VZCZCXRO5047
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHDBU #1689/01 3300828
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260828Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1404
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0042
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0076
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 3326

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001689 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL IR
SUBJECT: PRESS TV:  IRAN'S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ENTERS GLOBAL STAGE 
 
REF: OSC, OCT 29, FEA20071029384146 
 
DUSHANBE 00001689  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Iran's 24-hour satellite English language news 
station, Press TV, began operations in July 2007.  It has moved 
quickly to establish itself through widely dispersed 
correspondents, a large staff in Tehran and London, aggressive 
recruitment of guests, and generally high quality content from 
at least a technical perspective.  Press TV appears to receive 
strong financial backing from the Iranian government.  To date, 
programming dealing with the US has been consistently one-sided 
in its criticism of US foreign policy.  In addition, a central 
focus of Press TV's programming has been presenting a 
friendlier, more moderate portrayal of Islam, starkly 
contrasting with the fundamentalism of "jihadis."  Despite its 
claim to offer an accurate picture of Iran to Western audiences, 
Press TV - like al Jazeera and virtually all regional media 
outlets in their coverage of host governments - have steered 
clear of directly criticizing Iranian government policies or 
leaders.  While Press TV continues to face many hurdles in 
gaining audience share in an increasingly crowded market (and 
presumably it is not included in any US cable packages), it 
represents a significant Iranian investment in "soft power" and 
expansion of its public diplomacy message.  Press TV, 
incidentally, is not shown inside Iran.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) According to press reports, Press TV established its 
website January 2007, and went on the air as a 24-hour 
English-language satellite news network on July 2, 2007.  At a 
recent media conference in Dubai, a recent Iranian graduate of 
the American University of Sharjah's Communications faculty 
presented her observations on Press TV operations to date. 
According to this researcher, Press TV's staff is reportedly 
selected through a rigorous screening process.  Employees now 
number 400-plus, with more than 55 reporters based in 35 
locations.  Reporters are largely citizens of the countries from 
which they report.  Among Press TV's current locations are 
Jerusalem, Gaza City, Ramallah, Beirut, Damascus, Istanbul, 
London, New York, and Washington.  According to its website, 
Press TV is carried on ten satellite systems. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The CEO of Press TV is Mohammad Sarafraz, the Vice 
President of IRIB.  Press TV claims to offer deeper and more 
balanced analyses of the news than Western media outlets. 
According to the Iranian media researcher, Iranian officials 
describe Press TV as "state-owned but not state-controlled" 
Iranian officials occasionally appear on Press TV (mostly with 
English translations).  Iranian political and cultural figures 
have discussed Israel-Palestinian issues, US policy in the 
Middle East, and cultural and religious issues.  Iranian 
commentators appear to avoid criticism of Iranian domestic or 
foreign policy, although some non-Iranian panelists on various 
programs have challenged Iranian policy positions. 
 
¶4. (SBU) An excellent assessment of Press TV programming is 
available through BBC Monitoring (reftel).  The key findings of 
this October 29 2007 report were: "The channel is a mixture of 
professionally-produced journalism and serious discussion, on 
the one hand, and sometimes amateurish, blatantly propagandistic 
output, on the other.  Since its launch on July 2, Press TV has 
been constantly critical of the US administration, particularly 
with regard to policies towards Iran and the Middle East in 
general.  It also seeks to promote an understanding of Islam as 
a peaceful, tolerant religion and is critical, sometimes 
explicitly, sometimes implicitly, of militant, jihadi Islamism 
of the type associated with Osama bin Laden." 
 
¶5. (SBU) Guests have included prominent figures from the fields 
of journalism, academia, and occasionally, government officials. 
 In the US, political arena representatives have been limited to 
former Congressional staffers and campaign organizers.  Former 
Department of Homeland Security director nominee Bernard Kerick 
appeared on the 4 Corners program as part of a panel discussion, 
taking a position strongly in favor of US administration on 
terrorism issues. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Press TV is actively recruiting guests among these 
various institutions and organizations, including an academic 
Iran-focused chat group that includes most prominent Middle East 
and Iran experts in academia and beyond.  One interviewee 
(privileged info) complained that Press TV was unprofessional in 
their selective use of his quotes and insistence of pressing the 
Iranian position - in this case on the Ahmadinejad visit to New 
York in late September 2007 - and announced that he would not 
talk to them again.  Other academics have also challenged Press 
TV's journalistic integrity, while others counter that Press TV 
could have positive impacts on democratization and modernization 
in the region similar to Al Jazeera, and that "boycotting" Press 
 
DUSHANBE 00001689  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
TV is counterproductive.  Finally, some scholars and former 
policy-makers have suggested that other mass media outlets have 
their own political agendas, including VOA, and that Press TV is 
no different.  In discussions with local media and 
communications scholars, officials and students at the media 
conference in Dubai referred to above, several indicated they 
view Press TV as another news outlet like Al Jazeera, MBC, and 
others which are collectively challenging a perceived media 
imbalance skewed towards long-established (and purportedly 
biased) Western mainstream outlets. 
 
¶7. (SBU) According to the media researcher, Press TV reportedly 
faced early challenges gaining access to satellites for 
broadcast and securing press credentials for its reporters - 
hurdles which it has in most cases overcome at this point.  The 
Iranian government has invested heavily in building Press TV 
largely from scratch.  Whatever the amounts the IRIG has 
invested on Press TV, the scope, staffing, technical 
sophistication and general quality of Press TV operations 
indicate the Iranian government is committed to a serious effort 
to use Press TV to boost its public diplomacy outreach with the 
English-speaking world.  The Iranian government already funds 
foreign language satellite broadcasting in Arabic (two 24 hour 
networks, Al Alam and Al Kowthar), as well as the multi-language 
(primarily Azeri Turkish, Kurdish, and Urdu) network, Sahar. 
With these networks now in place, and the Iranian government 
flush with oil revenue to sustain their quality and content, 
Iran appears poised to reach a broad audience with an 
increasingly sophisticated public diplomacy message. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: Despite its modern look and apparent 
willingness to explore controversial regional issues in a 
relatively open manner, we can not consider Press TV as an 
example of increased freedom of expression within Iran.  Iran's 
enhanced commitment to expanding the reach of their views, and 
their ample use of American and other foreign guests and 
locations, does not seem to have reduced Iranian government 
paranoia about similar transborder programming by other 
countries.  Iran has taken active steps against VOA/Radio Farda 
broadcasts, including detaining within Iran a Radio Farda 
broadcaster, and aggressively discouraging Iranians from 
appearing as guests or otherwise cooperating with these outlets. 
 Unless and until we see Iran offering reciprocal access to US 
broadcasters in Iran (USG or otherwise) to that which Press TV 
enjoys in the US, or Press TV begins turning at least some 
attention on Iran's pressing issues, Press TV will remain a 
relatively limited anti-US propaganda tool. 
ASGARD