Media’s Role in Shaping Iran’s Opposition Movements Raises Concerns

Fresh waves of protests have erupted across Iran, fueled by longstanding tensions under the Islamic Republic and unresolved grievances from the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” uprising. These demonstrations stem from deep-seated sociopolitical, economic, ethnonational, and gender-based pressures that continue to plague Iranian society.

As protesters take to the streets, a parallel battle is unfolding in the media landscape, particularly among Iranian opposition outlets abroad. These platforms are not merely reporting on events but actively shaping narratives about political meaning, leadership, and legitimacy within the opposition movement.

Media coverage has become increasingly problematic, with certain outlets disproportionately amplifying select voices while marginalizing others. This selective amplification doesn’t necessarily involve spreading misinformation but rather cherry-picking facts that favor particular narratives and figures—a subtle yet powerful form of propaganda that legitimizes and amplifies certain perspectives over others.

The current media dynamic bears troubling similarities to historical precedents in Iran. In 1979, a rumor circulated that Ayatollah Khomeini’s image had appeared on the moon—a story that gained credibility when mentioned on BBC Persian radio, helping elevate Khomeini’s quasi-messianic status during the Islamic Revolution.

Today, Persian-language media outlets appear to be constructing a similar narrative around Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last monarch. Major platforms including BBC Persian, Iran International, Independent Farsi, and Manoto have given outsized coverage to Pahlavi, portraying him as the central figure of the opposition movement despite the complex reality on the ground.

This media framing has occurred even as protests in several Kurdish cities—including Sine (Sanandaj) and Seqqiz, where the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi protests began in 2022—have faced declining coverage. This disparity is particularly significant given the Pahlavi dynasty’s historical record of suppressing ethnonational rights in non-Persian regions of Iran.

The pattern became so pronounced that in 2023, several non-Persian and non-monarchist journalists working for opposition Persian-language media outlets resigned in protest. Their departures coincided with a social media campaign under the hashtag #MediaCoup, which criticized what users saw as media bias favoring Pahlavi, boycotting alternative voices, and focusing primarily on Persian-inhabited areas.

The situation has continued into 2026, with media outlets primarily circulating videos of Pahlavi supporters while giving little attention to footage showing other perspectives or incidents where Pahlavi supporters reportedly harassed non-monarchists.

This pattern of elevating a single strongman while marginalizing other voices mirrors previous episodes in Iran’s history. During the Green Movement of 2009, Persian diaspora media portrayed Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as the sole legitimate leaders of the struggle for freedom, despite their controversial records and criticisms from non-Persian communities. Consequently, non-Persian regions largely abstained from those uprisings.

Pahlavi’s “Emergency Period Pamphlet,” released in July 2025, has received inadequate critical scrutiny from these media outlets. The document outlines his vision for post-Islamic Republic Iran, claiming leadership of the “national uprising” while presenting political options that may exclude significant constituencies, particularly ethnonational groups seeking federalism rather than the binary choice between monarchy and unitary republic that Pahlavi proposes.

The pamphlet’s structure also raises concerns about power concentration, with provisions that would grant the self-proclaimed leader significant control over the proposed National Uprising Institution through appointment powers and final decision-making authority.

The risk of repeating history looms large. In 1979, Kurdistan was the only region to vote against the Islamic Republic in a nationwide referendum. The response was brutal—Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for jihad, resulting in military suppression and massacres in Kurdish areas.

As media outlets continue to amplify Pahlavi’s voice while sidelining other perspectives, particularly those from non-Persian communities, they may inadvertently be undermining the prospects for a truly democratic and pluralistic future in Iran. Critics argue that if another Persian strongman dominates the opposition movement, future uprisings may face the same limitations as previous ones.

For Iran to achieve genuine democratic transformation, media platforms must represent the full diversity of voices across the country’s multinational landscape rather than recreating historical patterns that have previously led to authoritarian outcomes.