The Power of Neda: Media Revolution in Iran
How Neda Challenged Ahmadinejad and Censorship in her Death
The footage of Neda's death, shown on every single TV channel in the world, has created a turning point in the media history. Shot by an amateur camera phone and sent first to social networks such as facebook and youtube, the video challenged the government of Ahmadinejad and all the censorship tools implemented to control freedom of speech and free circulation of information. This is the story of one of the most important media events in the first decade of the new millennum.
Ahmadinejad's Crackdown on the Protesters
During the crisis after the 2009 presidential elections in Iran, the Iranian police and pro-government militia (Basij) launched an enormous crackdown on millions of people who were peacefully demonstrating to show their protests against what they believed was an unprecedented fraud in the elections.
Contrary to all the polls and expectations, it had been declared that Ahmadinejad had won the elections, a claim that none of his four rivals: Mirhussein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezaii have accepted so far.
Banning of the Media
Whether there was an election fraud remains a question. Nevertheless, the most important outcome was the way the people reacted to the suppression of the media, trying to broadcast the scope of governmental crackdown on protesters. All the foreign journalists and correspondents were expelled from Iran; hundreds of local journalists were arrested and most of the Iranian media that raised doubt about the outcome of the elections were shut-down.
Involvement of the Basij
Then the militiamen got involved. A week after the elections, the protests on 20 June 2009 turned into violence. Tens of protesters were shot in the streets and hundreds were arrested. But the government of Iran led by Ahmadinejad as the president and Ayatollah Khamenei as the Supreme Leader, thought that lack of presence from the international and domestic media would give them free reign over using violence as a controlling measure on the crowd.
Citizen Journalism Turns into Media Revolution
They couldn’t be more wrong. The Iranian people were desperate to let the world know what was going on in Iran and how their right to freedom of speech was being suppressed violently by a member state of the UN and a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was then when every camera phone turned into a media and every citizen turned into a journalist.
Over the ten days between June 13 and June 23, hundreds of footage were sent on youtube and other social networks such as Facebook, later picked up by the international media and news agencies, showing the extent of violence that was employed illegally by the Islamic Republic of Iran to create fear among the protesting crowd.
Neda Disarms the Iranian Government and Ahmadinejad
The Iranian government was taken by surprise and the peak of this citizen journalism happened when a young woman called Neda Agha Soltan was shot in the chest by a Basij militiaman. Her death was captured on a camera phone and sent to the international media about an hour later. The media picked up this scoop instantly and in the next few days, millions of people around the world could witness the horror in which the Iranian people were living.
The World Condemns Ahmadinejad
President Obama called it ‘unjust’ and the European leaders condemned the Iranian government for it. No matter how hard Ahmadinejad tried to discredit the footage (first they said it was fake, and then they blamed BBC, CIA and MI6 for the murder committed by their own agents), it had already grabbed the attention of the world and the common sense and public opinion did not believe Ahmadinejad.
The Iranian Government Shakes by Neda's Video
Besides the devastating effects of the publication of Neda’s video on the pillars of the totalitarian regime of Iran, it begot a new phenomenon in social networking: a media revolution which gave a new sense to social networking, citizen journalism and the future of freedom to publish in the digital age.
A Defining Moment in the History of the Media
Time should pass before the real impact of the video of Neda’s death on the future of media can be evaluated in an academic context. But one thing is for certain; her death marks a defining moment in the history of media and journalism.
Sources:
'Iran Doctor Tells's of Neda's Death', BBC, 25 June 2009
Doctor Tells how Neda Soltan was Shot Dead by AhmadiNejad's Basij, The Times, June 26, 2009
President Obama Calls Iranian martyr Neda's Death 'Heartbreaking'. NY Daily News, June 23, 2009
A videoshot from the scene of Neda's death
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