Why reporting on Iran comes at a heavy price

BBC journalists are not allowed to work in Iran, so they rely on social media to find out and verify what is happening on the ground. With the recent protests, it became an essential tool. For instance, when journalists hear that a protester has been killed, the first thing they usually do is check that person’s social media accounts for followers with the same last name. When relatives reply, information they share can be cross-checked with other sources, such as death certificates and coroners’ reports.