''Rooz'' ( fa, روز, literally ''day'') was a Persian language, Persian and English language, English news website. It is mostly staffed by exiled Iranian journalists including Masoud Behnoud, Ebrahim Nabavi and Nikahang Kowsar with occasional articles by activists and journalists inside Iran, including Shirin Ebadi and Ahmad Zeidabadi. Another contributor is Hossein Derakhshan, who has been under arrest in Tehran since 1 November 2008.
It was first published on the web on May 10, 2005. It is published by "Iran Gooya" (registered in France).
Controversy
Iranian critics of the website argue that it does not work in the interest of that nation, and does not represent factual accuracy of the events.
Their reasoning is based on the website's funding by Hivos,
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:JjK9K-KdXTAJ:www.hivos.nl/nederlands/layout/set/print/partners/moretest%3Fid%3DIR007+site:http://www.hivos.nl+iran+gooya&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a ] a Dutch organization which in turn is funded by the government of Netherlands.
In November 2006, Hossein Derakhshan who maintained the Rooz website claimed on his blog that he was accused of working for the government of Iran, Islamic Republic government and therefore not paid for a year by Rooz.
[Hossein Bastani, editor of Rooz, a Hivos-funded project, refuses to pay staff's rights, accusing them of working with Islamic Republic to stifle free speech](_blank)
Furthermore, he hoped that Hivos, a Dutch organization that helps to fund for Rooz, would pressure them to allow more freedom of speech to their staff.
In response, Nikahang Kowsar claimed that Derakhshan has taken the website "hostage" and that he demands "ransom", and asked director Hossein Bastani to confront Derakhshan.
[http://nikahang.blogspot.com/2006/11/blog-post_116326605491307166.html ]
See also
*Radio Zamaneh
References
External links
*
Archive of English articles on RoozHivos website
Mass media in Iran
{{Iran-stub