Esmaili made the remarks on Sunday at the closing ceremony of the First National Hope Media Cup in Tehran, noting that the enemies have targeted the belief and hope of the Iranians.
He called on the correspondents to pen down reports to criticize the current government.
Try not to harm the national interest in your works, he said, adding that giving hope to Iranians must be pursued in the news stories.
He also referred to Iran’s recent missile and drone attack on the Zionist regime – Known as “True Promise Operation” – and said that the Iranian nation agrees with the punitive measure as the polls have indicated.
The enemy’s main plan is to use false publicity, or propaganda, as they call it. The way to overcome propaganda is with “clarification.” Clarifying the truth [must be done] by different people, with different voices, with different interpretations, and using new forms, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said.
"Jihad of clarification must be taken seriously, by everyone, in the seminaries, in the universities, and in particular on radio and television, in the printed media, in all the places where you are, all around you."
In the face of the foes' scheme, Ayatollah Khamenei considers it to be the duty of the elite to engage in the jihad of clarification and to nullify the doubts and uncertainties created by the ill-wishers.
The First National Hope Media Cup which started on Saturday at the Comprehensive University of Islamic Revolution in the capital city will wrap up today.
The national festival served as a platform where reporters and photojournalists covered the speeches delivered by high-ranking officials and experts on various topics within 36 hours in the country.
TM