Media see challenges if Iran conflict erupts

Abu Dhabi: A potential conflict in Iran is sending waves of alarm among the media community who are hoping to learn from the mistakes made when covering the war in Iraq.

"The similarities between Iran and Iraq before the war are too great to ignore," said Mahmoud Werwari, anchor at Al Arabiya and moderator of the Covering Iran session at the Arab Broadcast Forum being held in Abu Dhabi. "There is talk of weapons of mass destruction and threats of war, so we cannot ignore these similarities," Werwari added.

The standoff between Washington and Tehran has caused Western media to visit Iran prior to any escalation in the conflict, in order to give the West a real glimpse of the Iranian people. With major outlets like CNN, Fox News and ABC news reporting in Iran there is a hope that this increased coverage will portray a more balanced approach that ultimately lessens the fear of yet another war.

"There is fear there could be an accidental conflict in the Strait of Hormuz between the American vessels and Iranian Revolutionary Guards," Amy Kellog from Fox News told the conference yesterday.

Speaking on the freedom to move throughout Iran without being restricted by the government, Kellog asserted, "They do attach someone to us but that is very common in this region.. there are certain stories they are very happy for us to cover like the drug problem with opium."

Popular belief

Ali Nouri Zadeh, director of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies told the audience that "contrary to popular belief, Iranians love Americans. They want to learn more about them. Not everyone shares the views of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

The conference also discussed in its final day utilising television drama, the reliability of new media sources such as YouTube and the the issue of displaced people.