People's Republic

Around the New Year, protests began emerging in rural areas of Iran. Partly driven by economic grievances due largely to U.S.-imposed sanctions, the Iranian protests have seemingly taken on a more chauvinistic attitude. Some protesters have even chanted, "Not Gaza, not Lebanon, Sacrifice both for Iran," which would give pause to the U.S. media-driven narrative that the protests are against the country's religious leadership.Media reporting practices have been increasingly disingenuous. Corporate media outlets have repeatedly misrepresented pictures from the massive pro-government demonstrations, claiming them to be part of the anti-government demonstrations, which reportedly number only in the thousands nationwide.In addition, publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Post, and Politico have relied largely on commentary from the far-right wing, pro-Israel think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies. They present this think tank - funded largely by casino mogul Sheldon Anderso