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Freedom doesn’t disappear overnight — it erodes quietly through fear, censorship, and silence.
In this episode of The Middle Ground Mic, journalist and U.S. diplomat Mahtab Farid shares how she grew up under Iran’s revolution and chose to serve America without ever wearing a uniform.

Born in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, Mahtab Farid experienced censorship and repression firsthand. Those early experiences shaped her understanding of truth, freedom, and the responsibility that comes with liberty.

After becoming a U.S. citizen just months before 9/11, Mahtab made a defining choice: to serve the country that gave her freedom. As a U.S. Public Diplomacy Officer, she deployed to Afghanistan alongside American service members — not as a soldier, but as a truth-teller — helping build local media, counter propaganda, and earn trust in some of the world’s most dangerous places.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Growing up under Iran’s revolution and what censorship really looks like
• Why journalism threatens authoritarian regimes
• Serving America without a uniform after 9/11
• Media trust, propaganda, and narrative warfare
• Redefining patriotism beyond politics

📘 Mahtab Farid’s book — Serving Without a Uniform: Reporting Truth in Defense of Freedom
👉 https://www.amazon.in/Serving-Without-Uniform-Reporting-Defense-ebook/dp/B0G5JGLZPF

The Middle Ground Mic
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⏱️ CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 – Freedom, Silence, and the Cost of Truth
01:45 – Growing Up During Iran’s Revolution
06:20 – When Censorship Becomes Normal
10:40 – Discovering America From the Outside
15:30 – Journalism as Resistance
20:10 – Becoming a U.S. Citizen Before 9/11
24:45 – Choosing to Serve America
30:15 – Afghanistan: Building Media Without Fear
36:20 – Media Trust, Propaganda & Soft Power
42:10 – Redefining Patriotism Without Politics
48:50 – Final Reflections: How Will You Serve?

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