Listen to series host and podcasts contributor Megan Vahdat sit down with MSNBC national correspondent Yasmin Vossoughian to discuss her experiences covering the 2024 presidential election and the importance of dismantling harmful stereotypes about Iranians.
Megan Vahdat: I’m Megan Vahdat, and this is Persian Perspectives Today, a podcast that explores the viewpoints of Iranian leaders in arts, science, education and politics in the UCLA community and beyond.
Today, I am joined by Emmy Award-winning journalist and MSNBC News national correspondent Yasmin Vossoughian. She was the host of MSNBC’s “Yasmin Vossoughian Reports,” and you may recognize her most recently on the network for her coverage of the 2024 presidential election. During her incredible career, she has interviewed many notable leaders, such as President Joe Biden, Madeleine Albright and Newt Gingrich.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Ms. Vossoughian.
Yasmin Vossoughian: Thank you for having me. I’m so excited to be here, and you said my name in such a Persian Farsi way, so thank you.
MV: There are becoming more and more Iranian women voices in television journalism, but it is still a rarity. To start off today’s interview, can you describe how you embarked on this amazing professional journey?
YV: Yeah, so, gosh, I was actually just talking about this. So when 9/11 happened – which I’m sure many of the people that listen to your podcast were like, not alive, but many of what 9/11 was and what happened during that time in our country – I was actually working in entertainment news, and I had just graduated college.
And as an Iranian American, I felt like, “OK, I’m working in entertainment and fashion.” I was a production assistant for the E! Entertainment Television network and working for “The Howard Stern Show.” And I thought, “What am I doing? I need to go get after it. I need to go to the Middle East because I can help bridge the gap.” I just felt like I have the ability to help redefine a generation of people because suddenly there were always like hate crimes going on and misunderstandings about who people were and people were pointing the finger at, especially the Middle East, and saying and saying all these things about a country that my family is from.
And so I thought, “OK, I’m going to help bridge the gap and try to show both people in both countries the similarities that exist between both cultures. And so I basically picked up my camera that I got for my college graduation. It was a Handycam, this little Handycam thing at the time. And I went to Iran, and I started doing pieces in Iran, and I did a piece on nuclear proliferation in Iran. I did a piece on getting nose jobs in Iran. I did a piece on skiing in Iran. I did all these different pieces, and it kind of got a lot of traction.
I did a piece on dating in Iran. I did a piece on what it’s like to be a gay person in Iran. I actually interviewed the first transgender woman ever in Iran, who was actually married to an Iranian cleric, if you can believe it. And so I did all these pieces, and it got a lot of traction, obviously. And there was this network at the time that was launching called Current TV, which was launched by former Vice President Al Gore. And they were calling for citizen journalists. And so I submitted one of my pieces, and it was taken, and from there it kind of was like the rest of my story was written right.
I started doing piece works for them and traveling for them and kept moving up job to job and doing different things. But really it was my Iranian heritage and my culture that helped launch me in this realm because I felt as if I had something, a personal story to tell in a way, and I had a connection to a culture that felt very distant to a lot of Americans at the time.
MV: Not many people know about those topics like dating in Iran or –
YV: That’s the thing. So get this, Current TV launched. Al Gore goes on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He’s like, “OK, I’m launching this network,” and blah, blah, blah. And it was based out of LA, actually, because I went to college in LA. I don’t know if you know that. I went to Occidental College. So I used to go to parties at UCLA all the time. And I used to go to an Iranian restaurant in Westwood. I think it was called Shahrazad or something.
So Al Gore took my piece from Iran on “The Tonight Show” and was like, “We’re launching this network,” and showed 30 seconds of my piece. So I was this wide-eyed, bushy-tailed 23-year-old. And they’re showing my freaking piece that I shot on this little Handycam. My lighting was a candle. Literally, it was a candle.
Because at one point I was at this dark party and they were playing “In Da Club” by 50 Cent, and all the Iranian young kids were dancing to “In Da Club,” and they were drinking. And my – the whole idea of what I was trying to do is be like, they’re just like us. They’re the same. It’s not like this.
