TIMESONLINE: It is called Press TV, is funded by the Iranian regime, and opponents say that from its nondescript offices off Hanger Lane in northwest London the 24-hour news station is beaming pro-Tehran propaganda into homes across Britain.
Nick Ferrari, a leading British radio presenter, quit his show on the station yesterday in protest at the regime crushing dissent after the Iranian elections, but Press TV continues to employ plenty of other Britons — including MPs and Cherie Blair’s sister.
It operates freely in this country, even as foreign journalists are ejected from Iran. It advertises on London buses.
The regime set up Press TV two years ago to break the “stranglehold” of the Western media — and its coverage of the election and the aftermath has certainly been different.
Stories featured on its website yesterday carried headlines such as “Ahmadinejad vows to break global monopoly”, “Ahmadinejad orders probe into Neda’s ‘suspicious’ death”, and “Guardian Council closes file on Iran election”.
Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, is investigating a complaint that Press TV has breached its duty to be accurate and impartial, and many Iranians living in Britain are appalled that it can operate so freely.
“They’re the mouthpiece of a vicious regime. Their motto is, ‘We give voice to the voiceless’. In fact, they give voice to liars and murderers,” says Potkin Azarmehr, a popular blogger. >>> Martin Fletcher | Wednesday, July 1, 2009
