LONDON: The BBC has opened the doors to its Persian newsroom in a new documentary that provides viewers with an unprecedented glimpse into the lives and work of the people whose job it is to report on Iran.
“For the first time the BBC has lifted the lid and gone behind the scenes with the BBC News Persian team, showing the work that goes into reporting Iran while the BBC is banned from the country, and the struggle and turmoil faced by staff,” the company said in a statement.
“In an emotive narrative of ‘Reporting Iran: Inside BBC Persian,’ the reporting of the dramatic and tragic events unfolding in Iran is intertwined with the personal drama and sacrifice by the BBC journalists whose persecution and harassment by Iranian authorities have been the subject of multiple protests by the BBC and the UN,” it said.
Produced, directed and filmed by the BBC’s Namak Khoshnaw, the documentary follows the daily lives of those trying to report in a country where they are not allowed to operate and shows how social media is being used to root out stories and verify what is happening on the ground.
In a series of emotional interviews, BBC Persian presenters, reporters and producers discuss the professional and personal sacrifices they make to uncover stories while defying the best efforts of the Iranian government to stop them.
Members of the newsroom’s social media team show how they check information to authenticate events, individuals, locations and metadata, which is essential in countering the spread of disinformation online.
That verification process, which requires the team to establish the exact locations of video clips, analyze officially released footage, speak to witnesses and examine the legitimacy of documents, often takes several days.
As well as highlighting the logistical challenges of unearthing stories in Iran, the documentary recounts the personal struggles of the team and what their association with the network means for their families and loved ones living in Iran.
BBC Persian journalists and their families are frequently the target of online abuse and many have received threats of violence and even death.
“‘Reporting Iran: Inside BBC Persian’ is full of poignant details that bring to the fore the personal dimension of the journalists who are reporting the country they come from,” the BBC said.
Iran has been in turmoil since mid-September, when the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini sparked large protests against the strict restrictions and prompted calls for regime changes.
BBC Persian, which reaches 18.5 million viewers a week around the world, has often been criticized for its stance on the regime. Some Iranians have even accused it of playing a role in bringing the clerical establishment to power 43 years ago and of siding with the Iranian regime.
In 1980, a BBC report on human rights abuses and social restrictions led to the closure of the BBC Persian office in Tehran and expulsion of its correspondent, forcing the network to relocate to London.
After the election of President Khatami in 1999, the BBC was allowed to reopen its Tehran bureau with a resident correspondent. But in 2010, Iranian authorities banned more than 60 international organizations, including BBC Persian, in what experts said was an intensification of a campaign to blame the country’s political turmoil on foreign entities.
Relations between the broadcaster and the Iranian government deteriorated further in 2017, when authorities froze journalists’ assets and interrogated, and in some cases detained, their families, prompting the BBC to make an appeal to the UN Human Rights Council to intervene.
BBC documentary shines spotlight on Persian journalists reporting on Iran
https://arab.news/ne5y7
BBC documentary shines spotlight on Persian journalists reporting on Iran
- ‘Reporting Iran: Inside BBC Persian’ reveals dramatic events unfolding in country
- Film highlights ‘struggle and turmoil faced by staff,’ broadcaster says
Gems of Arabia magazine launched to spotlight talents shaping Saudi Arabia’s evolving cultural landscape
- The publication features established and emerging talents elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media
- Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel seeks to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences
DUBAI: When Saudi fashion designer Hatem Alakeel interviewed Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud before her appointment as Saudi ambassador to the US, the longtime advocate of women’s empowerment made a powerful prediction: “I look forward to the day that the Saudi woman is no longer the story but rather a phenomenal achievement.”
That moment would become the foundation for Gems of Arabia, an arts and culture audio-visual podcast that spotlights the creative talents shaping the landscape of Saudi Arabia and the broader region.
Over six years, Gems of Arabia has documented the sweeping transformation of the Kingdom’s art and culture scene, and is now evolving into a full-fledged magazine.
“It started off as a column I used to write, and from there, it turned into a podcast. Now it is growing into a magazine,” Dubai-based Alakeel, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, told Arab News ahead of the launch of the digital publication on Thursday.
Besides spotlighting celebrated regional artists, Alakeel said Gems of Arabia is in search of the “hidden gems” elevating the region across design, fashion, art, tech, music, architecture and media.
The magazine serves as a platform for talented, authentic creatives and tech entrepreneurs unable to articulate their work “because they don’t have the public relations or capacity to promote themselves even through social media.”
Alakeel added: “Our job is to identify all these authentic people; you don’t have to be famous, you just have to be authentic, and have a great story to tell.”
The digital publication offers a dynamic blend of short-form podcasts, coverage of regional cultural events, in-depth features and editorials, long-form interviews and artist profiles — spotlighting both celebrated and emerging talents. This is complemented by social media vox pops and bite-sized coverage of art events across the region.
Alakeel, who also runs Authenticite, a consulting and creative production agency connecting creators and brands who want to understand Saudi culture, said the magazine content is “carefully curated” to feature topics and personalities that resonate in the region.
What differentiates Gems of Arabia, he said, is its story of continuity and substance amassed over the years that has captured the evolution of the wider regional landscape.
“The website represents an archive of nearly 150 articles compiled through years of podcasts and long-form conversations that show continuity and depth changes,” he said.
“So, it’s an evolution and it’s another home for all our content and our community.”
Growing up in France, Alakeel said his mission started early on when he felt the need to represent his Saudi culture “in a way where it can hold its own internationally.”
Through his first brand, Toby, he sought to bring the traditional thobe into modern designs and introduce it to the luxury fashion world. This mission was accomplished when his thobe designs were placed alongside global labels such as Harvey Nichols, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.
What began as a personal design mission would soon expand into a broader platform to champion Saudi talent.
“I was articulating my culture through fashion and it just felt natural to do that through the incredible people that the region has,” Alakeel said, adding that the magazine aims to highlight the richness of the Kingdom, and wider modern Arab culture to global audiences.
“Art is such a great way of learning about a culture and a country,” he said.
On the ground in Saudi Arabia, the publication hosts GEMS Forum, a series of live cultural gatherings that bring together prominent artistic figures for in-depth conversations later transformed into podcast episodes recorded with a live audience.
Alakeel said the print edition of Gems of Arabia will debut in March, designed as a collectible coffee-table quarterly distributed across the Gulf.
He envisions the platform growing into a long-term cultural record.
“It's a Saudi-centric magazine, but the idea is to make it inclusive to the region and everyone authentic has a seat at the table,” said Alakeel.