So that was the piece that kind of launched – helped launch the network. And it was. Yeah, that was the beginning for me.
MV: Even as an Iranian, the image of Iran in my mind is certainly not people my age dancing to 50 Cent.
YV: In crop tops. And I remember this one guy I was interviewing – I was like, “So, how do you date? How do you go about meeting women?” Because, you know Iranian laws, you can’t know, you can’t just walk off boyfriend and girlfriend. You can’t hold hands. And he goes, “I get around.” And he goes, “I get around.” Or something. Oh, my God.
But it was awesome because “In Da Club” at the time was also the hottest act and was the hottest song in the States back then. And so. And it was just crazy that it was also being played at house parties in Tehran.
MV: It makes us feel connected to our homeland if you’re Iranian. And also, covering these types of stories helps Americans understand the Iranian people. It distinguishes them from the issues of their government, which many Iranians don’t support but unfortunately become stereotyped with.
YV: Right. And that’s the thing. That’s what I set out to do, which was to show the similarities that exist. To see them as a person and not as a government, to show the distinction between the people and the government and also kind of just what the people have to go through to try and live normal lives.
Right. And that they wake up the way that we do. They get out of bed the way that we do. Right. The kids still are on social media there. They listen to music they like. They want to do all the things that young people want to do here in the United States. They just have the restrictions on them because of the country they were born into.
Right. So, yeah. So I kind of achieved my goal, and then that was kind of the launching pad for me, in a way.
MV: That was the beginning of your long career, studying Iran specifically and doing a lot of reporting on Iran. And as someone who has traveled to Iran several times over the years as a journalist, what’s another aspect of Iranian culture and politics that surprised you?
YV: I think Iran is always surprising me when it comes to politics less so culture. I mean, Iran is just so rich in culture. And I think the hardest thing is to kind of help the greater public understand the immense and vast culture that exists within Iran that is right now not able to be shown to a certain extent because of the politics that are involved.
I think the most surprising thing to me was honestly – I was on air a couple months ago, anchoring five hours of television when Iran launched on Israel. And I was knowing the way that Iran operates politically, knowing how because they operate through their proxies, like through Hamas and Hezbollah and other proxies in Yemen, they don’t necessarily operate autonomously the way that they did against Israel.
And I think I was most shocked that they had launched the way that they had. And I was ultimately concerned that it would one mistake could progress into an all-out war. And it’s certainly something that I’m still, that I still worry about happening with the kind of tempers so high right now and the politics of the region so high.
So I think I was most shocked that there were actual missiles thrown from both Israel and Iran from within their own borders versus a proxy war happening. Actually, let me say one more thing though. I can’t believe I didn’t say this.
I think one of, also one of the most surprising things has been the strength of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. But it’s not surprising because I know Iranian women, and I know the collective power and strength that Iranian women have.
Right. You can look at any one of our households and see how the mother rules the roost to understand the collective power of Iranian women. Right. Despite the fact that you kind of look at it from the outside and you see it as a misogynistic culture.
But so, but what I was surprised about was the ongoing courage of the women and of the women in Iran and how no matter what they face and the potential imprisonment that they face, the violence that they could face, the death that they could face, that they fight on.
Right. And I think it just speaks to kind of how they are at wit’s end, the desperation that they are facing and wanting to gain rights in that country right now. And so it’s surprising, but I think it’s just more inspiring, right. And how we kind of take our own freedom for granted, and we’re watching from afar as a part of the diaspora.
When I was in Iran, no, I didn’t necessarily feel unsafe, but that’s not necessarily saying I wasn’t, I was safe. That’s more a reflection of the fact that I am very good at compartmentalizing, and I think it’s why I do what I do.
And so I’ve been in very, very dangerous situations throughout my entire career in which I probably shouldn’t have been in those situations. But when I’m in the moment and in the zone and even in that time and early on in my career, when I was in this house party where there was police outside, Iranian police outside, and the lights were turned off, and there was a literally potential of arrest and imprisonment and who knows what else.
You know, I just kept shooting and going and interviewing, and I just. I think it’s probably why I do what I do.
