Senior Advisor to Khamenei: Newspapers that Engage in “Polarization” Should Be Shut Down 

Alireza Panahian, head of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei's academic think tank urged in an address uploaded to EtemadOnline.com (Iran) on September 4, 2024 the Majles speaker to enact regulations to tackle “polarization” in the media. He said that newspapers that engage in polarization should be shut down, whether they are state funded or belong to the opposition. Panahian said that publishing false information in newspapers is wrong, but engaging in polarization is worse, because it leads to despair in society. He spoke at a lecture attended by the Majles speaker.