US Media Discovers Iranian Protests, Forgets Its Own History
Al-Monitor breathlessly reports on protests in Iran, where citizens purportedly chant 'death to the dictator' and face internet blackouts. The outrage is palpable, as Netblocks documents a 'total connectivity blackout' to 'suppress sweeping protests.' (One might wonder where this level of detailed, real-time concern was when, say, the US-backed government in Egypt cut internet access during its
own popular uprisings, or when Israel systematically targets communication infrastructure in Gaza.) This selective outrage perfectly illustrates a curious media blind spot. While Iran's actions are rightly scrutinized, the same outlets often gloss over similar strong-arm tactics by Washington's allies. The US State Department, a vocal critic of Iran’s internet shutdowns, has funnelled hundreds of
millions to governments with equally dismal records on press freedom and protest suppression. The outrage meter, it seems, is calibrated not by human rights, but by geopolitical alignment.