By Rami G. Khouri
The Daily Star

Story Summary

One of the most annoying aspects of spending time in the United States, as I have just done during a month’s working visit there, is to follow news coverage of Iran in the mainstream American media.

Iran only exists for most American media as a threat to be beaten back at any cost.

For the U.S. media, Iran is first and foremost a nuclear threat.

I have no doubt that any impartial assessment of the professional conduct of most American media outlets in covering the Iran situation would find it deeply flawed and highly opinionated, to the point where I would say that mainstream media coverage of Iran in the U.S. is professionally criminal.

These professional qualities are usually absent from news coverage of Iran, and I say this is a criminal enterprise because the consequences of the flawed and aggressive coverage helps shape a public view that makes it acceptable to threaten and sanction Iran on the basis of mere suspicions and fears in the minds of American and Israeli politicians – all of whom, I would guess, have never visited Iran or spoken to any credible or “normal” Iranian not involved in political lobbying in Washington.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2013/Apr-06/212795-the-pain-of-following-iran-in-us-media.ashx#axzz2PoCFVscl