How Iranian Authorities shape media ?

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“The main purpose behind an ideology is to offer either change in society, or adherence to a set of ideals where conformity already exists, through a normative thought process.” (Eagleton, Terry, 1991). Discourses and texts are attached to a physical location outside of people, where the ideology is carried by people. Therefore we can accept the values presented through media as if they are part of us. The idea is that, people’s daily life concepts, for instance language are constructed within ideologies. In the media primarily, the news items are highlighting the importance of what is represented in them or in the other hand, what sounds important to audiences. Therefore the representations of events in specific ways are trying to be neutralized and be objective by the known shared concepts to the audiences of any text. This essay will present the process of constructing of the news items by the presentation of language and facts in terms of referring to implications of myth, discourses and ideologies.

Myth is sort of explanations based on rational phenomena which in daily life appears to be very natural to people. Most important explanation to myth is that they are applied on the habits in which they appear normal for people unless they are irrational (Armstrong, Karen 2006). This implications can be applied to representation of  media in “When a Boy Found a Familiar Feel in a Pat of the Head of State” ( Jackie Calmes, 2012). When Rouhani Got elected as president, public belief was that he is closer to people, he is with people, he hears people, unlike President Ahmadi Nejad who was believed to be more closer to government itself. The reality is the the propaganda generates a Myth that circulates in society, this well designed mechanics is applied in the process of elections by the same government that has been running the country since Islamic revolution. They create variety of Myths to assure people as if they are free and “things can change”/

The ideology is that people should like a president because of what he has offered to his nation and how he has secured people’s life not because of what which side he is one because they are all from a same place of power.  A share relationship of an ideology is between the reporter and the audiences, in which they are expecting to understand and highlight certain facts in the text so by putting all of these words together ( such as pointing at “he is closer to people” more times), the writer is trying to create and enforce the idea that president Rouhani is indeed very close to people. The writer and reports of Islamic TV will not disclose for example, Ahmadi Nejad took bus to work along with people unlike Rouahni who arrives at any place with rows and rows of security!

Second, “Iranian actress banned from returning to her home country after posing nude in French magazine” (Daily mail reporter, 2012). The article is about an Iranian actress who is internationally recognized for her remarkable performance  in Iranian movies that were shown in Can Festival and Sundance film festival during last year. Goslhifte Farhani, the actress recently posed nude (apparently she has appeared topless) in a French magazine called Madame Le Figaro. Her nude picture in the magazine has outraged Iranian Islamic communities and she is banished from entering Iran. Iranian Islamic communities had posted huge negative articles in Internet and called her a “A fool who is trapped in the dirty Culture of west”.

Ideology behind Muslim countries such as Iran is that there are certain rules for both of men and women. Men who are Muslim are not allowed to attract woman to themselves, see women’s body and so on. Also,  Woman who are Muslim should cover their hair, should not appear attractive. These are few characteristics of Muslim women which are recognized universally. Obviously Golshifte Farahani was trying to disobey the constructed rules for Muslim woman and she did manage to  be a symbol of freedom for Muslim women who are experiencing limited choices in their lives .

” Myth & ideology are closely related deep conceptions which enjoy a wide, and accordingly a very loose, usage in our time.” (Ben Halperm 1961) This explanation implies that only because Golshifte Farahani was born in a Muslim country and in the other hand, weather she likes it or not, she is labeled as  Muslim female and that is the reason why the Islamic community had a  negative reaction about her in media. Despite of the fact that Golshifte Farahani may not believe in god and Islam. Naturally as we all know it, a woman who is posing naked will not get reported in the Media and Golshifte Farhani is reported just because she is labeled a Muslim woman. “I posed nude for Madame Le Figaro magazine as a protest against strictures against women in Iranian society.” says Golshifte Farahani. Some audiences might argue that posing topless is not a wise action for act of liberation but we always do need some reason such as being Muslim to be more representative and to sound  more attractive in the news. Furthermore Islamic communities were posting widely on internet about her with choice of very raged words such as “Trapped in dirty culture of west” or labeling her as “Prostitute” through being objective.

“Discourse theory is that societies are tend to bring together a range of voices, ideas, and beliefs into the overall discourses that offer the ways of understanding the world any society has a number of discourses by which it makes sense of the world and which we can study by means of Foucault’s techniques of discourse.” (Michael O’Shaughnessy & Jane Stadler. 2008) The media organizes and determines the selections of what audiences should read or should not read. in the other hand, before any presentation in media, there is a plot which audiences are not suppose to know about it which contains an ideology that has power over audiences.

Many people believe that religion is the only way to lead us to the best things in the world. As it is religion’s ideology and it is presumed that by having religion and praying to god our life will be free of sins. Therefore it will not be necessary to be against believing it or not because we are trying to be the only winner and extinguish other people view and persuade them we are the only one that know the is correct not anyone else, Therefore others are false. Despite of the fact, that we should look at the other people’s point of view as well ( we should know why Golsifte Farhani had posed topless not based on prejudices we judge her). Reasoning and objectivity are headships that needs to be destroyed. Then people are asked to believe in these beliefs that are not allowed to be analysed. Therefore the society of today is built upon this ideologies and governments are calling it democratic society just because it sounds democratic.

