kagablog

by arash sigarchi

today we understand Marshall McLuhan’s observation that “the world is a global village” better than he did. The invisible lines of the Internet mean that if something happens in Asia, the Americas, Europe or a remote island off Africa, we will get to know about it. For years journalism has been faced with restrictions, but these can now be removed by technology.

I am a journalist in a country where restrictions prevent me from doing my job. In addition to “inter-organizational” factors that exist in most media of the world, “out-of-organization” elements such as legal restrictions, the influence of government and individuals, one-sided support of news resources, pressure groups and owners of capital have greater influence than in advanced countries. So I have to think about the independence of my country and its reflection in true news and my analysis of news. One of my solutions for breaking through the hindrances was a blog.

We can freely write in blogs. Since they do not involve printing or expressing news in audio-visual media, writing in them provides news and points of views more quickly. Blogs can be seen as small news or comment agencies where the writer is both a correspondent and editor-in-chief.

Some say blogs should focus less on news. People like to record their daily activities there. These amateur writers have fewer readers, often just friends and relatives. But the blogs of noted journalists and artists, and political, economic, social and sports personalities, even if they just write about their daily lives, are noticed because of their news value and fame. These people have a lot of subjects to write about and attract readers. I believe each blog attracts its own readers depending on their interests, so no restriction is required on blog writing.

I have chosen two methods for blog writing. In the first, I express unofficially (colloquially) my views on current issues. In the second, I write news, analyses, interviews, reports, or essays. So I can have both groups of readers: those who want to know what I am doing these days and those who want me to express my views more precisely as a journalist, writer and poet.

A blog as an on-line media provides the writer with an opportunity to have the frank views and criticism of readers and reply to them or improve himself. In this close relationship with the readers, the blogger has the opportunity to guide his reader directly with his views and write the things that readers enjoy more.

As I have already mentioned, if you want to print a book, poem, story, or even newspaper or magazine in Iran, you have to obtain permission from the authorities. Very many writers and journalists are affected by this.

But if you want to publish a story, poem or essay in a newspaper or magazine, it will be censored. So many Iranian writers publish their views in blogs, at less cost and they are not forced to censor themselves. So the government, as in China and elsewhere, restricts Internet use.

Internet journalism could advance freedom of expression and wider viewpoints. Although I have been convicted by Iranian courts, I have not lost hope and I am sure that in coming years the rulers of my country will have to respect the free flow of information and expression freedom.

Journalist and blogger Arash Sigarchi was born in 1978, during the revolution that eventually overthrew the Shah, and began doing journalism in 1993, aged only 15. When reformist President Mohammad Khatami was elected in 1997, he joined the reformist press. After this media was shut down in April 2000, he went to live in northern Iran, where he edited a 12-page daily paper, Gilan Emrouz(now Gilan). He began blogging in 2001 on a collective blog called Gileh Mard (“The Man from Gilan”). In 2002, he started up his personal web site, Panjereh Eltehab(“The Window of Hope”) (www.sigarchi.com). In early 2005, he was held for two months by the information and security ministry and then sentenced to 14 years in prison. He is free pending an appeal.

check out arash sigarchi’s blog here