ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Episode 4: Is there anywhere in the world beyond the Islamic Republic’s reach? Fardad Farahzad, broadcast journalist, anchor of "24 With Fardad Farahzad" on Iran International, joins Jonathan Harounoff on UNscripted to talk about reporting on a regime that wants its critics silenced.
In this episode, Fardad recounts learning that Tehran had targeted him in an assassination plot codenamed “The Wedding,” and explains the rise of “transnational repression,” in which Tehran outsources violence to criminal proxies on Western soil. He also discusses whether the regime’s grip at home is weakening as the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz squeezes its economy and protests threaten to flare again.
0:00 Introduction
1:45 Fardad’s early childhood in northern Iran
2:24 First encounter with broadcast news journalism
3:00 Secrets of being a news anchor
4:45 Most Iranians get their news from overseas
6:20 Why the regime targets Persian-language outlets like Iran International
7:30 Islamic Republic officials giving interviews to Western media
8:30 Details of assassination plot on Fardad’s life
10:20 Relocating Iran International headquarters from London to Washington DC
11:15 Transnational repression
12:00 Is anywhere in the world safe from the Islamic Republic of Iran?
13:00 Being impartial on general and personal Iran news
14:20 Future of the Islamic Republic and war with Israel and the United States
16:25 Assessing the US approach in dealing with the Islamic Republic
17:30 Role of the Iranian opposition
19:00 Who from history Fardad would want to interview
20:00 Role of AI in news and broadcast journalism
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Produced in collaboration with the Center for Jewish History, American Sephardi Federation, Noff Media and Odd One Out Studios.
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