A Tribute to Journalists in the Knowledge Ecosystem
Message from Atousa Momeni
Director General of the Regional Research Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia, under the auspices of UNESCO
On the Occasion of National Journalists’ Day | 7 August 2025
In the name of the word
Which pulses in the heart before it reaches the tongue,
And flows through the soul before it finds the page;
In the name of the pen
Not merely a tool, but a trust;
And in the name of the narrator
Not simply a bearer of news, but the scribe of truth in the mirror of time.
At the dawn of every civilization, before the first stone was laid or a flag was raised, a voice emerged:
A voice that taught the eye to see, the ear to understand.
That voice belonged to the early narrators those whom history never named as “journalists”, yet who fulfilled the same sacred task: to uncover truth, preserve collective memory, and build pathways for dialogue.
In a time when nations are no longer defined by borders but by meanings,
In an age overwhelmed by data yet deprived of reflection
Where the distance between a word and a catastrophe may hinge on a single interpretation.
The journalist is not a mere observer of reality, but an architect of collective understanding.
Where the boundary between reality and narrative dissolves into the fog of speculation,
Where images replace meaning, and truth dims amid a cacophony of interpretations,
It is the journalist who shines a light upon the obscured stage.
A lantern-bearer in the storm of doubt;
A voice not raised to overpower others, but to retrieve truth from beneath the ashes of manufactured stories.
The journalist beats in the pulse of society, flows in the veins of public consciousness,
And lives within the arteries of knowledgekeeping social life alive.
Though the world calls them “journalists”, culture knows them as guardians of light.
In today’s plural world, the public looks to these sentinels of wisdom
Not only to ask what happened, but to help us grasp how it must be understood.
The journalist is no longer peripheral to power structures,
But at the very heart of knowledge-based governance.
Where participation emerges through awareness,
And legitimacy stands upon the pillars of transparency,
The journalist is recognized as a bridge:
Between community and state, between language and meaning,
Between society and sovereign responsibility.
In the vocabulary of sustainable development,
The journalist embodies SDG 16: peace, justice, and strong institutions.
And in the discourse of UNESCO, they are seen as facilitators of dialogue,
Protectors of diverse perspectives, and guardians of the sacred stream of explanation
A flow that is not only a people’s right, but a shared heritage of humanity.
We believe:
A journalist gives society the power of reflection,
Gives governance the power of interpretation,
And gives history the power to rebuild.
In our culture in the wisdom of Iranian thought, news is not merely information; it is perception.
A word is not a string of letters; it is destiny.
News is not dust it is water:
It flows, seeps in, and gives life.
Like a wise farmer, the journalist plants seeds of awareness in the soil of minds.
Like a radiant passage, they build living bridges between data and discernment,
Between society and institution, between narrative and reality.
And you, journalist, are the irrigator of awakened minds.
You thrive not in the noise of propaganda,
But in the silence of reflection, in the patience of truth.
You endure as a living memory not only for a nation, but for the world;
For generations that will listen, observe, and judge.
Because your voice is entrusted to history.
And it must not fail future generations in their right to know what must be known.
Today more than ever the world longs for authentic, conscious, and ethically grounded narratives.
A journalist adorned with wisdom, freedom of thought, and insight
Can echo the conscience of humanity
A custodian of cultural security, national cohesion, and public trust.
At the Tehran ICH Centre,
We extend our hand in solidarity to your noble pen and lucid voice.
We celebrate this day not only as a tribute to your craft,
But as a reverence for wisdom, knowledge, and human dignity.
In closing, I consider it my duty to express heartfelt gratitude
For your unwavering dedication to raising awareness,
And for your vital role in promoting and safeguarding the intergenerational transmission of our living heritage.
I honour you not merely as storytellers,
But as the standard-bearers of humanity’s living memory,
Carrying our shared cultural identity to the depths of history and the future of our beloved Iran this land of deep roots.
For I truly believe:
Intangible cultural heritage is the second breath of societies
And the journalist, the vigilant messenger who breathes that breath from the chest of history into the soul of generations to come.
So, be the voice of living heritage:
A voice that is radiant, rooted, and purposeful.
Let each of your words become a bridge between memory and identity;
Let each of your reports mirror hidden traditions, forgotten melodies, and ancestral wisdom
Wisdom shaped by communities who lived with the land,
Honoured nature,
And lived with the solemn commitment to pass on its resources.
For in the light of your pen, culture remains alive.
And in the shadow of your storytelling,
The world moves one step closer
To peace, to dialogue, and to sustainable development.
May your words forever be nourished by the wellspring of wisdom,
And may your pen bloom, ever brighter, along the path of justice.
Atousa Momeni
Director
Regional Research Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia
(under the auspices of UNESCO)
7 August 2025
