A YouTube video of former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami shaking hands with several women while on a trip to Italy in May has prompted conservative outcry. Khatami, a well-respected cleric who instituted moderate reforms as president and still has a wide following claims the video is doctored.
Above: Mohammad Khatami shakes hands with “unfamiliar women”
The New York Times today leads with a column on the crackdowns taking place in Iran. Conservave president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using the Khatami video an example of Islamic impurity to bolster support for a regime that has taken a hard line against many of the freedoms opened up during Khatami’s time in government.
A longer clip of the video has received more than 70,000 views since it was posted in May. The internet has become a hotbed for propaganda, and can be used to launch very effective political attacks anonymously.
It’s only a matter of time before we see online swiftboating take place during the upcoming election in this country. Online video has made it easy to distribute a damaging message rapidly with little or no blowback on those making the attacks.
[...] month, we noted that one of the things we should expect in this next election is a rise in online political [...]