UW professors David Domke and Arzoo Osanloo will be speaking tonight about the relationship between the United States and Iran and how it is portrayed in the media.

The Iranian American Community Alliance (IACA), a Seattle area nonprofit, nonreligious and nonpartisan organization, and the UW student group IACA Student Leaders are jointly organizing the event.

The event will seek to answer questions about Iran, the United States and how they relate to each other in a world where stereotypes are common and a firsthand understanding of each another is rare.

Domke, a professor in the Department of Communication, will discuss media coverage of Iran.

“There is nothing wrong with consuming Western media,” IACA secretary Julia Getsch said. “But if it is the only thing you are consuming, there will be that bias.”

Osanloo, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Law, Societies and Justice program, focuses her research on the relationship between anthropology and law.

“Osanloo will discuss the effects of international pressure on reform movements within Iran, focusing specifically on whether the discourse of regime change hurts or helps Iranian women’s rights movements,” according to an IACA press release.

A change in the Bush administration’s attitudes toward Iran and a willingness on the part of the media to make a statement are needed in order to see a difference, Domke said.

Getsch hopes that attendees will walk away with a better understanding of Iran and how it operates.

“We think Americans are interested in learning more about Iran, and since Western media has limited resources, we are opening doors,” she said.

But the tension between the United States and Iran is not going to go away over night.

The tension, Domke said, has unfolded under two backdrops.

“One, the Iranian revolution of 1979 put the U.S.-Iran relations at a standoff,” he said. “And two, Bush’s Axis of Evil address … was constraining to journalists because saying something different [about Iran] was implicitly challenging the president.”

The event hopes to allow people to think more about issues that may not accurately be portrayed in the media.

“The media needs to find alternative entry points,” he said. “There needs to be a diverse feeling.”

Getsch agreed.

“The more voices that can be heard, the more well-rounded view people will have,” she said.

[Reach reporter Celia Hunko at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]