Text of report by state-run Iranian TV channel one on 1 July
[Presenter] It has been a year since Press TV international network started its work. The network is finding its place gradually among tens of English-language televisions. Our reporter Shoja’i reports:
[Shoja’i] Maybe many of us don’t know that Press TV, whose name can be heard quite often, is an Iranian English-language network that is celebrating its first anniversary these days.
Press TV is a 24-hour network and its programmes include roundtables, feature reports, world and Iran news. The network presents the news to the world from a new angle.
[Press TV News editor Sa’id Tahami] We have 50 correspondents across the world to cover the events in their regions. They will relay their reports as soon as possible.
[Shoja’i] Within its short lifespan, Press TV has managed to attract prominent political and media figures to work for it.
[Shoja’i introducing] George Galloway, British MP since 1987 and the leader of Respect independent party, is against the Iraq war and supports the withdrawal of British forces from Iraq.
[Galloway in English with Farsi voiceover] This has been a big step for me. This is because the news broadcast by this network is different from the news broadcast by most of news networks in the world. Many viewers in the world know that Fox News, Sky News and even the BBC do not tell them the truth. Therefore, they turn to networks such as Press TV.
[Shoja’i introducing] Yvonne Ridley is a British journalist who converted to Islam after two years of studying the religion.
[Ridley in English with Farsi voiceover] The viewpoint of Western media on global events, including Iran and the Middle East, is strongly influenced by the governments of America and Britain. When I first heard about Press TV I was excited because the network discusses issues that are banned in Western media, such as tyranny and injustice in the occupied Palestine.
[Tahami] Among the priorities of Press TV is to cover the events of Palestine and to cover, from different angles, the presence of American forces in Iraq. It wants to cover many incidents that take place in the world but are not covered thoroughly by many news networks.
[Shoja’i] It is difficult to measure the number of viewers of a television network within a year’s time; however, the website of Press TV has been visited by millions of people over the past year.
[Executive Editor-in-Chief Emadi] The website has been visited by 32.714 million people over the past year.
Originally published by Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1, Tehran, in Persian 0930 1 Jul 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Media. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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