TEHRAN –- Director of the Mehr News Agency Parviz Esmaeili made a speech at the third edition of the Cultural Press Festival (the Cultural Press is affiliated to the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization) held here on Thursday.

He remarked that today’s new media forms can be an opportunity for the dissemination of constructive information or, misused, they can pose a threat to the values of society.
Esmaeili talked about the role of the media in the contemporary world and the relationship between new types of media and the younger generation. He stressed that in the Islamic Republic of Iran the media should be faithful to Islamic principles and civil rights.
He went on to say that as it is mentioned in the Holy Quran, the prophets were sent to spread the word of God and thereby accomplish their vocations. Thus it can be said that the divine religions constitute an appropriate pattern for the media.
He continued by saying that the media should seek to improve and propagate moral values within the culture of a country. He noted that it can calm opposition existing in a society by acting as a mediator between members of the public and the authorities, thus clarifying the relationship between the people and the government.
The media’s main target is the younger generation, and if young people are not allowed to share their ideas and express their disapproval in society, then the media becomes a menace for the social system, Esmaeili concluded.