Evaluating sources
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a U.S. news gathering source, and as such we should expect it to report on the political problems of Iranian President Ahmadinejad. The disagreements and criticisms are real, but there's no hint in this article about how significant they are.It would be helpful, for instance, to know more about the "Iranian dailies Ayande-yi No and Etemad. " I'd hope my students would ask things like,
- "Where are they published?"
- "How do their circulations compare to other Iranian dailies?"
- "Who owns and publishes them?"
- "How do their editorial positions place them in the spectrum of Iranian politics?"
- "What prominent candidates for public office have they supported?"
Rift Emerging Between President And Clerics
"The Iranian dailies Ayande-yi No and Etemad have commented this month on increasingly fragile relations between theologians in Qom -- Iran's main center of religious studies -- and the government of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, whose populist manner has not proved entirely palatable to clerics concerned with public morals and political stability.
"Ayande-yi No noted on January 15 that the 'roots' of the differences are mainly 'cultural,' but observers have warned that this estrangement could cost the government a lot of public support. Both dailies cited several episodes since Ahmadinejad's election in mid 2005 that have apparently undermined relations.
"One was his decision in April 2006 to allow women into sports stadiums to watch soccer games in mixed crowds...
"Another incident was the president's presence in Doha at the opening of the Asian Games in December, where he reportedly witnessed displays that included dancing women...
"Another, undated incident cited was the reported attendance by Vice President Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai at a private party in Turkey, where again there was dancing..."
Labels: Iran, pedagogy, politics
posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:39 AM
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