Iran International
The decision by Iran’s state broadcaster to produce a film about a female presenter whose image went viral when Israeli missiles hit its headquarters has sparked a wave of criticism and accusations of political propaganda.
The planned feature, Re-Birth, casts actress Atefeh Habibi as Sahar Emami—presented by state media as a symbol of defiance during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June.
Emami was on air when IRIB’s Glass Building in Tehran was bombed on June 16. She rushed out of the studio but returned to present from another set within minutes.
“(She) bravely continued her program after the attack,” the film’s promoter asserted Thursday, branding her a hero.
But many remain unconvinced, accusing the broadcaster of glossing over “real heroes” and victims of the war.
'Propaganda’
“Making a film about Sahar Emami is not a cultural choice. It is a propaganda project,” a commentary in the moderate outlet Rouydad24 argued.
“What is it that makes her stand out from all others?” it asked, offering a characteristically factional answer: “It is easy propaganda that conveys their ideological perspective,” referring to IRIB’s leadership and its ties to the ultrahardline Paydari Front.
The commentary also criticised the lack of scrutiny of the broadcaster itself.
In the days after the attack, state TV filled its programming with tributes to Emami, sponsored billboards across Tehran, and received praise from senior officials—including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—for her “bravery.”
Critics said the network was exploiting the incident to deflect attention from its declining viewership.
Dwindling popularity
IRIB holds a legal monopoly over broadcasting in Iran; private television networks are not permitted.
In recent years, however, a proliferation of digital platforms—often backed by different branches of the state or powerful institutions—has begun to challenge that dominance in entertainment.
In news, IRIB’s audience has been shrinking for years, with Persian-language broadcasters in exile becoming the main source of information for most people inside Iran.
An official survey in late 2024 put IRIB’s popularity at just 12.5%, while the head of its internal polling unit claimed it was closer to 72%, adding the figure “could have been higher if, like elsewhere in the world, Generation Z had not turned away from national television.”
A survey by the Netherlands-based polling institute GAMAAN also found that only a small minority of Iranians tuned in to IRIB during and after the June war with Israel.
The broadcaster’s chief has since requested additional funding to rebuild the damaged headquarters, saying rubble will be cleared by January with reconstruction to follow.
Critics note that IRIB’s current budget of 350 trillion rials (more than $300 million) exceeds that of ten ministries combined.
The broadcaster also receives ad-hoc allocations in US dollars from the national reserve alongside lucrative advertising revenue.
