The NYT coverage of Iran murdering civilians vs. Gaza shows how media bias works ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

The NYT coverage of Iran murdering civilians vs. Gaza shows how media bias works

It has been nearly a month since Iran has been mowing down civilians in the streets.

The human cost is staggering. According to figures cited by Iranian officials themselves, at least 5,000 people have been killed since protests erupted on December 28, including around 500 members of the security forces. Authorities blame “terrorists and armed rioters.” Human rights activists and opposition groups dispute that narrative and say the death toll could be far higher, potentially exceeding 20,000.

At least 24,669 Iranians have been arrested.

A doctor inside Iran described the killings as “genocide under digital darkness” to the British newspaper The Sunday Times. One couple told the paper they were given “ten minutes to cry” when shown the body of their daughter – after being forced to pay a $5,000 “bullet fee” to recover her remains. After paying, they were driven five hours to another town, where her body had been thrown into an old grave.

Numerous families have reported being charged exorbitant sums to retrieve the bodies of loved ones killed by the regime.

Images shared from within Iran during the past week also show injured protesters admitted to hospitals – tubes and catheters still attached, admission tags visible – and then shot point-blank in the head, their bodies lying on the ground. Doctors have also reportedly refused to treat protesters, branding them enemies of the regime.

Beyond live fire, the blackout is the Islamic Republic’s central weapon against the demonstrators. With mobile data cut nationwide and only sporadic landline access available, Iranians are isolated from one another and from the outside world. Evidence cannot be shared; deaths cannot be documented.

Several Iranians contacted by the Post used the same word to describe their condition.

Hostages.

By any reasonable measure, Iran is treating its own people worse than Israel treated Gazans in the first month of its war. While "human rights activists" complained about Israel's supposed limits on reporting, there were plenty of photos and stories that were published and Hamas' press releases were treated as truth.

During October 2023, the New York Times routinely had top stories about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, above the fold, accompanied by photos of Gaza civilians that were three columns wide:

When Iran is the top story, it is more about politics than human lives. I only found one photo above the fold of Iranian civilians - very few stories about Iran make it to the front page, and of those only a tiny number center people being killed.

Here is one of the few.

Keep in mind that even according to Hamas, less than 10,000 were killed in the first month of the war. Human rights activists say 20,000 protesters were killed in Iran - all targeted killings of civilians.

To be sure, there are few photos of Iran that get smuggled out. The NYT did put one up of body bags. Notice that the deaths were placed in the subhead, not the headline.

But the Gaza war was on the front page every single day. These recent Iran articles are the exceptions, not the rule. Even though the regime is ruthlessly attacking its own people, murdering thousands.

The Times could use infographics to replace photos if they thought that the Iranian story was something to emphasize.

Clearly they felt Gaza was.