Western Media Discovers Iranian State Power, Forgets Their Own Censorship
As The Independent details the Iranian Ayatollah's threats of a 'harsher crackdown' and internet blackouts, one might wonder about the selective outrage. The article highlights protests following a woman's death in custody. Yet, when Western governments, often the very ones decrying Iranian actions, quietly pressure social media companies to remove content or de-platform voices critical of NATO
intervention, or indeed, the actions of allies like Israel, the 'internet blackout' narrative strangely vanishes. It's a convenient narrative to ignore that tech giants regularly comply with 'requests' to censor information, effectively creating their own privatized, government-sanctioned blackouts. This selective focus on 'authoritarian' suppression abroad, while ignoring the creeping
authoritarianism closer to home, serves a clear purpose: to paint designated adversaries as uniquely evil, justifying further intervention or sanctions. The protests themselves may be legitimate, but the media's framing—a playbook seen in Libya, Syria, and Iraq—often serves to conflate genuine dissent with foreign-backed destabilization efforts, all while conveniently omitting uncomfortable facts
about their own governments' attempts to control information. It's an information blackout, just with better PR.