Iran Is the First War of the Social-Media Age. It's a Black Box.

The article focuses on the significant restrictions on press freedom during the current US-Israeli conflict with Iran, contrasting it with the relatively open media access during the Vietnam War. Governments in Iran and Gulf states have imposed internet blackouts, banned filming of attack damage, and arrested individuals for sharing unauthorized content, while Israeli military censorship limits reporting on security-related incidents. Media freedom is further constrained by political pressures in the US and Israel, with both governments criticized for controlling narratives amid the conflict. The rise of artificial intelligence-generated misinformation complicates the information environment, and press freedom rankings have declined sharply in the US and Gulf countries, reflecting a broader global trend of tightening media control during wartime. [Extracted from the article]