Bahari had just wrapped up a 180-day sentence related to his coverage of last year’s Iranian elections, after which protesters took to the streets in droves crying fraud. His latest work covering continued protests and military abuses cost him 13 years and 74 lashes– still acceptable punishment in Iran– but it was a photo that a friend of his put on his Facebook wall that got him the six years. Yes, a picture that someone else posted on his wall, of a man walking by Ahmandinejad, cost him six months, because it was deemed offensive to the manliness of the Iranian leader. Bahari is, fortunately, in the United States, so his in-absentia sentence will probably not be carried out (unless, of course, he chooses to go back to Iran).

Zakaria explained Bahari’s– who he calls a friend– ordeal on his program yesterday. Video below:

[h/t Towleroad]

This time around however the joke appears to be on Iran. According to a recap at the Atlantic, Charles Davis, a freelance journalist and blogger at the website Dissident Voice, penned a satirical, fake news piece yesterday titled “EXCLUSIVE: Obama Orders Air Strikes on Guantanamo Bay” (if you need a laugh, it’s a fun read). The “report” was picked up by Iran’s state TV Press TV, which has an office in Washington, who called Davis to verify the story. This from Davis:

Being a bit of an asshole, I of course responded by sending my Google Voice number. About five minutes later I received a call from ‘Sarah’ in Tehran, who conducted a fact check of my piece consisting of the question: ‘Is it credible?’ Again, being a bit of an asshole, I assured her my sources were second-to-none and that the credibility of the piece was not in doubt, prompting her to invite me to appear on *LIVE* television in an hour. I naturally accepted.

He also apparently provided a photo of “19th century mustachioed Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata” which may have alerted Press TV that all was not as it seemed — the interview, alas, did not end up running. However, perhaps the Onion should consider sending a regular shipment to the Press TV offices, just to give them some practice.

The WSJ reported yesterday that Ahmadinejad spends 15 minutes a week updating “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Personal Memos” where he “he goes to vent and stay in touch with the common folk.” On the one hand this is particularly galling considering Iran’s treatment of reporters and bloggers and its vicious crackdown on protesters last June who were desperately attempting to reach the world with news of what was happening through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. On the other hand, is it really a surprise? Of course a man desperate to control his own message is on the Internet. Next we’ll discover he’s also on Twitter. In fact some of his recent UN statements strike as very Twitterable, though perhaps not in the tone intended.

Anyway, according to the WSJ the Farsi version of the blog has not one negative comment on it (the fact it allows comments at all is sort of amazing), no doubt Ahmadinejad either employs strict comment monitors or people are just too scared to say what they really think. The English-language version(!) apparently has plenty, though as of this morning I couldn’t access so maybe its servers were unable to handle the excess attention. Stay tuned.

Yes, incredibly, Bahari’s participation in the Daily Show‘s spoofy special reports from Iran last June were specifically held up by Bahari’s captors as evidence of his spying activities. Which made Bahari’s visit with Jon Stewart last night extra-interesting (or, return to the scene of the non-crime, if you will), especially in the opening: “You were imprisoned in Iran…” “Yes. Because of you.”

Stewart and Bahari hit on something really smart, I think, in this interview: Evil is stupid. See below:

Stewart: We hear so much about the banality of evil, but so little about the stupidity of evil.

Bahari: Evil is stupid…you know, whenever you take anything to the extremes you see the humor in it and you see the stupidity in it. I think what the Iranian government did, and what my interrogator as the representative of the Iranian government was doing to me, was stupid and funny at the same time. It was not funny while I was in the interrogation room (laugh) blindfolded in a dark room, being beaten – that was not funny. But when I ws going back to my cell – I had to laugh. That was my defense mechanism.

Stewart: They say comedy is imprisonment plus time.

