I was writing this whole essay on why Iran is portrayed the way it is, then realised that I wasn’t answering the question… Well.. Let’s see… LA Riots.. Sizable unhappy section of society: – Blacks in LA – Tech-savvy, growing population of Iran Controversial topic: – Racism in LA – (Supposed) vote fraud in Iran Reaction: – Rioting, violence, arson, looting in LA – Protesting in Iran Govt. Reaction: – Clampdown in both situations To be honest, I don’t think that the American government would really go into violent clashes with the protesters because it’s condemning Iran for doing so. Neither do I think that it would prevent the people from protesting. Neither do I think that it would stop the foreign media from reporting on events, simply because for it to do so would be hypocritical in the least (not to say that it isn’t Nuclear power cough cough). At the most, if the numbers of dissenters were significant enough, then the government MIGHT hold a reelection. Although I have no recollection of that ever happening in history..