Television and Presidential Elections in Iran

The 9th presidential election in Iran was a turning point in the role of television in electoral campaigns. It seems that talk shows, the candidates’ campaign videos, and TV debates among political figures advocating the candidates had a key role in the viewers’ opinions towards the candidates, and in their final decision. Employing the results of a number of studies including the qualitative interviews with people by the author in the months following the victory of president Ahmadinejad, the present article discusses the role of IRIB in the individuals’ final vote.