The interview was terrific, not only because Stewart is so very good at hitting the tension-relief punchlines but because it gave Bahari 8 minutes to talk about this stuff. In a sea of coverage dominated by White House party crashers, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the kids from Twilight, what happened in Iran back in June has receded somewhat from the headlines (though with end-of-year coverage, there has been a resurgence in that topic). In any case, we have it below and it is definitely worth a watch — especially for what the Iranian’s apparently think of New Jersey (hint: lots of sex, no Jews).

In the meantime, though, Bahari’s Newsweek article is an amazing, detail-rich document of what is happening in that country (hint: much less fun sounding than New Jersey), as well as how he was able to figure out what was happening to him, and who was doing it (the details about how why his captors smelled like rosewater, and the significance of their footwear, are fascinating). But then there’s this:

I would later discover that I had been picked up by the intelligence division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. Before the June election, this unit of the Guards was little known; whenever journalists and intellectuals ran afoul of the authorities they were usually questioned by the official Ministry of Intelligence. But the IRGC, which reports directly to Khamenei, had been growing dramatically more powerful. Many suspect that the Guards rigged the election. Certainly they led the crackdown that followed….[T]he Guards are exacerbating the Islamic Republic’s worst instincts, its insecurity and deep suspiciousness. As world powers try to engage Tehran to mitigate the threat of its nuclear program, it’s critical that they understand this mindset and the role the IRGC now plays within the Iranian system.

Scary stuff. Less punchline-filled but no less fascinating was Bahari’s interview with Charlie Rose on Friday evening. All are worth your time and attention, especially if you want to learn more about what is brewing over in Iran. Here’s the video from last night’s Daily Show:

118 Days In Hell [Newsweek]
Maziar Bahari on 60 Minutes [CBS]
Transcript: Maziar Bahari on 60 Minutes [CBS]
Maziar Bahari on Charlie Rose [Charlie Rose]
Newsweek Reporter Suspected Of Being Spy Over Daily Show Vid [Mediaite]

Related:
Superhero Journalists – Like Newsweek’s Maziar Bahari [Mediaite]

One of Jones’ subjects happened to be Maziar Bahari, the Newsweek reporter who was shortly thereafter kidnapped and jailed during the protests and held captive for 188 days. Bahari was finally released last month – just in time for the birth of his first child — and this week’s Newsweek cover story is devoted to his recounting of his time in an Iranian prison where he was interrogated and beaten. Here’s where it gets equally interesting and terrifying: Was The Daily Show in part to blame for Bahari’s imprisonment?

Here’s what Bahari writes in Newsweek about the “interesting video footage” his interrogators produced as evidence he was a spy :

“Well,” said Mr. Rosewater, who had been fairly quiet up to this point, “we have interesting video footage of you. That may persuade you to be more cooperative.” I could not imagine what that might be. Something personal? Something that might compromise my friends? But…I reminded myself I had done nothing wrong.

I saw the flicker of a laptop monitor under my blindfold. Then I heard someone speaking. It was a recording of another prisoner’s confession. “It’s not that one,” said the second interrogator. “It’s the one marked ‘Spy in coffee shop.’ ” Mr. Rosewater fumbled with the computer. The other man stepped in to change the DVD. And then I heard the voice of Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.

Only a few weeks earlier, hundreds of foreign reporters had been allowed into the country in the run-up to the election. Among them was Jason Jones, a “correspondent” for Stewart’s satirical news program. Jason interviewed me in a Tehran coffee shop, pretending to be a thick-skulled American. He dressed like some character out of a B movie about mercenaries in the Middle East—with a checkered Palestinian kaffiyeh around his neck and dark sunglasses. The “interview” was very short. Jason asked me why Iran was evil. I answered that Iran was not evil. I added that, as a matter of fact, Iran and America shared many enemies and interests in common. But the interrogators weren’t interested in what I was saying. They were fixated on Jason.

“Why is this American dressed like a spy, Mr. Bahari?” asked the new man.

“He is pretending to be a spy. It’s part of a comedy show,” I answered.

