Behind the Scenes of Live Debates

A confidential report prepared by the educational division of the state radio and television broadcasting acknowledges the deteriorating public trust in state-run media and calls on state broadcasting officials to resume live debates that increased the number of viewers ahead of the presidential election and contributed to high voter turnout.  

According to the report, which was prepared in the summer, the presidential debates played a key role in increasing voter turnout.  After the election, however, people were left with the impression that they had been used as “logs for the fire.”  The authors of the report note, “Previous public trust that had been established within the existing political frameworks was seriously damaged after the election, raising doubts as to whether it can be restored.”  

This report, which is published for the first time in Rooz, reveals the real reason behind the state radio and television broadcasting’s sudden resumption of political debates.

Lost Trust

The authors of the report highlight the presidential debates as the climactic moment in the state television’s success, emphasizing that the debates increased the number of the medium’s viewers to 40 million.  

According to the report, however, “One factor that contributed to the diminishing public trust in the state television prior to the election was the intentional omission of news coverage, generally and also in particular cases.”  

The report continues, “Another issue before the election that damaged the public trust in the national television was the heavy coverage of the ninth administration’s performance and activities in the months leading to the election.”  

The report adds, “On the other hand, refraining to cover the presidential race, which had been heating up for several months with the candidacy of figures such as Karoubi and Khatami caused the public to strengthen its belief that the national television is only in possession of the ruling faction and does not attempt to cover the activities of other potential presidential candidates.”

Acknowledging Mistakes

Another issue discussed by the authors of the reports is the state television’s election day coverage and its premature announcement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory.  The authors cite this mistake “as unprecedented” and “one factor contributing to the post-June 12 election events,” adding, “The premature release of election results, before the public opinion was prepared for it, was one of the state television’s mistakes after the election.”

Predictions

Two days ago, sociologist and political critic Abbas Abdi wrote an editorial in Etemad daily arguing that the real reason for the state television’s resumption of live political debates is that it is trailing behind foreign-based Farsi media outlets.  

The four rounds of debates that so far have been broadcast by the state television have already been harshly attacked by the right wing and supporters of the administration, who feel that they were defeated.  The reformists, on the other hand, have implicitly pointed out that because prominent reformist figures had not been invited to participate, the debates that took place were only between hardline and moderate Principalists.