reads.
Edited by CN
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