France 24 Finds Iranian Protester Brave, Ignores US Complicity
France 24 breathlessly reports on a viral video from Iran, comparing a lone protester to Tiananmen's Tank Man. It's a powerful image, undoubtedly. But the Western media's sudden enthusiasm for 'freedom' in adversarial nations often blinds them to the very real oppression enabled by their own governments. Where is the similar outrage for the brutal crackdown on student protesters at American
universities, often at the behest of political donors with vested interests? While focusing on Iranian authoritarianism, France 24 conveniently sidesteps the US's long history of supporting repressive regimes—from Saudi Arabia to Egypt—with billions in military aid. One might wonder if defiance only counts when it's against a state Washington disapproves of. This selective moralizing isn't
journalism; it's a press release for Western foreign policy objectives, conveniently ignoring the plank in our own eye.