{"id":301371,"date":"2025-07-02T19:05:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T13:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=301371"},"modified":"2025-07-02T19:05:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T13:35:32","slug":"identifying-an-impostor-verified-x-account-not-of-iranian-journalist-whose-show-was-interrupted-by-israeli-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/identifying-an-impostor-verified-x-account-not-of-iranian-journalist-whose-show-was-interrupted-by-israeli-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Identifying an impostor: ‘Verified’ X account not of Iranian journalist whose show was interrupted by Israeli attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

On June 16, amid the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran,\u00a0<\/span>Iranian state TV journalist Sahar Emami’s live broadcast had to be cut short.<\/span> Israel had attacked the studio of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in Tehran, where Emami was hosting her show. However, within minutes, she returned to complete her programme despite the adversities. The moment cemented her popularity and resilience on social media. Soon after, her X account @iamSaharEmami<\/a> became very active. Many on social media began flocking to it for updates on the ground situation in Iran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zwB2rsiyJqE?si=fYshGS9ZmVNCJXaM]<\/p>\n

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The account, with her image, identified her as a journalist and the “Iranian voice for truth,” “sharing real stories from the ground”. Created in October 2023, the account gathered nearly 200,000 followers after the video of her TV appearance amid the bombing in Tehran went viral. Below is a screenshot of her account when her follower count was steadily increasing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, Alt News found that this account, which appears authentic, impersonates the Iranian state TV anchor. <\/span><\/p>\n

After an Alt News journalist called this out on X<\/a> on June 22, the account changed its bio to a “commentary account” that was “not affiliated with Sahar Emami”.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nNote that on June 21, IRIB news shared a video<\/a> on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> in which Sahar Emami clarifies that she has no X account.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by \u062e\u0628\u0631\u06af\u0632\u0627\u0631\u06cc \u0635\u062f\u0627\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0645\u0627 (@iribnews.ir1)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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But even before Emami’s video statement, several things about the user made us suspect that this was an impostor. Here’s how we identified it.<\/p>\n

Identifying an Impersonator<\/h4>\n

Below are some pointers that raised doubts:<\/p>\n

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  1. Old posts deleted:<\/strong> The account was created in October 2023, yet the first post by this account visible right now is as recent as June 18, 2025. This seemed highly unlikely. Since we had tracked the user for some time, we knew that there were older posts that were deleted. Fortunately, we took screenshots of the deleted posts with their o<\/span>riginal publication dates.<\/span>
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