A Discussion with Hillary Mann Leverett : Iran Expert

What happens when the break-neck pace of the Internet age collides with the publicity demands of the political arena? In the race to get the juicier squeeze, news and media outlets often forego thorough fact checks in order to keep up with the round-the-clock coverage offered by the cyber world. Result? The dissemination of misinformation at [...]

Iran’s Blogger War

The Iranian government is jumping into the new media game by sponsoring a blogging competition, with awards for bloggers who create pro-government content. While the concept is cliche and transparently propagandist, it does illustrate the regime’s growing recognition of social media tools and their effect in public discourse. By throwing themselves into the arena, the Iranian [...]

Interview with Iranian Yalie : 2009 Election Protests

To learn more about the role that social media played in the 2009 protests in Iran, I recently spoke with a Yale University student who is originally from Iran and has relatives who were involved in the 2009 protests.  Neyaz is a senior at Yale who was born and raised in Iran and immigrated to the [...]