Selective freedom of speech on social media

Facebook shut down Press TV’s page without prior warning, giving no explanation or right of appeal, citing failure to “follow Facebook Community Standards” without stating exactly which standard Press TV had allegedly failed to follow.

That was on Friday March the 26^th. It wasn’t the first time, but this time it’s permanent. Facebook gave no explanation for its action, and no right of appeal to Iran.

YouTube has also repeatedly banned Press TV in a most unceremonious manner with a cryptic message at best.

The American social media platform DID say it banned Press TV for failure to “follow Facebook Community Standards.”

But it didn’t specify how Iran’s professional English news network might have violated its rules. Besides its so-called community standards are pretty shady and hard to follow.

Social Media sees no borders and requires no visa. It is a platform for citizens of the world to converse freely and exchange knowledge.  But is it? It is, selectively. But those not selected, may find themselves bound by the very social cyber-platform of no boundaries.

In the case of Press TV, it was bound and thrown out of the ring! No fair competition here. No free flow of alternative information, which, quite frankly, sounds hardly democratic.

With such out of character reactions by flag bearing countries of human rights; how can one then analyze such an action?

Previously, they all (social media companies) claimed that they defend alternative voices in cyberspace, but the United States has shown for, at least over the past year, that it does not adhere to the basic principles of liberal democracy. When former US President Donald Trump is banned from Facebook, Twitter, and several other social media because the deep state made the decision, you can’t expect they would allow other voices to be heard.

Hassan Abedini, Media Analyst

Community standards violated by Press TV

The community standards which Press TV supposedly violated according to Facebook stands as follows, “... We do not allow hate speech on Facebook because it creates an environment of intimidation and exclusion and in some cases may promote real-world violence…”

It most certainly does, which is why homegrown terrorists and crazies should be removed from the platform. Yet Facebook doesn’t seem to have a problem with them.

The same is true about the freedom of expression. In the social networks, you see that they allow Iranians to learn how to make bombs, but they do not make the slightest move that is against the idea of liberal democracy. They simply block the account. They don’t allow the photo of General Haj Qasem Soleimani to be published. But there are dozens of pages belonging to al-Qaeda and ISIS. How can you explain such a contradiction?

Hassan Abedini, Media Analyst

Where were the standards when white supremacists and thugs used Facebook to recruit crazies?

Many of them reportedly came to Kenosha with assault rifles after the shooting of unarmed Jacob Blake.

There’s no indication that Facebook has any interest in removing domestic terrorists from its platform henceforth either.

American social media platforms waste no time in silencing the voice of Iranian media under the pretext of “policy violations”.

But they do serve as the playing field of anti-Muslim hate groups and Iranophobes, in the name of freedom of expression.

Apparently hate speech is free if it leads to spilling the right blood! The double-standard is jaw-dropping.

Why Facebook banned Press TV at this juncture in time

International satellite networks have audiences that need to pay fees to be able to use the contents of the channels. But you can see several Farsi-speaking channels out there that are working on huge budgets but won’t demand payments from their audience. They produce a variety of programs for Iran and are looking for implementing US policies on Iran, and actively work to nullify what media outlets such as Press TV are doing.

Mohammad M. Momeniha, Media Expert

The complete shutdown of the Facebook account of the PressTV network once again showed that the United States, despite its human rights gesturing, does not give critics of America or Zionist occupation any rights in the media.

But why say the United States?

Well, stepping on the First Amendment’s freedom of expression is a big feat for a social media company to undertake single-handedly.

In November 2019, the US State Department called on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to suspend the accounts of Iranian government leaders…

That is but one instance of such crackdowns, which have not stopped at officials’ social media accounts.

The United States is perhaps one of the few countries in the world where the government completely dominates the media, despite the facade created by the private sector. If it wasn’t the case, they couldn’t have imposed sanctions against Iran, nor could they prevent other nations from cooperating with Tehran. The Americans completely dominate the rules and regulations made in these companies. Their security and political bodies have complete control over them. This is part of their very nature.

Mohammad Khoddadi, Press Deputy, Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance

US media hypocrisy on Iran

When something happens in Iran, like protest for different issues, the American media stir it up. But when that takes place in their country, when there are protests and dissent in the U-S, they impose restrictions in that region and won’t allow people’s voices to reach the world. We’ve seen instances where they even cut off the internet completely and didn’t allow the exchange of information to take place. If this happens in a country like Iran, they’ll cover it with fanfare and impose sanctions against our government officials.

