War needed radio / Avini was the best media and narrator of war propaganda – Mehr News Agency | Iran and world’s news

Mehr News Agency – Culture and Thought – Massoud Kargar: The media has been and is the most important element in the hard and soft wars of the world, and this element can act more powerfully than any element and tool of hard warfare. He had become a foreign enemy and some of its internal elements and showed that the necessity of media and propaganda in war is more than having military power.

Hamidreza Khazaei was born in 1943 in the city of Rey. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the Pahlavi regime before the victory of the Revolution and was released in 1957. Due to his activities during the victory of the Revolution, he joined the revolutionary organization and He was in charge of the ceremonies of Imam’s return, and after the 22nd of Bahman, when the radio and television were at the height of the strikes, by the order of the Imam to Ayatollah Taleghani, everyone returned to work and the military forces left, and Ahmad Jalali was selected by Mr. Motahari as the director of the radio and the revolutionary children called each other over time. Hamid Reza Khazaei also entered the radio by them. He gained experience and gradually used the old people loyal to the revolution and the new specialized forces on the radio, until on September 22, with the first sound of his and his colleagues’ explosion, they entered a new phase after the revolution. The Revolution and the House of Imam Khomeini The first declaration of war read by Ayatollah Khamenei They broadcasted the radio and used the first military marches related to the army. With the least experience, they formed a critical staff in radio broadcasting and began to organize the forces and produce programs and live broadcasts using prominent writers and speakers. The war propaganda headquarters was formed in coordination with and coordinated with it.

His records from the beginning of his presence in the radio include: Head of Radio Broadcasting Coordination, Deputy Director of Radio Broadcasting, Head of Crisis Committee during the Holy Defense Propaganda, Director of Jabheh Radio, Director of Radio Production, Executive Deputy of Radio, Director of Education Department of Tehran Radio Network, The director of Karaj Radio has been the Deputy Minister of Radio and Television, the Deputy Minister of Planning and Supervision of the Radio and Television Organization.

I asked Khazaei questions about the process of activity and the role of radio in the propaganda of the imposed war, you can read the following conversation:

* In general, we have had something as a media in the 8 years of holy defense, and we have needed media and propaganda at all, and if so, how much and was it enough?

Certainly it is and it is a necessary need for a war and media crisis, and if it is not, there may not be victory, because the role of the media is to defend the defense of the war, and if the people and fighters were not stimulated, we would face many problems and failures. This amount was enough according to the conditions and facilities of that time, but so far it has not been enough to convey the concepts, and in the conditions of crisis and war, and according to the minimum facilities and experiences, we are in the media and correct transmission, awareness and communication. We were successful on both sides of the people and the fighters, and our speed and quality were good, and other world media used psychological warfare, slander, gossip and lies, but we valued the honesty of the news and we might have been late, but we were announcing the most honest news. I think this is exactly the media, a successful media in war.

* Were you present at the beginning of your career after the victory of the Revolution and in the imposed war in Tehran and Jam Jam, or did you also visit the operational areas and have field supervision?

The area of ​​the war zones was very large and naturally it was not possible to cover all the areas of Tehran due to the conditions and facilities. The front was present, and we sent a team of cameramen, reporters, and equipment from Tehran to report on normal operations and times, and a return line with telecommunications installed to transmit the video and audio to Tehran.

My servant was occasionally sent to help his colleagues and check the situation, but it was also announced from Beit Imam (ra) that you and other managers should be in Tehran to control from the center, and your main cultural jihad is here.

These occasional trips lasted until 1964, and because we did not know exactly when the war would end, we generally did intermittent media work, and as the war dragged on, the Broadcasting Organization decided to launch a dedicated radio station called War Radio. With a survey of war zones, combatants and military forces, it was launched and how to present the content and design how it works in the War Propaganda Council was approved and launched in November 1965 with a 3-hour broadcast. According to other goals of radio, specialized productions from the front and following the health status, captivity or martyrdom of fighters after each operation and informing their families and people in the cities by sending a satellite that would speed up the transmission of news .

* What were the most important propaganda goals of the Holy Defense from the perspective of the media and on the radio, and you as one of the media managers and one of the most important media in the war! What tools, strategies and methods were used to inform it accurately and correctly, and how was the connection and interaction between the people and the fighters?

– Informing the war zones and fronts to inform the people about the war situation

– Information on how to support and mobilize the people to help combatants in war zones

– Intellectual, scientific, moral, political nutrition of fighters to strengthen morale and greater cohesion

– Informing and raising awareness in the social, health and protection fields to the fighters to maintain their physical and mental health as well as protective awareness to them.

– Neutralizing the psychological warfare plans and spreading rumors of the enemy

– Broadcast stimulating programs for combatants before operations and stimulus programs in normal times and recession

– Establishing a continuous two-way connection between the combatants and their families and broadcasting audio and radio interviews

– Presenting ideological, political, historical analyzes quoting the history and manners of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) during the recession and normalization of war zones to maintain the morale of the warriors

– Broadcasting the speeches of Imam Khomeini (ra) and their meetings with the warriors who had returned to rejuvenate the war zones in order to maintain and strengthen the morale and give hope to the warriors

– Production of theatrical, musical and cultural programs for the leisure of fighters and their families

– Employing and using important personalities in the field of revolutionary music and prominent speakers to make the desired programs and also inviting some political, religious and artistic personalities on the radio or calling them by phone to talk and talk directly with people and warriors to strengthen morale. Fronts and motivating people in cities to help war zones and deploy new forces.

