Keeping the Iran story alive without western reporters

NBC's Tehran bureau chief, Ali Arouzi, appeared live on Meet the Press on Sunday and told David Gregory that although they were still not permitted to cover the rallies there were (so far) no restrictions on what they could say. With CNN covering the story from the US and London and giving extensive coverage to YouTube videos and Twitter, it was strangely reassuring to see a live journalist against a Tehran back-drop, even if he is basically confined to barracks. Presumably, NBC will be well-placed to grab the first pictures if the ban is lifted. Those news organizations who've withdrawn to Europe or elsewhere in the Middle East will face a long delay in resuming their own news gathering process. Meanwhile, it remains perilous for western journalists and their local employees to venture onto the Tehran streets. Already, the BBC's John Simpson and his cameraman have been arrested, their colleague John Leyne has been "asked to leave", NBC's Richard Engel has been deported, and there are stories tonight about the disappearance of a photographer for Life Magazine, and the arrest of a Newsweek journalist. Margaret Thatcher used to speak of depriving the Irish Republican Army of the "Oxygen of Publicity." This is clearly the Iranian regime's strategy, but they haven't banked on social media and the internet, which in spite of its rumor-driven propensity and knee-jerk nature, is keeping the story alive in the west. The challenge for the networks there is deciphering the genuine videos and tweets from the fakes, and trying to avoid scurrilous rumor. "Trust but verify" was never so poignant, or so critical.