But again, that’s not to reflect that it’s safe to be there as a journalist, because I don’t think it is right now. And it’s why I haven’t gone back in a long time, especially because my profile is now a lot higher than it was then.
But, no, I mean, listen, for the most part, the politics that we see on the outside, when you’re there in Iran, it’s like you’re able to compartmentalize. You know, when you’re there, you’re able to go to the bazaars. You’re able to visit with your family. And so long as you kind of stay within the lines, and no one will really bother you.
But until they do. Right. So there’s always a risk. Right. And if they want to come after you, they will. And so that’s always a risk that one takes. But it doesn’t for me, it’s not. I have wanted to go back for a long time, and I hope to, especially if things get worse.
MV: You mentioned the police and being in the house party. You were able to compartmentalize that because of your journalistic perspective and your experience. But a lot of people would be so frightened by that. And I remember seeing stories that you’ve covered of someone who developed an app to track the morality police during the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi movement. You highlighted the Middle East Matters Instagram page and gaining attention to Middle Eastern issues.
And your journey as an Iranian American journalist is particularly fascinating because media suppression in Iran always or often prevents these kinds of key social and political issues like the ones you covered from being revealed to the international public. How do you think your perspective as an Iranian American shapes your view of the importance of the freedom of the press?
YV: Because I understand the restrictions that journalists and press face on the ground in Iran. And I understand. I feel like I’m very acutely aware of the sacrifices that are made by people in any kind of authoritarian country and kind of to fight for what they believe is right.
And so being someone who is from a theocratically led country now, I feel as if it’s, within my – that I. That’s, I am obliged, right. I’m obligated to because I’ve kind of been dealt these cards of being born in this country, and being able to build this bridge that for me it’s partly, partly my responsibility to provide voice to people that don’t have that voice.
Right. So yes, it’s Iran, but I’ve done it with other countries and other issues as well, where I feel as if, you know – I did a story on autism recently where a young girl couldn’t, wasn’t allowed to vote because she was deemed incompetent by a court of law. And it’s something that many people in this country didn’t necessarily know.
And providing a voice to people I feel that are voiceless, that don’t have the opportunity to have the megaphone that I have. Right. So I feel like I’m acutely aware of providing that megaphone because I am from a country like Iran.
And also because I don’t know if you read it, it seems like you’ve done your research, but I have this big birthmark on my left leg and it’s – I’ve written about it publicly, and it’s also kind of added to me always feeling like an other in society. Right. I’ve always grown up feeling like I’m an other because of the fact that I’m Middle Eastern, I’m Iranian, and also I have this birthmark.
And so that feeling of me being an other kind of propels me and propels me forward to want to provide that megaphone to people that don’t have a voice to do it.
MV: And as a journalist, showcasing these aspects of not only Iranian culture but broader American culture has allowed so many of us from minority communities to feel less othered because we see representation in the news that is not only about our politics but is about our social scene, our cultural scene.
YV: I hope so. I hope so because that’s the goal. Because sometimes I still feel as if there’s not enough representation. And it’s really frustrating. Right.
I think especially now, it’s even harder for people of Middle Eastern descent to feel as if they are being represented. It’s tough. It’s not. It’s not all daisies, and it’s not. It’s not hard. It’s not easy, and it’s – there’s –
I think there is a real lack of representation from from Iran, from the Middle East, in the media, in many sectors, aside from the medical community. There’s plenty of us in the medical community. But. And I think that’s still a problem, but I hope that’s what’s coming across. I’m happy to hear that that’s what’s coming across, I should say.
MV: Yes, and perhaps a lot of the reason for the lack of Iranian representation in the media is because of the cultural barrier and sometimes the language barrier because there are certain nuances to our language that can’t even come across through translation.
I wonder, did the fact that when you went to Iran and you’ve done reporting even from the States, with Iranian individuals speaking Farsi, did the fact that you didn’t have to rely on an interpreter and could talk directly with the Iranian people affect your journalism?
YV: You know, what’s amazing, and this is what’s incredible about Iranian people, too, is when I would be there doing these interviews and stuff, I mean, people were so happy and respectful, the fact that they felt as ifI was here in America, but I had come back to show my culture and my heritage.