“Tell the truth!” Mr. Rosewater shouted. “What is so funny about sitting in a coffee shop with a kaffiyeh and sunglasses?”

“It’s just a joke. Nothing serious. It’s stupid.” I was getting worried. “I hope you are not suggesting that he is a real spy.”

“Can you tell us why an American journalist pretending to be a spy has chosen you to interview?” asked the man with the creases. “We know from your contacts and background that you told them who to interview for their program.” The other Iranians interviewed in Jason’s report—a former vice president and a former foreign minister—had been ar-rested a week before me as part of the IRGC’s sweeping crackdown. “It’s just comedy,” I said, feeling weak.

“Do you think it’s also funny that you say Iran and America have a lot in common?” Mr. Rosewater asked, declaring that he was losing patience with me. He took my left ear in his hand and started to squeeze it as if he were wringing out a lemon. Then he whispered into it. “This kind of behavior will not help you. Many people have rotted in this prison. You can be one of them.”

As I said, at the time those clips aired I found them non-funny and borderline offensive — fake news tends to lose its thrust when real news reporters (and civilians) are risking their lives to do get the actual news out to world. Even now they are cringe-inducing. But beyond that — wow has the Internet made the world small. The idea that The Daily Show, such a very American product, is not only accessible to someone in Iran, but could be used a proof to imprison one of its subjects is the somewhat terrifying flip side to the coin that brought the world #iranelection via Twitter. Also, boy do we take our freedom of media for granted, both what we watch and what we put online. One can’t help but wonder whether this is an early warning sign that one day soon we are all going to have to be aware of and responsible for the far-flung ramifications of what we choose to post on the Internet. Bahari’s Daily Show appearance below.

Bahari was arrested under trumped-up charges back in June whilst covering the Iran protests for Newsweek. Shortly thereafter Newsweek called for his release, to no avail. In August, after Bill Clinton’s headline grabbing trip to North Korea, Newsweek again highlighted Bahari’s detainment at the hands of the Iranian’s (along with the fact he and his wife are expecting their first child this fall). Again to little avail.

On Saturday, Meacham took to the op-ed pages of the New York Times to make his case ahead of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s visit to the UN at the end of the month, perhaps in an effort to reach a wider, more connected audience. The Times may be weakened and struggling but it’s hard to argue it still top dog when you want people to listen up. From his editorial:

Mr. Ahmadinejad is likely to be greeted by protesters in New York, and as usual, he will dismiss them. But this year the real protest should take place inside the chamber, with governments condemning the arbitrary and unjustified detention of a foreign journalist. If Iran wants to be taken seriously on the world stage, it needs to adhere to international standards. Journalists need to be free to report within the legal framework of the country. Foreign governments need to be granted consular access to their citizens. Prisoners need to be granted access to their lawyers, and either charged or released quickly.

That said, was it a big mistake? Will Bill Clinton now be called upon to rescue every unfairly detained American? To wit: Newsweek‘s Maziar Bahari has been unfairly jailed in Iran after videotaping parts of last month’s sweeping protests. Newsweek.com currently has a long feature about him and an interview with his wife Paola Gourley who is six months pregnant with their first child and hasn’t had any contact with him since June. How soon till someone starts asking when Bill will be jetting off to Iran to pull Bahari out? And if he doesn’t (and in all likelihood he won’t be) what will be the explanation? This is a tricky precedent the government has just set by allowing a former president to directly involve himself in this type of negotiation. Perhaps even a dangerous one according to former UN Ambassador John Bolton, who addressed the potential pitfalls of Clinton’s trip in yesterday’s Washington Post.

