Editing Blogging in Iran (section)

==Political importance==
Blogging in Iran took on political importance as the regime continued its crackdown on journalists. The Iranian press is highly regulated, especially under the Press Law, which according to the UNHCR, "forbids the publication of ideas that are contrary to Islamic principles or detrimental to public rights." This includes imprisonment for "propaganda," which remains undefined, and for offenses that are "an insult to religion."

Because as many as 100 publications were shut down in the early 2000s, many sought alternative outlets for reporting and freedom of expression. This often came about in critiques of the regime, which was relatively unregulated until 2004. Implicit and explicit condemnation is common, such as is evident in the following excerpts. 
<blockquote>"11 July 2003: On occasion something happens in life that makes you want to believe in miracles. Like today! Coming across a copy of Kieslowski's Three colours Blue/ White/ Red among the videos at home- without anyone remembering having borrowed it from a friend... This was one of those majestic miracles that only a higher being can bestow on a special someone like me. Thank You God!"<ref>Alavi, Nasrin. " We are Iran" p 226</ref></blockquote> The viewing of movies in ones home is forbidden, as are most western films. More explicit expressions of dissent as also common: "25 November 2002: Every Day new intrigues and tyrannies by our repressive turbaned rulers...And crazy Muslims around the world that bring nothing but carnage and shame...I swear to god...if it weren't for clergy like Eshkavari who keep telling us that what they do is not Islam...I would abandon this little faith once and for all"<ref>Alavi, Nasrin. "We are Iran" p. 110 Soft Skull Press, 2005.</ref>

Iranian officials became concerned that the 2004 [[Orange Revolution]] in Ukraine might induce foreign attempts to support a similar revolution in Iran, by building civil society networks and empowering activists as had happened in Ukraine. This was compounded by the 2006 announcement by the [[U.S. State Department]] that it was creating a $75 million fund to "reach out to the people of Iran". This caused the Iranian government to closely monitor foreign support for bloggers and journalists.<ref name=ipsnews-20070213>{{cite news |url=http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36393 |title=Journalists Targeted for Traveling Outside Iran |last=Memarian |first=Omid |website=Inter Press Service News Agency |date=13 February 2007 |access-date=18 June 2019}}</ref>

In 2004 the government began to arrest and charge bloggers as political dissidents. It also began demanding shutdowns and screening of internet service providers, a big step in restriction that had been relatively unregulated.<ref name=ipsnews-20070213/><ref name=unhcr/>

In 2005 the [[BBC World Service Trust]] started the Iran Media Development Project, to support new media in Iran, following on from earlier projects such as Jadid Media funded by the Netherlands.<ref name=pria-academy-2008/> In 2006 it created a secure training and mentoring website for aspiring Iranian and Afghan bloggers and journalists, with an online magazine edited by [[Sina Motalebi]] for the trainees supported by a radio programme for young people in Iran, called ZigZag.<ref name=mediashift-20071018>{{cite news |url=http://mediashift.org/2007/10/bbc-trains-iranian-journalists-through-zigzag-online-magazine291/ |title=BBC Trains Iranian Journalists through ZigZag Online Magazine |last=Glaser |first=Mark |website=MediaShift |date=18 October 2007 |access-date=10 May 2019}}</ref><ref name=bbc-20061023>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/mediadevelopment/story/2006/10/061020_iranyouth_radio.shtml |title=Trust launches Iran youth radio program |publisher=BBC |work=BBC World Service Trust |date=23 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406153155/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/mediadevelopment/story/2006/10/061020_iranyouth_radio.shtml |archive-date=6 April 2008}}</ref><ref name=i-learn-20061118>{{cite web |url=http://www.i-learn.co.uk/News/2006/11/18/News11377/ |title=Guinea pigs speak Persian |publisher=BBC World Service Trust |work=iLearn |date=18 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104203759/http://www.i-learn.co.uk/News/2006/11/18/News11377/ |archive-date=4 January 2007}}</ref>

Circa 2006 estimates suggested there were about 500,000 to 800,000 blogs in Iran, though not all were active.<ref name=pria-academy-2008>{{cite report |url=http://pria-academy.org/pdf/ISA/m3/m3-2-New-mediaIran.pdf |title=Generating new media and new participation in Iran: The Case of ZigZag |first1=Anna |last1=Godfrey |first2=Michael |last2=Thelwall |first3=Mahmood |last3=Eneyat |publisher=BBC World Service Trust |year=2008<!-- presented at International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Stockholm, Sweden, 20–25 July --> |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119002936/http://www.pria-academy.org/pdf/ISA/m3/m3-2-New-mediaIran.pdf |archive-date=19 November 2017}}</ref>

In 2009, internet users and particularly bloggers and online journalists were targeted for arrest and violence after the contested re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who won by a landslide, inciting fraud allegations. Critical publications were shut down and the largest number of journalists were jailed since the 1979 revolution. The Press Law was also formally extended to "all internet publications" which may include blogs, requiring the authors to get licenses. According to ONI, with the sophisticated system of internet filtering developed by Iran, the websites Blogger and Persianblog are often blocked. Yet in response to the vitality of the Iranian blogosphere, the government decided to pursue other tactics simultaneously, announcing in late 2008 its intention to create thousands of pro government blogs, including one by the president himself.<ref name=unhcr>{{cite web |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,FREEHOU,,IRN,,4ca5cc5f1e,0.html |title=Refworld &#124; Freedom of the Press 2010 - Iran |website=www.unhcr.org |access-date=26 January 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130416010036/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,FREEHOU,,IRN,,4ca5cc5f1e,0.html |archive-date=16 April 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Thus the internet, and in particular blogs became an important front in informal political debate, declarations, and dissatisfaction.