Although Seyyed Mohammad Khatami has not yet announced his candidacy for the tenth presidential election, and obstacles and challenges facing his official announcement - and then competition with other candidates - are many and significant, but one of the problems currently facing the "Khatami and presidential election" debate is the absence of a newspaper that would clearly support and propagate his views for running the country and leave a lasting mark on the fate of this election.
Although on the surface - and at present - this may not seems as a very important and determining factor, for reasons given below, ignoring and looking over the problem would not be considered a small miscalculation by those wanting and supporting Khatami's presence in the upcoming election. In a similar manner, the discussion regarding the administrative handling of thee election and the method of counting ballots and interference of military personnel in the election must already be attended to.
It is obvious that Khatami - and supporters and proponents of his candidacy - must let go of state-run radio and television network and the very-rich state-run newspapers (all of which are under the state's supervision). It does not require explanation that directors of state-run radio and television networks and newspapers such as "Iran," "Khorshid," "Kayhan," and so on will not tolerate Khatami's presence on the scene and will relentlessly attack him.
None of the country's major newspapers fit within the framework of Khatami and his advisors' policies and worldview. The duty of "Etemad Melli" (mouthpiece for Etemad Melli Party) is obvious. The central committee of Etemad Melli Party has nominated Mehdi Karoubi for presidency; and apparently Mehdi Karoubi will announce by the end of Mehr whether he would run for presidency or not. It is obvious that should Karoubi be present in the presidential election, this newspaper will fully support Karoubi's bid.
The situation of Etemad newspaper is not much different than that of Etemad Melli. Elias Hazrati, managing editor of Etemad, serves on Etemad Melli Party's central committee and one can predict the newspaper's general stance should Khatami enter the race. A quick glance at Etemad's coverage in recent weeks is enough to show that the newspaper is not very fond of Khatami's candidacy.
Kargozaran, the mouthpiece for Servants of Construction Party, has taken a more moderate approach in comparison with the two papers listed above: the simultaneous support for Khatami and Karoubi, along with another candidate with positions close to the party (Hassan Rohani) is easily felt in Kargozaran's coverage.
Other than the three mentioned newspapers, other newspapers and journals close to reformists or claiming to support reformists essentially lack considerable distribution. The only interesting case - which cannot be ignored in today's journalistic conditions in Iran - is the Shahrvand weekly. One can claim that Shahrvand has begun to support and promote for Karoubi in a very discernible manner. Despite views of Mohammad Ghouchani, the weekly's managing editor, who openly favors Karoubi over Khatami, other members of the editorial board either are opposed to Khatami, or prefer Karoubi, or are thinking of other choices altogether (most notably, Abdullah Nouri).
One can conclude from the quick report presented above that Khatami and his supporters do not - at least at present - have access to a media outlet that can propagate and promote their views.
At present, Khatami and his supporters and those reformists who think he is the most suitable candidate for presidency have no option other than to be happy about the Internet. Although Khatami's main base of support is the "middle class," and the middle class comprises the main portion of the country's Internet users, it is clear that the reach and scope of influence of paper journals in Iran continue to trump the Internet.
To make is short; Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, a figure that was the country's president for eight years until the past three, four years, is now the potential candidate most deprived of access to a media outlet (newspaper). Would the virtual world be effective enough in mobilizing public opinion in his support? Would the Internet be enough in promoting and propagating Khatami's policies, should he run for presidency? It is not very easy to supply optimistic responses to these questions.
