When Mourning Becomes News

A significant volume of recent news from Iranian media, especially news agencies, has been dedicated to the deaths of relatives of political figures, such as the sister of the Supreme Leader or the mother of the President; condolence messages that are not newsworthy in most parts of the world have taken on a newsworthy form in Iran due to the absence of independent and free media. In contrast, some community-related news, such as the death of a student in western Iran due to a landmine near his school and the self-immolation of a worker in southern Iran in protest against inequality and economic hardship, received less coverage in Iranian media. On this occasion, I asked Hossein Ghazian, a sociologist residing in the U.S., why condolence messages and mourning ceremonies or even weddings of politicians receive such extensive media coverage in Iran. Hossein Ghazian: "You need to look at the limitations of political activity in Iran. Part of these limitations is institutional, meaning the lack of a party structure in society that would facilitate political activities through them. Also, the organized suppression of protest movements in society; therefore, the death of a person related to politicians and events like this, mourning ceremonies, and condolence messages from prominent individuals become tools for political activity and news within the limited scope currently available. Thus, the content of the message—who sent it, what was said, how it was sent, what hints or allusions were made—effectively becomes a tool for political activity or social struggle. Overall, organized repression and the lack of institutional characteristics in society have brought political behavior to a point where political activity can only occur through mourning ceremonies or writing condolence messages. On the other hand, the lethargy and inertia of civil society are also relevant. Civil society does not react to events such as the self-immolation of a street vendor in protest against inequality and poverty because this civil society is also dependent on the government in terms of resources and is therefore impoverished, which does not allow it to move independently. Additionally, it is so caught up in daily life that it cannot look beyond itself and see others as extensions of itself. The 'other'—the person who set themselves on fire—is seen as someone distant, alien, and disconnected. They do not feel themselves as an extension of that person and vice versa. This alienation and social fragmentation, which manifests itself in the absence of social solidarity, effectively leads to a lack of reaction to such events. It seems that mourning ceremonies and gatherings like these have gained roles beyond mere mourning or sympathy. Is there a political or directional perspective governing them? "Yes. Evidence supports this. Besides, you know that there has been a tradition of struggle, especially religious struggle, in our society. For example, look at how the revolution occurred on the shoulders of these mourning ceremonies and memorial services for those who were killed in conflicts or, as revolutionaries say, martyrs, and how the previous memorial creates the next one, becoming a channel for political struggle at that time. This tradition has continued to this day. It manifests differently now, not in the revolutionary protest form it had in the past, but as a kind of expression of dissatisfaction that individuals show by attending these gatherings. Whether it is political figures who no longer have a platform in the government and use their presence in such gatherings and the media to assert themselves or express solidarity with figures who are usually considered outside the political system or critics and opponents. Therefore, the past tradition of political struggle and the existence of real channels such as mosques, mourning ceremonies, and similar venues have allowed this channel to serve as a platform for a form of political activity that is currently possible—despite the poverty of civil society and the absence of political institutions. A look at news agencies in the past two weeks shows a wave of condolence messages in news agencies that have a news function. For example, the death of the sister of the Supreme Leader was one of these cases that faced a wave of condolence news and its publication in official news agencies. Why do news agencies dedicate so much of their news to such stories? "Well, the real political scene is devoid of real political news. One reason is that free political activity based on the main issues that people face is either not happening or is hidden. Therefore, the public discussions surrounding those main areas related to political decision-making are practically outside the public social sphere. Society has not organized itself enough for those news items to be important enough to manifest in the media. Consequently, such news becomes attractive. Because politicians are engaging in political activity through it, and these figures, who may have newsworthy appeal, become the subject of news. Thus, they reflect a demand that exists in society, and of course, for more political reasons, this demand is intensified because other channels of political activity related to public decision-making on many issues affecting people's lives are effectively closed to the public, and the general public's perception of political activity is shaped by what politicians convey to them through activities like mourning ceremonies. "