Independent network of Iran correspondents joins Guardian's Middle Eastexperts to bring voices of ordinary people to an international audienceIranians visit the Emam Zadeh Davod bazaar. The Tehran Bureau, which will open a window on life in the Islamic republic, will be hosted on the Guardian site but will retain its independence. Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
AsIranenters a critical period in its history, with elections in June, sanctions biting and the increasing threat of an Israeli attack, the Guardian has formed a partnership with the award-winning Tehran Bureau to open a window on life in the Islamic republic.
Our hosting of the bureau, an independent network of correspondents and commentators under the editor-in-chief, Kelly Golnoush Niknejad, builds on Saeed Kamali Dehghan'sIran blog, Julian Borger'sGlobal Security blogand Ian Black'sOn the Middle Eastweb column to give the Guardian unrivalled coverage of the region.
Since its inception more than four years ago, Tehran Bureau has become an important source of information about the Islamic republic. While serious independent journalism remains nearly impossible in Iran, the bureau is able to provide original reporting through its extensive list of contacts both inside and outside the republic, and to bring the voices of ordinary people to an international audience.
The bureau will be hosted on the Guardian site but will retain its independence under Niknejad, who founded it as a blog in November 2008.
"I launched Tehran Bureau to provide a platform for young Iranians and their stories, and to bring unvarnished and uncensored reports to readers around the world." Niknejad says. "We have been able to cover Iran independently, without trying to fill a policy prescription like the thinktanks do, and this resonates with Iranians in Iran. I am thrilled that we will continue to do so with the Guardian.
By The Guardian
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