And I was trying. And I’m engaging with them and talking with them, and I think people really respect it and love it. And so that ingratiates me with them so that they can trust me and I can tell, and they allow me to tell their stories even in the most intimate spaces.
I mean, I’ve interviewed high government officials in Iran, and in some circumstances, I did have a translator in those situations only because I want to make sure I didn’t miss anything because there’s times in those situations where they use kind of more formal verbiage that maybe might be over my head.
But with the everyday person, which is mostly what I focused on in my reporting in Iran. I mean it’s really gotten me a lot further, and I think that’s played to my favor and being able to tell these stories.
But it’s like anything. It’s like anything. It’s also. I think it’s also just I mean, part of journalism is being a curious person.
And I actually think there’s a lot of misgivings that I have, and I’m not the best at everything when it comes to journalism. But one thing I do know that I feel as if I’m very good at, that I feel confident in saying out loud is I’m very good at allowing, or I’m very good at making people feel comfortable enough to open up to me.
And whether it’s literally in South Texas or in Georgia or in Paris or in Iran, and I – that’s – and I think the language helps, but it’s just also just kind of the way in which you interact with people.
MV: You’re an empathetic journalist.
YV: Yeah, I am. One of my kind of secret weapons is my empathy.
And, but I think it’s because it’s a reflection of always feeling like I’m an other. I think when you grow up feeling less than in a lot of places.
I grew up in a place that I was one of very few. I mean, there were no Iranians in my town where I grew up, and always feeling as if I was made fun of when I was a teenager, called a terrorist and stuff like that.
So when you grow up. When you grow up feeling like that, you kind of figure out ways to get people to trust you and like you.
MV: It shapes the way you think about the world and how you interact with other people. And I think some of that empathy perhaps derives from even being an Iranian. I think a lot of people don’t recognize that we are very loving, accepting people.
YV: But not taroff, because that’s fake.
MV: Yeah, sometimes we’re fake when we taroff, but other than that –
YV: For those that don’t know what taroff is, it means essentially like, “Oh, I’ll drive you 17 hours to the airport,” when in actuality you have no intention of driving to the airport.
MV: It’s like a fake offering of something.
YV: Yeah. So when you take a taxi, I mean, this was the thing I used to do when I was in Iran. I would be in the taxi ready to pay, and they’d be like, “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.” There’s no way that taxi driver, who probably makes $100 a month, does not want me to pay for the taxi. So I would literally be like, “Thank you, sir, appreciate it.” And I’d go to get out, and then I would laugh and give them the money because, stop saying you want me to pay, just tell me to pay.
MV: Yeah, maybe we need to be a little bit more upfront!
YV: Exactly. But, yes, very. You know my dad, my mom is empathetic, but my dad was very. My dad was a doctor, of course, and he would get personal letters from his patients kind of talking about his kindness and the way that he interacted with them. And so, you know I really I took a lot from that, I think. And Iranians are very empathetic people in that regard.
MV: And I think not a lot of people recognize that because of what we’re seeing so often on the news. And many guests I featured on this series actually have mentioned that they make it almost a personal mission to showcase aspects of a larger Iranian culture which the news doesn’t cover in their professions. And I think sometimes, maybe news coverage of violence in the Middle East or political uproar in the region helps sometimes perpetuate Islamophobia or maybe a fear of Iranians in the U.S.
Do you have any fears of generating racist views about Iranians when you expose these issues? How do you mitigate that as you’re reporting?
YV: Yeah, all the time. And I also wonder if I face it sometimes. How do I mitigate that in my reporting? I just tell the truth. I tell the story right.
It’s not on me to change people’s minds and how they’re going to think, but what I do think is, I think ,racism. You know, it’s – I’m not going to define what I think racism is, but I think that oftentimes when people are exposed to different cultures and start to understand people more than just what they see on television or read about in a newspaper or hear about from a neighbor, that they’ll start to understand and have empathy towards that culture more.
Right. So my goal is not to say, “This is how you should think.” Let me tell you this story. Let me tell this story about Megan. Let me tell you the story about me. Let me tell you the story about this Iranian. Let me tell you the story about this country, about this country, about this issue, and then you make your decision.
