Behrouz Behzadi, Editor of Etemad Newspaper:

Rooz (R): Dr. Behzadi, how much have Rooz and its writers been able to uphold professional standards of journalism?

Behzadi (B): In my opinion, the era is the era of electronic publications, especially because the audience of such publications are limited to those who have knowledge of working with computers. Journalists are among society’s elite, analyzing events and news reports. When a publication has a particular group of audience, that puts a responsibility on the publication to produce what its audience want; but it also puts a responsibility on the audience not to have the same exact expectations from electronic publications and as they do from print media.

R: In any case, a particular portion of society is the audience for electronic publications. In your opinion, how influential is this group of audience in shaping political and social trends in society?

B: These publications cover a segment of society that is very influential. Each individual from this segment counts as a hundred. I think that electronic publications do better with each passing day and find new readers. They have to keep their readers in mind.

R: How, in your opinion, can international standards in journalism be instituted in Farsi language electronic publications?

B: Personally, I think that even for the print media, which is more old-fashioned than the electronic media, the key lies in connecting the source to the reader. Whoever is able to create the best connection with the reader has done the best professional job – just like our new age poets who have followed in the footsteps of Nima Yooshij.

R: Do we have to reform many of our traditional methods in journalism in order to conform to international standards?

B: Absolutely. I believe now is the time for throwing away a great deal of self-generated laws of journalism and getting focused on the quality of the connection [between the source and the reader]. The more we can create a connection between the source and the reader, the more professional is our work.

R: How can a journalist maneuver through many impeding factors that are found in developing societies; factors such as tradition, censorship, culture, and so forth?

B: Well, in our country there are problems for publications, many of which are related to self-censorship and worries that affect journalists from the outside. But in my opinion, the future of electronic media is much brighter when compared to print media, and even radio and television. In these latter kinds of media the audience is not handpicked. But for electronic media, the reader is more knowledgeable, clicking on the report that he is interested in reading, and following sources that he trusts. The influence of this medium in producing a connection between the source and the reader is of great importance, and electronic media journalists must pay close attention to it.