Lets shift our focus to another countries that are ruled by Islamic oriented people but with a slight more freedom:

” Lady Gaga refuses to tone down her shows: manager” (Han Barnic, 2012) is about the famous singer Lady Gaga who was planned to have a live show in Indonesia but Islamic community refused to allow her to enter the country and Lady Gaga said that she will not ton down her shows for any reason. Indonesia labeled Lady gaga as a “Bizarre show of demonic worship.”

The question which comes to minds after reading through the text is that does Lady Gaga has that much power that she can stands against the government of Indonesia and says what they demanded her is not reasonable for her to cancel her show? She has her power through being a celebrity and what she says affects audiences minds directly that Lady Gaga has power not to cancels her show. Through  the past many of celebrities has said a lot of things against governments and different political parties ( such as Eminem, John lenon) but only people did care about their words just because they sound important to people. they are not necessary important in terms of objectivity. they are important because the ideology of being ideal dose exist for people. People are seeing themselves in celebrities and they want to be like them, therefore what celebrities do and says has turned to a role model for people. unless, Bank owners, Politicians are more important than Celebrities and barely people know them. As it is explained through the first article, Myth is playing a role here also and Lady Gaga is a celebrity therefore she is recognized as a  unique and special person among all the people who are assumed to be “Ordinary people” and reporters report her in news, not politicians of America who are deciding for the life of millions of people.    ” Discourses are always linked to what he calls disciplinary power in that they are concerned with the regulation surveillance and government of first the human species or whole populations and second the individual and the body. ” (Michael O’Shaughnessy & Jane Stadler. 2008)  O’Shaughnessy is discussing that audiences will have clear understanding of the concept when the same ideas are being shared by the stereotypes and people’s lives, therefore the power of discourse can be important primarily to audiences and the media only because of the representations of the words for highlighting the ideas. Therefore, according to this explanation media is presuming we already know about Lady gaga and Indonesia so we are interested to know what is happening between these two. Because they are widely known so they have the power. Obviously politicians and bank managers are more important but they are not widely known so no one is interested to know what they are doing. Lady gaga says “What government of Indonesia named me is not what I am, I am a dedicated artist to all of my lovely fans in Indonesia” and Indonesia is calling her as an Atheist and worshipper of demon and a serious threat to Muslim people of Indonesia. The media is putting these words together to show how powerful Lady gaga sounds not is.  Her words has power in it through the meaning of discourse as it is explained in the previous media examples.

Nowadays, not only in the western countries but all over the world celebrities such as Enrique Iglesias, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears have managed to be a specific symbols in people’s life and people are assuming they have power to influence them. Reading issues about other countries may not be interesting to many people but they will show interest in it once a celebrity is involved in it. (Celebrity role model ‘a myth’ for young children, 2012)

To conclude this analysing, the presentation of these three news items are examples to understand how the news is built and constructed and  how reporters or writers are focusing on myth and trying to leave audiences unaware with the primarily concepts. Power of discourse by choice of words is important to audiences and writers and by focusing on very particular points in the news writers are trying to present facts as the general facts and enforce people to think what they want audiences to think and believe in. The reason is that the ideology is being shared between people and the news and it persuades people to read the news because of its power. Unfortunately people often make mistake and they believe today world is ideal and democratic, they are unconscious about these ideas that how they are limited and how much they are being contorlled in society.

Reference: 

1. Michael O’Shaughnessy & Jane Stadler. (2008) Media & Society fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press

2. Daily Mail reporter, January 31 2012, Iranian actress banned from returning to her home country after posing nude in French magazine, Accessed 14 may 2012. < Iranian actress banned from returning to her home country after posing nude in French magazine>
3. Bernice Han, 23 May 2012, Lady Gaga refuses to tone down her shows: manager. accessed 25 of may 2012, < http://news.yahoo.com/lady-gaga-refuses-tone-down-her-shows-manager-075915046.html;_ylt=AiCd410XkYRcZf7jxcphB_MBxg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTQzM3I4dWlnBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBXb3JsZFNGIEFzaWFTU0YEcGtnA2EwODFkOGUyLTBkMDUtMzZlNS04MjIxLWE3YzExZTRjZDE5OQRwb3MDMTQEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDOGNiYWUyMzAtYTU5YS0xMWUxLWJmZmUtZjkwMWE3NjE2Y2Y4;_ylg=X3oDMTFlamZvM2ZlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3>
4. Jackie Calmes, May 23, 2012, When a Boy Found a Familiar Feel in a Pat of the Head of State. accessed by 25 May 2012, < http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/us/politics/indelible-image-of-a-boys-pat-on-obamas-head-hangs-in-white-house.html?_r=1 >
5. IMDB, Golshifte Farhani, accessed by 26 may 2012 <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0267042/>
6. Halpern, Ben. 1961, History And Theory, Published by Blackwell Publishing,
7. Armstrong, Karen. “A Short History of Myth”. Knopf Canada, 2006.
8. Kennedy, Emmet (1979) “Ideology” from Destutt De Tracy to Marx, Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 40, No. 3
9. BBC NEWS, 31 May 2011. Celebrity role model a myth for children. Accessed 25 may 2012. < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13600611>
10. Doty, William. Myth: A Handbook. Westport: Greenwood, 2004

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