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BEYOND THE ELECTRONIC CURTAIN
by
Tara Kangarlou
A Professional Project Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(BROADCAST JOURNALISM)
May 2012
Copyright 2012 Tara Kangarlou
Object Description
| Title | Beyond the electronic curtain |
| Author | Kangarlou, Tara |
| Author email | kangarlo@usc.edu;tara.kangarlou@gmail.com |
| Degree | Master of Arts |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Journalism (Broadcast Journalism) |
| School | Annenberg School for Communication |
| Date defended/completed | 2012-04-01 |
| Date submitted | 2012-05-02 |
| Date approved | 2012-05-02 |
| Restricted until | 2012-05-02 |
| Date published | 2012-05-02 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Birman, Dan |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Saltzman, Joseph Seib, Philip |
| Abstract | Just over two decades ago, a large part of the world lived behind an Iron Curtain. The Soviet Union, in its effort to shield its people from the outside world and potentially any outside influence, placed a massive internal security apparatus, all available surveillance technology, and imposed severe limitations on movement, press, speech, assembly, and association—taking away the fundamental human rights to freedom of speech and expression. ❧ After decades of such repression, the most vivid symbol of the Iron Curtain—The Berlin Wall—came down at the hands of people on both sides of the barrier. ❧ Iran today, a country once recognized for it’s rich culture, enchanting tourism, and glorious history, is facing the exact isolation—except this time, behind an “Electronic Curtain”. ❧ Under the Islamic regime, Iran ranks first in violation of Internet freedom, free flow of information and imprisonment of journalists and political activists—only the latest in a long record of repression of Iranian society. Since the 2009 presidential elections, more than 50 publications have been shut down by the Islamic regime. The country also has the highest execution rate in the world. ❧ The documentary recounts the horrific story of Omid Memarian, a journalist who was imprisoned in Iran’s notorious Evin prison for simply doing his job. Through intimate details, Memarian begins his tale. From the beginning moments when two gunmen took him from the newsroom, to the torturous days he spent next to convicted murderers, to the morning he accidentally saw his mother in the hallways of the Supreme Court, Memarian’s story provides a glimpse into a country that is governed through severe censorship. ❧ His tale depicts a real-life slice of this oppression in today’s Iran—not only to evoke people’s sympathy toward a youth dominant society, but also to educate the international community of the crimes of the Iranian regime. His story is told as experts: U.S. Diplomats, Iranian Parliamentarians, Human Rights Activists and U.S. Government Officials guide the audience through details of the regime’s strategies, policies, and fears in maintaining this Electronic Curtain. ❧ Among the experts, Mr. Ramin Asgard, U.S. Diplomat and former Director of Voice of America Farsi, authored the policy: “Beyond the Electronic Curtain” in 2011. The policy was just recently passed into President Obama’s foreign policy strategies—where much effort will be put in aiding Iran to overcome this electronic curtain and its current censorship. ❧ Over the past five years, Iran has employed one of the most sophisticated filtering systems in the world. It controls Internet service providers, hunts activists via the Internet police, and uses thousands of operators to monitor web content, and can slow down or shut down the Internet and any satellite broadcasting when needed—in an effort to control ideas, ambitions, and opportunities of a society who at any moment, aspires to rise for an alterative government. ❧ The documentary reflects on Memarian’s melancholy, but also reflects on the viral affect of such censorship in all avenues of the Iranian society. Memarian’s frustration is not solely specific to journalists and political activists. Rather, the regime’s repression affects people from all walks of life. From students, teachers, doctors, physicists, scientists, businessmen, artists, filmmakers and lawyers, the electronic curtain takes away the basic access to freethinking and free speech. ❧ Ultimately, through Memarian’s tale as well as the experts’ in-depth knowledge of the Iranian history and policies, the documentary aims to portray the Iranian society in it’s entirety; what they aspire to be and what they are constantly deprived of—it portrays the innocence and humanity that’s imprisoned beneath this curtain and the dangers that result from this isolation, not just for the Iranian people, but also for others who lack or enjoy this fundamental right—freedom of speech, expression and life. |
| Keyword | Iran; censorship; foreign policy; middle east media; green movement; 2009 Iran election; Ahmadinejad; Ramin Asgard; Hadi Ghaeimi; human righta issues |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Kangarlou, Tara |
| Access conditions | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@usc.edu |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume4/etd-KangarlouT-731.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Full text | BEYOND THE ELECTRONIC CURTAIN by Tara Kangarlou A Professional Project Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS (BROADCAST JOURNALISM) May 2012 Copyright 2012 Tara Kangarlou |
