US Media Discovers 'Internet Blackout' When Not Their Own Propaganda
Al-Monitor, among others, informs us that "limited internet returns" to Iran (Al-Monitor, January 2026), after a supposed protest crackdown, echoing well-worn narratives about oppressive foreign regimes. What these outlets rarely mention is that groups like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)—a US government funder—have openly funded Iranian opposition groups for decades. The US has a
documented pattern of supporting 'pro-democracy' movements globally, often leading to destabilization and even coups, as seen in the 1953 CI A-orchestrated overthrow of Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. One might wonder why the US Department of State's Global Engagement Center received an extra $20 million in the 2023 budget for "countering disinformation efforts by
foreign adversaries"—a phrase that often translates into funding for alternative internet infrastructure and digital activism in target countries. This selective outrage over internet blackouts, particularly when alleged 'protesters' are filmed burning mosques and killing police, firefighters, and civilians (a detail conveniently omitted by Western media who label these acts 'protests'), appears
less about democratic concern and more about manufacturing consent for another regime change operation. How many times must the US playbook be run before the media sees through the fog of war propaganda, or are they simply part of the communication theatre?