Right. But I’m going to tell this story through my kind of more empathetic eyes. My kind of voice that I’m bringing to the table. And then you make your decision about how you want to feel. But at least I’m exposing you to something that you would have never been exposed to yesterday.
MV: And you focus a lot on Iranian issues, like you’ve mentioned, and exposing these aspects of our culture. And other than covering Iranian politics, you’ve interviewed so many powerful American leaders like President Joe Biden, Madeleine Albright and Newt Gingrich. When you look back on your career so far, what do you feel is the most impactful interview that you’ve done that really struck you as a journalist?
YV: The most impactful interview is with someone you don’t even know. Meaning it’s not with President Biden. It’s not with any lawmaker. You know, I’ve interviewed every lawmaker under the sun.
The most impactful interview I’ve done is with a survivor, is with a mother who gets up – who got up the next day after her child was killed at Uvalde in Texas. You know, the most impactful interview I’ve done is people trying to survive a tornado that just ripped through Mississippi and killed 40 people, including all their neighbors.
Those – the – you know, it’s the Afghani family that came here to seek refuge and safety and are worried about whether or not they can continue to pay their rent in two months. And I’m helping bring that story to light so that people can – are not scared of them in their community. Right. So for me, the most impactful interviews are always people with stories to tell that share vulnerability.
MV: It’s not always the famous figures in our minds.
YV: No, it usually never is. I mean, it’s impactful in that it gets views and it’s like, “Oh, yeah, it’s like you killed it. Like, you really held that person to account.” And I go into everything wanting to hold people to account, and I hope I do that.
But if we’re talking about impact, OK, if we’re talking about something that really resonates with people, you know I got, I got my Emmy from my Jan. 6 coverage on the steps of the Capitol. Right. This is my Emmy. Right.
But I got this GLAAD award, right? And it was for this. This, which is the the Gay Lesbian Alliance (Against Defamation). And it was for this interview I did on my show with these school kids that were putting on a play about the LGBTQ+ community in their school, and the school wouldn’t sponsor it, so they raised money and they did it themselves outside the school.
And it was this whole thing, and it got a lot of news coverage. And we did an interview. It was this really amazing, emotional interview. And that got me an award.
You know, it’s those. I’m not saying impact. I’m not saying awards mean impact, but I’m just saying that it’s not those hard-hitting interviews that really at least make an impact on me.
And I hope, and I think it’s the kind of personal stories that really make a broader impact on people and viewers. And that’s kind of what I want, honestly, because anybody can really sit down with a lawmaker and hold them to account if they’re good journalists and read the newspaper.
MV: Along those lines, I think a lot of us have seen you recently covering the 2024 election, and not just prominent political figures. You just interviewed Jill Stein and Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, but we’ve also seen you talk to the electorate, voters in Michigan leading up to Nov. 5. I’m curious, what are some things that you observed behind the scenes talking to voters in critical swing states that we didn’t see in front of the camera?
YV: I think just a real struggle that people are facing right now. I think I was in Philadelphia interviewing voters about the economy and about inflation and a mother breaking down in tears because she just couldn’t afford to buy food for her children.
You know, the diversity of people’s issues. Like another woman in Michigan afraid because of the gun laws in this country, and her child was a survivor of a mass shooting at a high school in Michigan.
You know, just how personal politics has become and how acutely things are affecting folks has been kind of the most impactful thing and that I’ve heard in kind of my off-camera conversations with people.
MV: You mentioned so many people felt moved and motivated by this election. It stirred up a lot of emotions in people that was visible from a viewer’s perspective at home watching on the news as well. And as someone who spent time talking to voters, why do you think there was such a surprising election result that a lot of people didn’t see coming?
YV: I mean, it’s always hard to predict elections at the end of the day, right? I mean, in 2016 similarly, despite the fact that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, I think a lot of polls were showing that Donald Trump was going to lose in 2016, and I know this one was showing a heck of a lot closer of an election. But I think that, listen, I think that there’s a real disconnection between what’s happening in the middle of this country and what’s happening on the coast. It’s the same story we’ve been talking about forever, right?
