National Radio/TV Network Changes Debate Format

Rooz Online - The first round of televised debates among the presidential candidates brought forth negative responses from the public, the media and of course the candidates’ campaign headquarters forcing the national radio and television network to change direction. The network announced on Sunday evening that it was changing the format of the debates and would announce them on Monday.

In fact the debates produced more jokes, quips, ridicule, etc in the text message world than the issues discussed at the debates. The candidates themselves called the format “insulting” prompting the representative of the attorney general in the special committee monitoring the election campaign activities, Nasser Saraj, to announce, “Changing the format of the presidential debates was discussed and the results would be announced tomorrow.”

Prior to this, Mohammad-Reza Aref’s campaign had announced the removal of sections two and three of the debates related to intelligence test and review of the photos. Aref also announced that Zarghami (the head of the national radio and TV network), which was immediately denied by the station.

Kalameh website wrote that people responded to the format of the debates more than the debates themselves in the blogosphere. Interestingly it wrote, “So long as this sense of humor exists among Iranians, it will not be easy to impose an absolute dictatorship on this nation.” While the regime takes every measure to be serious and harsh against critics, a single joke suddenly upset all its programs and makes everyone laugh.” In another part of its story, Kalameh wrote, “People … invariably think of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, seyed Mohammad Khatami, Hashemi Rafsanjani and even other leaders of their movements that have been driven to the periphery such as Behzad Nabavi, Hosen Safai Farahani, Ghorban Behzadinejad, Alireza Beheshti Shirazi, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Mosafa Tajzadeh among others and cannot stop comparing what they see and hear with them and disappointment and concern. Disappointment that their leaders are under house arrest and in prison and concern about the future of the country under the hands of the people they see on their TV sets.”