Iran Hostage Crisis Analysis

Words are the distorted tool to manipulate the reality where people become the subject to justify it by falsification. News presented by the media may differ from the perception of the reality which leads to the over exaggeration or undermining of the current situation as it happened during the Iran Hostage Crisis, where media subverted the president’s authority in decision making and controlling the situation.
The day of November 4, 1979 became important for the Iranian “revolution” where some revolutionaries seized US embassy in Iran, taking 65 hostages of US diplomats and staffs. The act was personalized revolution against the United States’ invading policies and authorities, attracting leading newscasts and the press attention. 14 months
Also unsuccessful attempt to convince NBC not to air the report of Ramsey Clark’s visit to Ayatollah by secretary of state Cyrus Vance showed the oppositional relationship between government and press. Such contradiction is not good for both the government and press as government officials are heavily relied upon media to disclose any information or updates about foreign affairs to the public and broadcast journalists are highly dependent on American government sources for international news reporting. Press often accepts official designations of foreign nations, whether as a friend or an enemy, and interpret global events accordingly. Secondly, press is the source of presenting one’s self and putting your thoughts in front of public. In Hostage crisis, Secretory Goldschmidt stated “Give our people back and keep you damned oil.” Although oil had nothing to do with the hostage crisis, it remained one of the factor in the press and politician’s mind. In general, the government or any institutions and press are interconnected. Press needs to sell stories for its existence and government has to sell their work and efforts for their survival in public. Therefore it is good to work with media as in mutual
It is less likely to get enough time to do background research for each and every event before it is released. Therefore most of the American journalists try to fit an event in an understandable narrative which may fail to address the actual issue. A situation like the Iran hostage crisis, press is expected to know a great deal about the history of Iran and the major reason behind the revolution. Press should also present the Shah’s background and his attempt to westernize his country and diminishing the Islamic culture. Instead of trying to explain the complexity and precipitating factors of the crisis situation, and creating unity among US citizen and government that hostages must be released without turning over the Shah, press should support the steps taken by the government to release of