Virtual Bureau

Some of the people I've been speaking to alerted me to this relatively new website on Iran and the Iranian diaspora called Tehran Bureau. It's one of its kind as far as I know; a site dedicated to the news, current affairs, arts etc. concerning Iranians internationally. The election coverage segments right now are especially interesting (and popular, from what I hear).

The friendly and forthcoming editor of the online publication told me that she saw the purpose of Tehran Bureau (TB) as making a break with the politicized spaces that Iranian media have created for too long in the diaspora. Objective and credible journalism is lacking and doesn't have a strong tradition among Iranians at all. That is evident from some of the weak support TB has received from members of the Iranian American community, she said.

But she also has much hope for the younger generation who are more open to and appreciative of projects like TB; people who can digest multiple perspectives and draw their own conclusions on the basis of factual reports on Iran; including young Iranians who are getting back to their "roots" like she, herself, sought to do in becoming more active and interested in issues concerning Iran. She also sees Iranians as being in a good position to cover their own people and country, tell their own personal stories, and describe their own experiences and impressions. In this editor's experience, this is something there is less space for in many mainstream American news agencies, where being Iranian is seen more as a hindrance to objectivity in covering Iran issues than a facilitation of in-depth understanding of the events occurring there.

This "virtual bureau" is virtually "located" in Tehran, which makes it very curious, as most of its contributors live outside Iran. The reasons for this are no mystery. Many Iranians cannot return, and some will not be allowed to leave if they do. TB's writers are no exception, and may not feel as safe writing in Iran as they do, for instance, in the US. On top of that, one contributor told me that inside Iran he wouldn't be able to consult all the Farsi sites that informed his writing here, as many of them were filtered there.

If the freedom and access to information about Iran is so much greater outside the country, could it be that in some ways, setting up a "virtual bureau" is actually more authoritative than being there?

Understandably, TB still sees value in having some correspondents report from inside Iran, but the current perspective is predominantly Iranian American. This particular slant may make the online publication all the more significant because it speaks best to policy makers, other journalists, and just regular people in the US. That could have powerful positive impacts. But what about the audience of second generation Iranians? Without the language skills to follow sources in Iran, are they(we) going to be learning about their(our) country more and more "virtually" from now on? Will we find our "roots" from a distance? Will that be better?