Teaching Comparative

Be careful out there

Why we must be cautious about using journalists as sources.

A professor's guess becomes a Guardian (UK) headline. A spokesman for an establishment think tank asserts, without evidence, that the president's honesty, not his nationalistic blustering, is responsible for his popularity.

After those bits of "astute reporting," is there anything in the article readers should take seriously? Well, maybe the bit about the president's regular "campaign" tours, the comments about his anti-Israel support for the Palestinians (omitted from this excerpt), and the caution about economic mismanagement. But is any of that news? Or did the editors say, "It's time for a story on Iranian politics?" Or did reporter "Simon Tisdall in Tehran" have coffee with the guessing professor and the think tank flack and recruit colleague Ewen MacAskill to meet this week's quota of articles? Not all that's fit to print is fit for the classroom.

Ahmadinejad 'has 70% approval rating'

"Ewen MacAskill and Simon Tisdall in Tehran
"Tuesday June 20, 2006

"The popularity of Iran's controversial leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is surging almost a year after he unexpectedly won closely contested presidential elections, Iranian officials and western diplomats said on Tuesday.

"Attributing his success to his populist style and fortnightly meet-the-people tours of the country, the sources said, as matters stand, Mr Ahmadinejad was the clear favourite to win a second term in 2009. The perception that the president was standing up to the US over the nuclear issue was also boosting his standing.

"'He's more popular now than a year ago. He's on the rise,' said Nasser Hadian-Jazy, a professor of political science at Tehran University. 'I guess he has a 70% approval rating right now. He portrays himself as a simple man doing an honest job. He's comfortable communicating with ordinary people.'

"While there are no reliable national opinion polls in Iran, western diplomats acknowledged that support for Mr Ahmadinejad is growing, defying widespread predictions after last June's election that he would not last more than three months...

"Vahid Karimi, of the government-affiliated Institute for Political and International Studies, said: 'Certainly his popularity is increasing. People like what he says. It's not so much because he stands up to the west but because he's not corrupt. This is very important.' Independent Iranian sources said many people were surprised that Mr Ahmadinejad had not turned out to be as socially conservative as many expected. His attacks on the privileges enjoyed by some among Iran's ruling clerical elite and his recent unsuccessful attempt to allow women to attend football matches had made a big impact...

"US officials have described the Iranian president as a threat to world peace and claim that he faces a popular insurrection at home...

"Mohammad Atrianfar, founder of the leading reformist newspaper Shargh and an ally of Hashemi Rafsanjani, the president's rival, said Mr Ahmadinejad would not have it all his own way. 'The reform movement is alive, despite last year's defeat,' he said, although he added it would take some time to regroup. Meanwhile, the government was mishandling economic policy, and that could be its undoing...

"Mr Atrianfar said that windfall oil revenue was being squandered through state handouts to impoverished provinces and commodity subsidies. But there was insufficient investment in long-term projects and infrastructure, foreign investment was falling, and the country was suffering capital flight and a brain drain."

posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:50 AM