WSJ releases statement about senior reporter Fassihi

This statement was released by The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 19. 2015:

Recent allegations in some government-run Iranian media outlets that Wall Street Journal senior reporter Farnaz Fassihi was a link between the U.S. government and the opposition are completely false, outlandish and irresponsible.

These allegations appear to be based on a Forbes opinion piece by Michael Ledeen, from August 9, 2015. The piece references a male “Wall Street friend” of Senator Charles E. Schumer, who acted as a liaison for Iran’s Green Movement opposition and the U.S. administration.

The Forbes article never references The Wall Street Journal or Ms. Fassihi. However, some Iranian media entities have falsely labeled Ms. Fassihi as the alleged liaison by incorrectly and illogically claiming the “Wall Street friend” reference in the piece actually meant “The Wall Street Journal.”

“Ms. Fassihi is a highly accomplished, longtime Wall Street Journal senior writer who has reported fairly and accurately from the region for more than a decade,” said Gerard Baker, Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal. “Her reporting has been a model of courageous, fair and high-impact journalism. She has repeatedly risked her life and safety from the frontlines of wars and uprisings to document the truth, which makes these scurrilous allegations all the more galling.”

These same media outlets have also suggested that The Wall Street Journal is part of a conspiracy against Iran. These are transparently false allegations. The Journal is an independent news organization with a lengthy and distinguished history of accurate and timely reporting on critical developments in the region.

We call on these media outlets to cease their inaccurate reporting about Ms. Fassihi and The Wall Street Journal.