Like, if you live in New York, if you live in California, you think one way and you believe that the country is one way. And then if you are not, if you are exposed to anywhere else besides those places, then you actually understand what’s happening in this country.
And those swing states are the swing – are the states that get presidents elected. And I’ve had a unique – I have a unique opportunity to be exposed to all these places. And so when I come home from these places, I say, “Hey, guys, this is a reality, right? This is actually what’s happening.” And I think when we focus too much on pundits, and we focus too much on analysts to talk – kind of talk through the politics mumbo jumbo of Washington, then we lose sight of actually what people are feeling and what the impact that people are having – that the impact that politics has on these people.
And when we don’t – when we don’t show those voices, when we don’t tell those stories, then I think we get disconnected from the direction in which our country is headed. And I think that’s reflected in the results of this election. There was a real frustration amongst, I think, the electorate as to what’s been going on in this – in this country, really.
I think I would arguably say over the last two years or so. And I think that if you, if you didn’t talk to people at that level to really understand it, you wouldn’t know.
And so I think that’s why so many people were kind of shocked by Donald Trump’s blowout results.
MV: You gained a lot of this sort of intuition and knowledge about the election and perhaps the outcome from your travels. You traveled to several swing states like you mentioned and interviewed people, interviewed voters and their families.
And you’ve traveled all over the country, really, covering breaking news. You have to be well-versed on a wide variety of global issues to speak on them.
In a fast-moving career like you have, how do you stay on top of a diverse range of news stories to speak about them in a moment’s notice?
YV: Reading, talking, watching, interviewing, understanding. But you know, the joke is that when you’re a news anchor, you know a little about a lot, right? I could talk in depth about anything for about 10 minutes, but that’s my thing. Then I’m going to go get a drink. You know, I’ve tapped out.
But no, it’s you know, it’s literally reading anything that you can read. You know, it’s, it’s. I get up in the morning, I’ll read The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Journal, and then I’ll kind of – and then I look a lot on social media, and I’ll look through social media.
There’s a bunch of different things that I follow on social media where I look through different trending topics that are happening out there.
And then talking to sources and talking to people that I think are just super smart that can help me kind of figure out in my head, like a math problem, like, which way something is going to go and why.
And that’s kind of how I try to stay up on things, right.
MV: I think college students like me at least are particularly bombarded with a cacophony of voices from the media, the perspective of our professors, our families as we kind of try and figure out what we believe in.
What do you think is the best way for college students to find an unbiased perspective through the news? Is there a particular combination of sources you recommend?
YV: I mean, I love – I would say one newspaper that you trust here, one international like The Guardian or something overseas.
Right. I would just – I would say a diversity of thought is the best thing, and a diversity of kind of, quote-unquote, opinion. A diversity of thought.
And then also just having a circle of people that you trust that you can kind of bounce things off of.
I think that’s important, right? People that have worked in an industry. If you have a friend whose father’s in finance, right – who can help you understand what’s happening in the stock market and why it’s rallying after if that’s what you’re interested in, to use the people that, you know use the bank of knowledge and the resources that you have access to.
I mean, and also these professors. Find the professors that you trust and talk with them about the issues that you care about most to kind of understand the depth of those stories.
So, I mean, I think if you’re in college, it’s like you have – I mean, oh, my gosh. It’s like everything at your fingertips.
You know, you have trusted professors, you have adults and parents that are successful that can help guide you in different ways.
You can have your various media sources that you reach out to, and then – and then the trusted things on social media, right? I mean, there’s a lot of amazing places that you can go to through social media or people that you can follow that have really good kind of quote-unquote opinions about various things.
But, also not to take everything at face value, right? Hear those opinions and then, make your own assessment. Be an independent thinker, right?
MV: That’s such good advice. And I know a lot of our Iranian listeners look up to you and value your perspective. Thank you so much for joining us today, Ms. Vossoughian.
This episode of Persian Perspectives Today was brought to you by the Daily Bruin Podcasts. You can listen to this episode and all other Daily Bruin podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud. The audio and transcript of today’s interview are available at dailybruin.com.
I’m Megan Vahdat. Thank you for listening.
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