VOA标准英语2009-Iran Trying to Wage Media Battle Against US

By Edward Yeranian
Cairo
16 November 2009

The Iranian parliament is considering a new media outlet¹ in response to U.S. efforts toward Iran. Iran's new media apparatus² may be placed in the hands of the hardline Revolutionary Guard, strengthening that already powerful body.

 
Iran's Press TV logo
 
According to state-run Press TV, a three-member parliamentary committee has been set up to work out the details.

The original bill allocated³ $20 million for that purpose, but legislators decided⁴ to raise the amount to $50 million after hearing the U.S. Congress voted to set aside $50 million for broadcasting to Iran.

Many Western media analysts⁵ complain Iran's overseas broadcasting operations are biased⁶. The British government media watchdog OFCOM is currently investigating Press TV, which is based in London, over complaints of "breaching⁷ accuracy and impartiality⁸ guidelines."

Press TV frequently criticizes the U.S. and British governments in its new bulletins and its criticism of Israel is invariably scathing⁹. It also often totally ignores student protests and opposition¹⁰ demonstrations¹¹ in Iran.

Topics of discussion on Press TV are also frequently absurd.  A Press TV announcer recently suggested the United States could be in the throes of a secessionist movement, claiming that Texas and Vermont want to secede¹² from the Union.

Iran's Arabic-language network, which is aimed at a mostly Middle Eastern audience, also ignores internal dissent¹³ and criticizes Arab governments along with the United States and Britain.

In a recent broadcast, al-Alam TV alleged¹⁴, without any independent evidence, there had been a coup¹⁵ attempt in Saudi Arabia and that Prince Bandar, the son of Crown Prince Sultan, was under arrest.

Two Arab satellite broadcasting corporations, Nilesat and Arabsat, recently refused to allow al-Alam to continue broadcasting on their frequencies, provoking protestations from Tehran. A French satellite company eventually allowed al-Alam to resume broadcasting on its frequencies.

Ali Nourizadeh of the London-based Center for Arab and Iranian Studies says Iran thinks that by spending $50 million it can rival Western broadcasters, but he doubts it will succeed:

"The Iranians know the effect of international media, especially those Farsi-speaking media like Voice of America and the BBC. They have a lot of effect because they report almost by the minute what is happening in Iran. On the other hand, the Iranian media which broadcast to the West like Press TV and Al Alam have certain limits and all sorts of red lines. Therefore, they are looking to have more compatible media to challenge those stations, which broadcast to Iran, and I do not think they are going to succeed, because of the limit they have in order to talk about issues we talk about. They cannot talk about the other side. Always, the other side in Iran is pictured as the agent of the West and of the United States. Mr. Mousavi, for instance, would not have a chance to come to Press TV and talk. Only certain people can use this window, only certain people can be interviewed," Nourizadeh said.

During a media conference in Tehran over the weekend, the head of Iranian state TV (IRIB) Ezzetollah Darghami said Iran must "work to combat Western propaganda."

Iranian opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who have not spoken on Press TV since a controversial presidential election in June, both complain that IRIB is unfair and biased in its coverage¹⁶.

Much of Iran's media, including newspapers, magazines, press agencies, radio stations, Web sites and some TV programs are under the control of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, says Ali Nourizadeh. He also thinks that it will probably run Iran's new media arm, dubbed¹⁷ Atlas¹⁸, as well.

 

1 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

2 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

3 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

7 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

8 impartiality   

n. 公平, 无私, 不偏

参考例句：

• He shows impartiality and detachment. 他表现得不偏不倚，超然事外。
• Impartiality is essential to a judge. 公平是当法官所必需的。

9 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

12 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

13 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

14 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

15 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

16 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

17 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。