16 August 2009 (25 Mordad 1388): Not the best headline from the Washington Post

(comic comes from here)

Can't say I really approve of this headline from the Washington Post on the third day of the sham trial - the headline is Demonstrators Say Mousavi Campaign Behind Destruction. Technically yes, there were demonstrators, and those were the words that came out of their mouth, but that isn't really the story here. It's doubtful that a soldier taken prisoner in Afghanistan that was also forced to read a statement would end up with a headline like American Soldier Says United States Is Cause of All Problems in Afghanistan.

So what would be a better headline? Let's go with Demonstrators Again Read Prepared Statements on Third Day of Mass Trial in Iran. Simple and to the point, and the readers can decide for themselves what to think about the process.


In the meantime, the Los Angeles Times is of the opinion that Mousavi's new political front is lacking in clarity in its strategy to carry out what it wishes to do. I'm not sure that clarity up front on this would be a good idea though - one reason why the protests have been able to continue for as long as they have is because strategy has continually shifted, from mass protests in the beginning to protests that are of a more sporadic nature, often on fixed dates but much more mobile than before.