Iran Sets Strict Media Guidelines for Election Coverage

Iran's Press Supervision Board has issued strict guidelines defining "criminal content" for media coverage of the upcoming election.

In instructions to domestic media, the board specified that any content aimed at persuading or encouraging people to boycott elections or participate in unauthorized protest gatherings, strikes, or sit-ins would be considered criminal.

The board's secretariat paid special attention to the use of social media, warning against "any action that somehow disrupts the presidential election, disturbs the public mind, slanders and expresses false information against the country, creates differences between sections of society, especially by raising ethnic and racial issues."

The guidelines also strictly prohibit publishing results of opinion polls or "false polls" related to the election and candidates.

Media managers and journalists are urged to promote maximum voter participation while avoiding defamation, insults, or accusations against the election organizers and respected candidates.

Media outlets are instructed to adhere to the provisions of the Press Law, Presidential Election Law, and a "List of Examples of Criminal Content" when planning their election coverage strategies.

Article 23 of the Press Law, which allows individuals to respond to insults or slander in media publications, was highlighted as a significant point in the guidelines.

These restrictive measures seem designed to tightly control the narrative surrounding the upcoming presidential vote amid ongoing domestic unrest in Iran.