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US Pulls Plug on Iran Cable News
'A flagrant violation of freedom of speech'
Feb 09, 2013
As part of the United States expansive new sanctions against Iran, North American cable networks have pulled the plug on the country's state-run, English-language news network Press TV.
Calling the move a "flagrant violation of freedom of speech," Press TV announced Saturday that they had been dropped from the Galaxy 19 satellite platform which had previously broadcast the channel in the United States and Canada.
New sanctions announced by the US Treasury Department this week blacklisted Iran's state-run television network, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), as well as its director, Ezatollah Zarghami.
"So long as Iran continues to fail to address the concerns of the international community about its nuclear program, the U.S. will impose tighter sanctions [...] against the Iranian regime," David S. Cohen, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement. "We will also target those in Iran who are responsible for human right abuses, especially those who deny the Iranian people their basic freedoms of expression, assembly and speech."
According to Al Jazeera, IRIB launched Press TV, Hispan and Arabic-language news channel Al-Alam in order to reach a wider global audience to broadcast world news and communicate pro-government views beyond Iran's borders.
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Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
As part of the United States expansive new sanctions against Iran, North American cable networks have pulled the plug on the country's state-run, English-language news network Press TV.
Calling the move a "flagrant violation of freedom of speech," Press TV announced Saturday that they had been dropped from the Galaxy 19 satellite platform which had previously broadcast the channel in the United States and Canada.
New sanctions announced by the US Treasury Department this week blacklisted Iran's state-run television network, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), as well as its director, Ezatollah Zarghami.
"So long as Iran continues to fail to address the concerns of the international community about its nuclear program, the U.S. will impose tighter sanctions [...] against the Iranian regime," David S. Cohen, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement. "We will also target those in Iran who are responsible for human right abuses, especially those who deny the Iranian people their basic freedoms of expression, assembly and speech."
According to Al Jazeera, IRIB launched Press TV, Hispan and Arabic-language news channel Al-Alam in order to reach a wider global audience to broadcast world news and communicate pro-government views beyond Iran's borders.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
As part of the United States expansive new sanctions against Iran, North American cable networks have pulled the plug on the country's state-run, English-language news network Press TV.
Calling the move a "flagrant violation of freedom of speech," Press TV announced Saturday that they had been dropped from the Galaxy 19 satellite platform which had previously broadcast the channel in the United States and Canada.
New sanctions announced by the US Treasury Department this week blacklisted Iran's state-run television network, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), as well as its director, Ezatollah Zarghami.
"So long as Iran continues to fail to address the concerns of the international community about its nuclear program, the U.S. will impose tighter sanctions [...] against the Iranian regime," David S. Cohen, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement. "We will also target those in Iran who are responsible for human right abuses, especially those who deny the Iranian people their basic freedoms of expression, assembly and speech."
According to Al Jazeera, IRIB launched Press TV, Hispan and Arabic-language news channel Al-Alam in order to reach a wider global audience to broadcast world news and communicate pro-government views beyond Iran's borders.
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