Hawzah News Agency- Here are some statements made by Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, On the importance of media and the influence of hegemonic system of world's media networks:
Today distorting realities and different events is one of the main paths that the arrogants is pursuing, and this is among the important elements of soft war...Today if one takes a look at the arrogants' efforts in the vast arena of methods of propaganda - from Internet tools to audio visual means and to mouthpieces they have in different places- one would see that one of the main techniques is to distort the events.
Ayatollah Khamenei, Oct 24, 2010
Today, the media and communications road is not a two-way or multilateral one. Rather, it is a one-way road. It should be said that the powerful owners of Media Empire promote what they like and prefer in different corners of the world. What is it that they like? What are the concepts and ideas that they like to promote? Are they human concepts? Are they based on virtue? Does human justice exist in them? We do not feel such a thing at all. Today, the news and media empire of the world is almost completely monopolized by those who do not want the world to enjoy moral virtues, religion, faith, spirituality and peace. Those who have the biggest weapons factories in the world call the shots in the world of media. The most destructive and devastating atomic bombs are available to them or they are involved in them. Pursuing imperialist policies are among their daily activities and most media are in their hands.
Of course, today, the situation is different from 20, 50 years ago. Independent nations and countries have access to media and they know what they should do to some extent. But there is still a large gap between what exists and what should exist. What I mean by this is the same two-way and multi-way road that can convey the true nature of peoples and their holy concepts among them...
Big lies are promoted as truth on the radio, on TV, on the internet and on other media outlets. As a number of friends pointed out, the first issue in the world suddenly becomes avian flu whose victims may not reach a thousand. This is while 120,000 unarmed Iraqi citizens are murdered by the Americans and their terrorists, but the issue is not reflected at all. Suddenly, the rumor spreads in the whole world that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Those who use this propaganda clearly know that it is a lie, but the interests of the managers of news and Media Empire dictate that they take this course of action.
Therefore, such lies should be told, as they are being told in the present time. Global media do not at all speak about a people who have developed an advanced technology with their diligence, on their own and for peaceful purposes. On the issue of Palestine, if there is an explosion in a Palestinian area during which a number of Zionists are wounded, this will be portrayed as a great disaster in the world. But the daily - without any exaggeration - massacre of the Palestinians by soldiers and the assassination of Palestinian activists by the leaders of the Israeli government is completely ignored and it is not reflected at all. These are the chronic diseases and agonizing pains of media throughout the world. This is the basis of the issue.
Ayatollah Khamenei, May 16, 2006