1. Some key context is missing in this article. Islamic customs call for speedy burials, often within 24 hours. Likely tens of people are dying daily due to #COVID19 in Qom, Iran. Two weeks ago, authorities announced they would prepare graves in advance.
washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/…
washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/…
2. @erinmcunningham + @DDaltonBennett's reporting makes clear that the outbreak and the death toll is greater than Iran's official figures suggest. There is no disputing that. But the title + framing + imagery gives the impression bodies are being dumped in secret "pits."
3. What these sobering images reflect, as far as I can tell, is the very sad situation where a local authorities have had to take the unusual step of digging a trench of graves at the Behesht-e Masoumeh cemetery in order to give the many who are dying a timely burial.
4. It's important to note that Iranian journalists, quoting the management of the cemetery, had reported special graves were being dug at the Behesht-e Masoumeh cemetery for Qom's coronavirus victims more than two weeks ago (February 25).
yjc.ir/fa/news/726083…
yjc.ir/fa/news/726083…
5. As Tabnak reported on February 29, Masoumeh was designated as the single burial place for all of Qom's #COVID19 victims because it would enable sanitary conditions, such as cold storage for bodies. That's partly why one location has so many new graves.
tabnak.ir/fa/news/962651…
tabnak.ir/fa/news/962651…
6. On March 5, a journalist from Mehr, one of Iran's leading news agencies, did a video report from the cemetery. Although he says the number of dead from #COVID19 had not been announced, he points out the "large" number of graves dug.
mehrnews.com/news/4870737/%…
mehrnews.com/news/4870737/%…
6. One day later, the Supreme Leader's representative in Qom, Mahmoud Mohammadi Iraqi, visited the cemetery as also reported by Mehr. This sort of visit wouldn't happen if authorities were hiding the fact of the burials.
mehrnews.com/news/4871666/%…
mehrnews.com/news/4871666/%…
7. In short, Iranian journalists have been doing their job in trying to hold authorities to account, despite facing intense pressures. The sad situation in Qom is no secret. Iranians know how to look beyond official statistics—they are living the tragedy the stats downplay.
8. Let me also add that I am not sure what the satellite imagery adds here given that we have videos shot from the cemetery by Iranians and shared on social media in which the individuals filming both indicate the extent of the new graves and the number of individuals buried.
9. Iran isn't North Korea (a fact @erinmcunningham + @DDaltonBennett + @fab_hinz know well). So if you want to know what's happening in Iran, you really can turn to Iranian news agencies and get most of the story. Follow Iranians on social media and you'll get the rest.
10. The complete picture of the #COVID19 outbreak in Iran is dire. But it is a picture that doesn't need to be taken from space.
11. This tweet has 1.8k retweets. But what isn't explained is that the "trenches" are of normal width and depth. Taking 300 ft and allocating 2.5ft for each plot separated by just 0.5ft means 100 graves.
12. It would have been easy to spell all this out and explain that officials in Qom were preparing graves for many victims while underplaying the #COVID19 threat. But instead we get insinuations that Iranian authorities are secretly dumping hundreds of bodies into "burial pits."
13. This is turning into an interesting media case study. Now that the Post's story has gotten so much coverage, state broadcaster IRIB today aired a segment in which a manager at Behesht-e Masoumeh explains they always have graves prepared for "crisis" situations.
14. The section shown doesn't appear to be the one with the "trenches" dug as per the Post's report. But images of these empty cinderblock-lined graves have been circulating widely on Iranian social media. They are visible in the sat imagery from back in October (center section). 
15. This sort of thing happens a lot. Reporting from outside Iran may give new and accurate information about events in Iran, but the framing politicizes or securitizes the issue, leading Iranian authorities to become more guarded about disclosure. Everything becomes less clear.
16. Qom based journalists @kheyzaran + @hamedhadian_ have posted photos taken today that show the trenches. They are not "burial pits." Also the image of the cemetery map includes a section labeled "بوهران" or "crisis."
17. The crisis section in the map matches the section in which the trenches are visible in the satellite imagery. @kheyzaran tweets that the there are always graves ready for emergency needs. Digging of the new, isolated tench as #COVID19 spread is consistent with that practice.
18. At this point, let me reiterate that I agree with the thrust of the Post's reporting—authorities in Qom (and Iran broadly) are underreporting #COVID19 deaths—but satellite images of a cemetery are a very poor way of substantiating the significance and scale of underreporting.
19. The impression readers are going to get from this headline is not that Qom had prepared graves for around 100 people. FWIW the word "pits" is not even used in the article—that's an editorial decision not on @erinmcunningham + @DDaltonBennett.
20. Also, finally, in tweet 16 it should be "بحران" as people have kindly pointed out!