Mohammad M. Momeniha, Media Expert

Why shut the PressTV platform permanently and why NOW?

Much work has been done in trying to find some misstep by Press TV to justify this action; nothing, and Facebook refused to comment.

The tech giant just told Press TV it was shutting down the pages of the station and some of its employees, and that it couldn’t explain why, on security grounds.

 So perhaps Press TV has got it right.

We are not surprised that the hegemonic system removes any voice that isn’t its own, as it has no other choice. If it accepts that this voice is heard, it would be creating a contradiction, because it has always painted a false picture of the events, and the public opinion would badger them for why they weren’t showing the true pictures of things. Or if it silences the voice, it has gone back on the principles of liberal democracy. It has chosen to silence the voices; however, as it feels this option better benefits its interests.

Hassan Abedini, Media Analyst

Facebook not a democratic media platform

It’s self-evident: Facebook is no fair democratic media platform for opposing voices, following any clear balanced community standards.

So what might be the ulterior motive of what the Milwaukee independent described as “this creepy space that people can hide from their true identities to spread lies, rumors, nonsensical conspiracy theories, and hatred unabated”?

The United States and the hegemonic Western system do not adhere to any of the principles of a liberal democratic system. I will give you an example. The issue of elections is one of the main foundations of a liberal democratic system. But in 2006, people in Gaza went to the polls and elected Hamas. But they’ve been under siege by land, air, and sea for 15 years now because of the results of that election.

Hassan Abedini, Media Analyst

Truly, rather than serve as a social media company, Facebook has acted as a data mining company.

How it helped decide the 2016 presidential election outcome was by giving over information on its users to the highest bidder; Cambridge Analytica in this case. 

That was the political data firm hired by Donald Trump’s election campaign, which was given access to information on 50 million Facebook users; on their likes and dislikes and friend networks.

Knowing of their likes and dislikes meant knowing how to target them with digital ads to affect their vote!

Communicating information and content production take precedence. Nowadays there are so many different layers for communication due to the advancements in the field of Information Technology that where the information is being published doesn’t determine its value. It’s the content that does. If the information includes ideas that are comprehensible and needed, the message will be transferred in some way. We’re not living in a world where we talk about the word “monopoly” while referring to the dissemination of information.

Mohammad Khoddadi, Press Deputy, Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance

The democratic world as we knew it has been cracking down on Press TV and Iranian broadcast pretty obviously since 2012. Let’s consider some instances, while reviewing what Press TV is and stands for.

How the democratic world has so blatantly infringed upon this country’s freedom of speech and its voicing of the voiceless is a matter to ponder on.

When there are no reports about Israeli atrocities and what transpires in countries like Yemen, there won’t be any sensitivity. But if the information is reported accurately, people will question their governments. The US, which is usually behind such crimes, will have to be accountable. We are aware of the crimes the Israeli regime has been perpetrating over the years. The reports are being broadcast by the Islamic Republic’s media. Naturally, the US, which is Israel’s biggest supporter, won’t accept this and works to prevent the information from reaching people.

Mohammad M. Momeniha, Media Expert

Facebook has been cracking down on Press TV and other alternative media outlets, whose natural purpose as alternative media is to counter misinformation by mainstream international media.

Press TV is in the minority and is swimming against the tide to sound voices stifled by state media run by world powers.

Press TV has repeatedly fallen victim to censorship on multiple fronts; on Facebook and Instagram AND Twitter, as well on Google service platforms such as YouTube.

If you block Press TV, it doesn't mean you're turning it off. The world isn’t doomed to know what the Americans want and not know what they don’t. Those times are over. But they might be still dwelling in the past and pursue the same old methods.

TV targeted due to being effective

When Press TV is being targeted, it means it’s been influential. No one would block something that isn’t effective. The network has negated their interests; it promoted the interests of the masses. This could be the main reason why they target Press TV.

PressTV’s CEO Jebelli called for a parallel pressure campaign with Russia, to counter western dominion over world media. Irked by “double standards” and the “discriminatory” policies exercised by Western media regulators, he said this was most evident in their behavior toward the IRIB’s Press TV and the anti-Iran, London-based “Iran International” channel.

In September 2018, “Iran International” invited the spokesperson for a terrorist group to a live show in which he took responsibility for a terrorist attack that killed at least 25 people — including women and children — in Iran, and injured 60 others.