* During the war, what was the role of important personalities (so-called celebrities today), elites and dignitaries in helping the media and propaganda of the war with radio, and how did you use them?

As I said before, we tried to use all the experiences and talents of the talented people, in the meantime the music unit became active in the war, employing prominent and novice composers, poets and singers, as well as in other fields in the production of radio shows. And mixed programs of old and new writers, speakers and artists, and in production programs, other important political, religious, sports and artistic personalities are used as guests, and in some cases, with the coordination of guidance, several of these personalities go to the fronts to visit. And we sent troops to war zones.

Has our sacred defense been correctly narrated from the beginning to the end and after that?

Much of our information and resources in the operations were buried by the martyrdom of commanders and important forces or destroyed by the bombing of the Ba’athists, and many cases were not raised due to the shyness and restraint of the fighters The Institute for the Preservation and Publication of the Relics of the Sacred Defense should play the best and most effective role in this regard for the unspoken.

Q: In your opinion, was it successful in the media and propaganda narrative of the Iran war or the Ba’athist government in Iraq?

The then Iraqi government and the Ba’athist government, with the help and support of about twenty countries in which the superpowers were involved, relied on excellent facilities, the use of spies and the fifth pillar, and psychological warfare (rumors and lies) were seemingly successful, but we Relying on honesty and honest narration, as well as the existence of Basij thinking, we neutralized many of the enemy’s tactics and in most cases we succeeded.

In my opinion, the announcement of the conquest of Khorramshahr and all the productions and live broadcasts around this event and sending a reporter among the people for a street celebration and among the fighters to convey this success in two ways was the best and most effective media move during the imposed war.

Q: Do you believe that the post-war generation has a correct understanding of why the war was imposed and whether the media has been successful in this regard or not?

God must help us to be able to narrate the war with the eyes and ears of that time and the narrators and witnesses of that time who are still there for each generation in their own language and literature, a true and honest and multifaceted media narrative in the field of drama. , Written and spoken, so that the new generations become better acquainted with the exact conditions and reasons of those days, which, unfortunately, in these years, which are about thirty years after the last war, the work and factional politics of this transition have been in trouble and this practice must be corrected.

What is the role of the government, the people, the fighters, in the propaganda of the right media of the war, and what are their priorities?

In my opinion, the government has and has the most important role and duty to open the hands of narrators and creators of media works by supporting and creating a suitable space and context so that they can better express these concepts to people and different generations. Of course, we must We should be more careful in choosing individuals and groups for the narration and propaganda of our war and use those who are committed and expert, even if a person is not committed, we should lead him to this direction by creating a bed and we should not leave distorted and erroneous narrations in the field of defense. Holy be done.

Q: Do you consider the role of Martyr Avini and the narration of his victory in the propaganda of the war successful, and is there a model like him in the present era?

Martyr Avini was the only and the best media personality and narrator of propaganda in the imposed war, and he has never been like him before. Introduce the same to the society and do not see the strict red lines or tastes of such a person and similar thinking and grow, which should also be corrected and eliminated.

Q: How successful have you and your peers been in media propaganda and accurate narration of the Holy Defense, apart from radio responsibility?

In addition to the organizational dimension and job duties, it often happened that we did not go home in maybe ten days and felt overworked, and we were on duty 24 hours a day and did our best to do our best to promote the media. In the current situation, due to the difficulty of the situation, many problems and strict considerations and increasing age have reduced the motivation and the propaganda dimension of the holy defense by our contemporaries, but most of them have tried in these years to be present in the field. The media should provide the best narrative of the war, which of course is not enough.

* How real do you consider the works produced in this field?

The production of works with war content has always been difficult and has been accompanied by many obstacles. There are few of them, and those who make them are mostly not even thinking about us or distorting them, or if they want to be precise, they may face limitations due to differences in taste or position of belief. However, the media itself sometimes needs exaggeration in telling the truth. And the use of special artistic techniques in productions and narratives, for example in the production of film and television works.

How successful have the enemies been in distorting the propaganda and narrative of the war?

You see, in any case, we had the support of the people, and no matter how much the enemy tried to impose his goals, because the people trusted our media and did not have the enemy, they often failed and the enemy did not think that the people would use all their tactics with Basij thinking. And neutralize a belief. The enemy was certainly stronger than us, but we, too, relying on the honesty and trust of the people, were the ultimate victors.

* After the imposed war, how and to what extent has your approach been effective in continuing the path of your media !?

My servant, after the war and after my career, I started teaching, training and experiential intellectual assistance to the next generation, and I have been and am a consultant with new friends in the organization, and I believe that the methods must be new, different and special so that we can fight. To win the current soft war, we are now in a position of weakness and we need to use all the right and strong thoughts and methods.

I also believe that radio is the best and strongest media of all time, that it can easily be made available to the people in the worst crises and with the least facilities, and that power in the media requires the use of past experiences and the use of new science and new forces. And we need to put repetitive training at the forefront of our actions in the media to be successful.