Memo to the Editors

The ignorant comments Ahmadinejad made today about the Holocaust are not new, nor are they surprising. Many in the media have focused on his detestable comments in their coverage of today’s events. However, the real story is that despite all the state violence, torture, show trials, censorship, and oppression, tens of thousands of Iranians are still taking to the streets to protest against the government. Ahmadinejad wants to distract people away from this reality.
The New York Times reporters (Robert Worth, Nazila Fathi, and Michael Slackman) have been doing an excellent job covering the events in Iran. But the NYT editors need some help today. Their coverage shouldn’t be entitled, “Amid Large Protests, Iran Leader Calls Holocaust a Lie.” The real headline should be “Thousands Protest at Rallies Despite Threats.”
To be absolutely clear, he is wrong and people have every right to be upset that he would try to deny the murder of six million Jews. But Ahmadinejad’s comments are an obvious attempt to change the subject. The media shouldn’t play his game, and should continue focusing on the human rights abuses taking place. Anything else is a victory for him.
Update: The New York Times has updated the story title to “Despite Warning, Thousands Rally in Iran.”
Now that’s a good title. Kudos.