Tehran, 2 September 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- Cultural heritage has become like an orphan child whose real place has somehow been forgotten by some people who view it as some old monuments or artifacts. Current evidence indicates that today development programs are much more important for the authorities than preserving the historical heritage and many historical sites have fallen victim of the development projects or lack of enough budget needed for protecting them.  

 

Sadly enough, cultural heritage news have a very little space in the newspapers and other mass media, compared to other topics. Only in the recent years in Iran, some rare cases, such as the issue with the Jahan Nama Tower in Isfahan and the Sivand Dam in Bolaghi Gorge and the threat they posed to major cultural heritage sites in the country succeeded in finding their way to the pages of the newspapers, calling for the authorities to react to such problems. However, even such cases were approached carefully as there were some fears that they might overlap with governmental policies at some point, and therefore a conservative view toward problems faced by the cultural heritage sites and monuments has been developed. This resulted in the gradual exclusion of cultural heritage news from the flow of main news.

 

For sure, considering the importance of some events that take place in today’s world, it is not fair to expect that cultural heritage news be the number one topic presented and discussed in the mass media; but the question is whether cultural heritage news have found their proper place in the media or not.

 

To find an answer to this question, CHN carried an interview with Dr. Mehdi Mohsenian Rad, researcher and professor of media and communication at some Iranian universities, who has compiled several books and written hundreds of essays about communication and mass media:

 

Q: Issues related to cultural heritage have a much more static status compared with other political and social issues; therefore, how can we expect the news related to cultural heritage be given special positions in the mass media?

 

A: For the media, whether a topic is static or dynamic does not determine the value it holds. Issues such as inundation of Sivand Dam which will result in some parts of Pasargadae to drown are in fact very dynamic issues. So we can not really say that anything related to cultural heritage is static. Therefore, we conclude that sometimes a static issue has the potential to be transformed into a dynamic phenomenon under special circumstances.

 

Although freshness is one of the most important value elements for the news, it does not mean that the event must have taken place at the present time. For example, discovery of an earthenware bowl with succeeding designs of a goat in different positions which is believed to be the first animation work in the history of the world is a dynamic news, although the bowl itself and the design go back to 7000 years ago.

 

Q: So why such significant news are not given as much attention as the political and social ones in the mass media?

 

A: The blame is to be put on the media which are active in the area of cultural heritage. Unfortunately, most often the reporters who work in this area do not have a comprehensive knowledge of the subject which results in losing many opportunities to present them in the media.

 

Q: Don’t you think the reason is that the journalists do not have job security because of the nature of the journalism itself, and they somehow feel that this kind of work is not permanent and sooner or later they would have to change their job?

 

A: Sure! When a journalist does not feel job security, he or she will not spend much time for studying related resources which are necessary to increase his or her knowledge in that particular area he or she works. Of course, this problem does not exist just for the journalists who are active in the area of cultural heritage, and it always has its own negative consequences.

 

Q: In your opinion, what else affects the weak presence of cultural heritage news in the media?

 

A: I think cultural heritage reporters do not implement the technique of agenda setting in journalism about cultural heritage news. In general, they do not highlight major cultural heritage news. Some subjects such as the Sivand Dam or the first animation work discovered on an old bowl in Iran are not issues to be talked about in a few reports and news. Rather, they must be followed by journalists who should also be able to communicate with archeologists and experts worldwide to discuss such issues in detail.

 

Q: What impacts or effects would presenting and highlighting the cultural heritage news in the mass media have on the society?

 

A: This will have many positive consequences. First of all, the coverage of cultural heritage news in the mass media will highlight the importance of cultural heritage and will increase the knowledge of the people about how to protect them. In 1984, I carried out a joint research with the cooperation of Japanese experts and during this research they willingly offered money to be spent for protecting the historical and cultural sites. This is because the Japanese feel proud of their history and as a result, respect that of the others. Therefore, we must follow their steps and use the media as a means to raise public awareness and make the people proud of their ancient history and cultural heritage. The media must provide people with the facts which stand behind historical sites. Once the people are informed about their rich ancestral history, they will develop strong feelings of self-esteem.