While the United States is properly concerned whenever its citizens are abused or held hostage, efforts to protect them should not create potentially greater risks for other Americans in the future. Yet that is exactly the consequence of visits by former presidents or other dignitaries as a form of political ransom to obtain their release. Iran and other autocracies are presumably closely watching the scenario in North Korea. With three American hikers freshly in Tehran’s captivity, will Clinton be packing his bags again for another act of obeisance? And, looking ahead, what American hostages will not be sufficiently important to merit the presidential treatment? What about Roxana Saberi and other Americans previously held in Tehran? What was it about them that made them unworthy of a presidential visit?

Good questions. And ones that are likely going to be asked more frequently in the days ahead. The reality, of course, is that Bill Clinton will not be making regular trips like this. And while the outcome of this trip is fantastic, and the political tableau it provided fascinating, the truth is it also offered the U.S. government a way to open talks with North Korea that not only saved them face but allowed them to look the hero. How high a price it exacts on future Americans held in similar situations remains to be seen.

I’m not the first guy to have an accident and replace my body bits with villain-busting technology. Look at Ironman, with his super-duper artificial heart that powers his battle armour. Sure, he’s a little further ahead than I am but the fact remains that I have become more than I was before. “Augmented”, we post-humans like to say.

Joking around about how I can fight evil at a journalism conference I was speaking at, a high-up news executive actually took me very seriously and asked me if I would like to do some secret eye shooting in a war zone. My smirk disappeared as I imagined dodging bullets and actually putting my life in danger instead of being Irony-Man.

“A lot of my guys are targets with their big cameras,” he said. “You could get in there more discreetly and film some compelling eye contact kind of stuff.”

“Yes,” I said taking his card, “I could get in there.”

I’m considering it.

It got me thinking about how journalists really can be superheroes. A journalist’s super-power is an ability to spread information. But just like Spider-Man always says, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Regurgitating a government press release, like oh, let’s say, that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction would not be a good example of this. This is more like being a super villain. Or a misguided dumb superhero.

A journalist can wield their laptop or camera like a super ray blaster for truth, eradicating misinformation everywhere. Think of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein when they brought down Nixon — a formidable villain to be sure.

And then there are those journalists who risk their lives to bring us impartial news from war zones or countries who may not agree with their reporting.

One such superhero is Canadian-Iranian journalist and documentary-maker Maziar Bahari. He was arrested June 21st during the disputed election in Iran when he was on assignment for Newsweek. He continues to be held with little contact with the outside world. Here is a definitive account by Newsweek calling for his release.

Alas, it’s not looking good:

His situation is serious. Iranian authorities do not appear to have formally charged him, but they allege that he has colluded with foreign powers to foment an uprising.

An official Iranian news agency said Mr. Bahari, who was arrested on June 21, gave a news conference at which he purportedly said: “The activities of Western journalists in news gathering and spying and gathering intelligence are undeniable. … I, too, as a journalist and a member of this great Western capitalism machine, either blindly or on purpose, participated in projecting doubts and promoting a … revolution.” There is no independent confirmation that he made these statements, or that if he did make them, he did so without having been coerced.

Mazar is by all accounts a valuable cultural translator who has brought an Iranian point of view to Western audiences. In other words he’s a guy who makes an effort to really get at the truth and improve international understanding.

If you want to help you can send an email to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs. This kind of pressure helps convince the Canadian government to up the diplomatic efforts to secure his release. (It doesn’t matter if you aren’t Canadian). Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs can be reached via: mina10@international.gc.ca with the subject line: “Maziar Bahari”.

I’m not sure if I will try to become a real superhero, like Maziar, but I can at least use this little bit of column space to try to help him with the limited power I have.

In the meantime, I’ll have to think carefully about how I shall use my camera eye. It is potentially a strange responsibility.

Rob Spence is a director and producer in Toronto, Canada whose work has appeared on Discovery, Vision, Space TV and the CBC (Canadian Broadcast Corporation), for which he made the controversial documentary, Let’s All Hate Toronto. Currently, he is in development on a documentary about how video and humanity intersect escpecially with regards to surveillance.  That’s where the whole cyborg thing comes into it. Learn more about the Eyeborg here.