British media watchdog OfCom failed to take any action against the anti-Iran channel, whereas In 2012, OfCom revoked PressTV’s license and has threatened to do the same with RT, Russia Today.

One’s mind drifts towards the notion of legal complaint to some international media authority; the international court of justice perhaps.

But it appears that would be akin to complaining to the fox of its own tail.

RT’s managing director Alexey Nikolov said that his correspondents were being targeted in a Western pressure campaign. Apart from their pages on social media being taken down, dozens of lawsuits were being filed against them at Western courts.

Today's world is not a time for massacres of voices. Today's world is not the time to hide the truth. The third decade of the 21st century is slowly forming a balance of power in the field of public diplomacy. It seems that this is the last desperate attempt that the ruling system is making to counter independent voices, hat these voices will reach the international public in a variety of ways.

Hassan Abedini, Media Analyst

There are ways, if not with immediate effect, which Press TV and RT have already taken steps to expand media cooperation.

In 2018 Nikolov and PressTV’s CEO Jebelli signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in Tehran, under which joint media and legal action would be taken against censorship crackdowns by the West.

It is intriguing to know what more Iran might have done to free itself of dependence on American social media platforms and European satellite providers.

As you will recall, following the martyrdom of General Soleimani, who was a leader of the fight against terrorism, they placed restrictions on people who posted his photos of videos on several platforms, including Instagram. In many cases, there wasn’t any violation of their policies and regulations; they did it unilaterally. I think we need countries whose policies are not in line with those of the US to join efforts and build a powerful social media network. We know that those who support the Islamic Republic, those who back freedom of expression and are opposed to America’s policies and even people from the US will join the network.

Mohammad M. Momeniha, Media Expert

Press TV has been active publishing its content round the clock on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. But it also distributes its content on its own IPTV called URMedium.com, given repeated censorship attacks by the US tech giant Google’s YouTube service.

Many expected that with a democratic administration taking the reins in America -- Obama’s former Vice President no less-- media strictures would ease. But mainstream US correspondents are complaining that with things getting worse at the Mexican border with the huge influx of immigrants, media access has in fact been compromised.

Border police have actually been muzzled not to address the media at all. And we saw how it took President Biden two months to hold his first press conference; which is the longest it’s taken a president in 100 years!

But for how long can information be locked up in this day and age? And should the truth come out how can the US and West hold on to such power?

Let’s suppose they remove the voice of Iran from the satellite and social networks. But what can they do about the voices of people in China, Russia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, and other nations? If they manage to silence all these voices, how can they silence the voice of those in the US who say they can’t breathe, unless they kneel on the necks of each and every one of them, suffocating them? Otherwise, unless they can take these impossible steps, the voices will continue to be heard.

Hassan Abedini, Media Analyst

What’s the power behind media regulators? Why this sensitivity towards Iran and its alternative voice?

The entirety of social media is either owned or dominated by Zionists, as is the mainstream corporate media, as stressed by Dr. Kevin Barrett American author and journalist.

Press TV provides information about Palestine and topics that run contrary to their interests in a professional fashion. People are aware. The free flow of information has raised people’s awareness and educated people about media on an international scale. People tune into channels and websites that provide them with crucial information, those that they can’t receive from American media. The US government and imperialism are aware of how effective these outlets are.

Mohammad M. Momeniha, Media Expert

Press TV was established in 2005 and launched in 2007 with the motto of news anew, to present alternative news: stories underreported or even unreported.

Fourteen years on since its launching, it is still forcing out the voice of the voiceless, much to the disdain of Western powers and some mainstream media outlets AND the Zionist occupiers of Palestine.

The 24-hour news channel does so via a website, newsroom and programs department, using satellite transponders and social platforms to do so.

So you see why it’s important Press TV remain unhindered by Facebook or any other entity.

Although social networks claim to be completely independent, in practice you see that they are acting in accordance with the general policies of the United States, that is, they implement policies that don’t conform to even their own instructions and laws. When the US government gives them orders, they easily follow them and disregard their own regulations to create restrictions for countries and governments. In this case, we also saw a similar pattern. I have been studying Facebook’s terms and policies. There isn’t a single article that Press TV hasn’t adhered to. In fact, the channel’s account has been complying with those exact terms.

Mohammad M. Momeniha, Media Expert

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk