Ahmadinejad Gets a Blog, Hilarity Ensues

Iranian prez finds unexpectedly critical audience online
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 26, 2007 9:10 AM CST
Ahmadinejad Gets a Blog, Hilarity Ensues
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, standing beneath a photograph of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, jokes with the media before meeting with energy ministers from Oman, India and Afghanistan at the presidency in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)   (Associated Press)

When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started his blog, he thought circumventing the media would let him present his message unadulterated to fawning supporters, free from opposition catcalls. What he found instead was a hypercritical audience typical of the online realm, the Guardian reports. Iranians, among others, are mercilessly flaming their president, criticizing his domestic policies and political tactics as scathingly as any columnist.

There are, of course, many who voice support for Ahmadinejad, but those are balanced by writers who blast Ahmadinejad on issues ranging from gas rationing to inflation and unemployment. “Instead of useless provincial trips, fake propaganda on state TV, and unrealistic news fed to you by your aides, you should come to the heart of society,” writes one commenter. (More Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stories.)

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