Kayhan and Its Double Standards
Kayhan and Its Double Standards: In its headline yesterday, Kayhan newspaper posed the question of how the judiciary and oversight bodies can take revenge on Israel. Then, in a strange and surprising conclusion, it recommended that the judiciary confront media outlets opposing the ruling faction. In a convoluted analysis, Kayhan wrote that without firing a single bullet from Iran, Israel’s fragile economy has become turbulent, its residents have become fearful, and there is talk of the possibility of a new wave of reverse migration.
A media faction within Iran is trying to distort the situation in favor of Israel and, by spreading fake news to heighten inflationary expectations and inflame public opinion, dissuade decision-makers from Iran’s potential and regrettable response to Israel. Now, it remains to be seen whether the judiciary and other oversight authorities will confront the rumor-mongers and disseminators of this false news, who have shown that Israel’s real assets are in Iran, in support of the psychological security of society. Such action, if it occurs, will certainly complement Iran’s military response to Israel.
1. Responding to Kayhan’s ramblings sometimes has its own unique challenges, not because a suitable response cannot be prepared, but because the issue raised by Kayhan lacks logical, principled, and acceptable reasoning from any angle. In reality, some content in this newspaper is merely prepared for labeling and media maneuvering.
Years ago, when television was producing a series of commercials featuring Mr. Safety to reduce gas consumption, a humorous clip was also made. The humor was that a house’s gas hose was cut, and noises and smells spread throughout the house. The father, very annoyed by the noise and smell, gave his teenage son a hard slap and said, ‘Why are you making these strange noises and smells?’
Suddenly, Mr. Safety appears and tells the father that these noises and smells are not from your child; the source of all this is the broken gas hose. Now, this is the story of Kayhan newspaper, which apparently is not aware of the gas leak and, instead of paying attention to its source, has made a headline out of something that has nothing to do with anything.
2. With its headline yesterday, Kayhan actually emphasizes that the media of the ruling faction, which also enjoys extensive resources and facilities, lacks the ability to respond. But if you do not have the ability to respond, then why link the issue to the judiciary’s confrontation with the media? In fact, yesterday’s article in Kayhan has two possibilities: either the newspaper’s headline is correct or it is incorrect.
However, from Kayhan’s own perspective, which presumably considers its headline correct and justified, it becomes clear that the media it referred to are stronger and more influential. The result is that Kayhan and the official media, which have plenty of money and resources, can no longer provide meaningful help to the system.
In reality, Kayhan has moved towards producing trivial content, lost its influence, and can no longer impact public opinion or even assist the country’s unified system. But if Kayhan’s content is incorrect, this means you cannot overpower the opposing side and are trying to divert public attention and bring the issue inside, effectively changing the playing field to confront independent and influential media within the country instead of Israel.
Yesterday’s headline in Kayhan is actually an admission of their own defeat. A faction with so many media outlets, resources, and money at its disposal, yet unable to effectively act, has even lost the game against independent domestic media that are not comparable in resources to the official media. So the question arises: if you are this weak, how do you plan to succeed in confronting other countries?
3. Kayhan wrote that the people of Israel are frightened and fleeing. Is their flight due to media activities, or is their departure a natural occurrence when they sense the danger of war? If their flight is related to media activities, how has a media faction managed to encourage them to flee? This issue contradicts Kayhan’s content from yesterday. If their departure is a natural occurrence, then we must accept such natural behavior within Iran as well.
4. Finally, it is worth noting that in a situation where the country is in a very sensitive condition, Kayhan’s headline yesterday, instead of addressing national unity and recommending solidarity and unity among all political and social forces, has, in the form of a double standard, abandoned the main issue of Israel’s attack on Iranian military commanders and recommended confronting domestic Iranian media. It seems that since they cannot solve the main issue, they are trying to increase internal tensions by diverting the main topic.