Public Trust

President Trump announced on Saturday that an American military strike, coordinated with Israel, had killed the longtime leader of Iran — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When I heard that news, I called my uncle because he, like my father, were born in Iran, before the revolution in 1979. When that happened, they, so many Iranians, fled.And now, five decades later, another revolution seemed at hand. Get full access to Azi Paybarah at azipaybarah.substack.com/subscribe

Federal Communication Commission Chairman Brendan Carr likes to say more people trust gas station sushi than news media.I looked into it.There’s some information he leaves out of the equation.Let me know what you think: [email protected]. Get full access to Azi Paybarah at azipaybarah.substack.com/subscribe

Which headline on Friday does the best job clearly communicating what may happen in just a few days:The New York Times: “President Acknowledges That He Is Weighing Limited Strike on Iran”;The Wall Street Journal: “The U.S. Military Hardware Pouring Into the Middle East”;The Washington Post: “Trump appears ready to attack Iran as U.S. strike force takes shape.”If you said the Washington Post, I’d agree.What’s perhaps most notable about that story is that The Post’s Persian-speaking correspondent who they sent overseas to cover Iran didn’t help write it. That’s because the correspondent, Yegenah Torbati, was among the more than 300 journalists The Post just laid off.“Bewildering” Torbati said when I asked her what it was like to get that news while in Turkey, where she had just moved four months earlier. We discussed her reporting on the uprising in Iran, the regime’s deadly response to it, and how, despite some surface similarities, this is unlike anything Americans are seeing in the clashes between protesters and government agents in Minnesota, Chicago and Los Angeles.Follow Yeganeh Torabi on Substack, and you can reach her on Signal: yjtorbati.94And you can pre-order her forthcoming book, with journalist Bozorgmehr Sharafedin: “Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran,” [June 2 with Penguin Random House]$18.99 eBook [BookShop]$18.99 eBook [Barnes and Noble]$32.62 Hardcover [BookShop]$35 Hardcover [Barnes and Noble]$35 Hardcover [Books A Million$35 Hardcover [Powell’s]Tell me what you think of this interview. And recommend a guest or a topic for a future episode. My email is [email protected] Links from the show“President Acknowledges That He Is Weighing Limited Strike on Iran”The New York Times“The U.S. Military Hardware Pouring Into the Middle East”;The Wall Street Journal“Trump appears ready to attack Iran as U.S. strike force takes shape.”The Washington Post“The Islamic Republic’s Broken Promises of Economic Justice”New Lines magazine“Iranian forces massacred protesters fleeing burning market, witnesses say”The Washington Post“Trump promised Iranians the U.S. would rescue them. Some feel betrayed.”Washington Post“Videos show security forces firing into crowds in at least six cities across Iran”The Washington Post Get full access to Azi Paybarah at azipaybarah.substack.com/subscribe

Today I and more than 300 journalists were “impacted,” as The Washington Post’s top editor put it.The other way to say it is: I was laid off.I’m using that word on purpose—because words matter. Direct language forces clarity about responsibility and consequences. And right now, clarity has never been more important.I’m not going to pretend this feels good. It doesn’t.But I also know my worst day in journalism is still easier than what a lot of people deal with every day. I’m lucky in ways that matter.So here’s what I’m doing next:I’m going to keep reporting independently, aggressively, fairly and transparently, using the same instincts I’ve used for two decades. I’ll follow and verify information, and explain the systems underneath the headlines.Here is what you can do to help:If you have tips, documents, leads, recordings, screenshots, patterns you’re seeing — send them along. If you work in government, politics, tech, labor, or media start leading (responsibly, please). And if you have a podcast, book me.You can reach me at:Signal: [email protected] TikTok.com/@Azi.Paybarah instagram.com/azipaybarah Get full access to Azi Paybarah at azipaybarah.substack.com/subscribe