The Wall Street Journal has condemned an attack by Iran’s hardline media against one of its senior correspondents, calling the allegations that she conspired against the Iranian government “outlandish and irresponsible”.
Several conservative news organisations in Iran accused Farnaz Fassihi, who writes about Iran and the Middle East, of being an intermediary between the US administration and the Iranian opposition. The allegations were published after Michael Ledeen, a leading American conservative ideologue, wrote in an op-ed in Forbes, that the US government had sent a message in 2009 to the supporters of the Iranian opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is currently held under house arrest.
Writing about Democratic senator Chuck Schumer’s decision to oppose the Iranian nuclear deal, Ledeen referred to a “Wall Street friend” of Schumer’s “who was in touch with the Greens [Iran’s opposition movement], and he was picked to be the messenger”.
Regardless of whether Ledeen’s claim is true or not, Iranian hardliners appear to have mixed up “Wall Street friend” with the Wall Street Journal, and have used the opportunity to attack Fassihi, who is a respected expert on Iran.
“I have watched with horror and dismay as these false allegations against me have circulated in Iranian media,” Fassihi said. “I am a journalist. My independence and reputation are sacred to me.”
The recent attack against Fassihi fits into a familiar pattern of accusations against journalists covering Iran by hardline Iranian media. Recently, Iranian media launched a concerted smear campaign against the UN special rapporteur investigating its human rights violations by widely spreading a fabricated WikiLeaks cable purporting to show that he received bribes from Saudi Arabia.
Kayhan daily, whose director is appointed by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is particularly prone to conspiracy theories. It published an article based on Ledeen’s op-ed, attacking Fassihi even though the Forbes article did not mention Fassihi by name and referred to “the messenger” using male pronouns.
The WSJ has categorically denied the accusations. “Recent allegations in some government-run Iranian media outlets that Wall Street Journal senior reporter Farnaz Fassihi was a link between the US government and the opposition are completely false, outlandish and irresponsible,” the newspaper said in a statement.
“The Forbes article never references The Wall Street Journal or Ms Fassihi,” the statement said. “However, some Iranian media entities have falsely labelled Ms. Fassihi as the alleged liaison by incorrectly and illogically claiming the ‘Wall Street friend’ reference in the piece actually meant ‘The Wall Street Journal’.”
Gerard Baker, the WSJ’s editor-in-chief, described Fassihi as a highly accomplished writer and said she has reported “fairly and accurately from the region for more than a decade.
“Her reporting has been a model of courageous, fair and high-impact journalism,” he said. “She has repeatedly risked her life and safety from the front lines of wars and uprisings to document the truth, which makes these scurrilous allegations all the more galling.”
The WSJ also defended itself against wider allegations by the same media outlets that “suggested” the newspaper was part of a conspiracy against Iran. “These are transparently false allegations. The Journal is an independent news organization with a lengthy and distinguished history of accurate and timely reporting on critical developments in the region.”
