Bushra Shaikh

Bushra Shaikh  link Twitter (Journalist, influencer, broadcaster)
File:Bushra Shaikh.jpg
Born	12 October 1982
Alma mater	University of the Arts London
Influencer reporting on the US war with Iran

Bushra Shaikh is a British media personality, journalist and activist who founded the activist group Run Racism Out. She first became well-known for her appearance on "The Apprentice" (series 13) in 2017, where she finished 9^th.

Sponsored trips to Iran

On 29 May 2026, The Guardian reported:

A UK television personality went on two state-sponsored tours of Iran this spring where she met senior officials and was “active” in spreading the regime’s message, according to an investigation by a Iranian factchecking organisation.

An investigation by Factnameh found that Shaikh played a “highly active role in reproducing the government’s narrative” this spring after taking part in two press tours organised by IRIB World Service, the international arm of Iran’s state broadcaster.

Factnameh identified more than a dozen participants in these tours, including a handful of US journalists.

Fereidoon Bashar, the executive director of ASL19, which created Factnameh, said cultivating friendly journalists and public figures had been part of Iran’s strategy for some time.

It is unclear whether Shaikh and others covered their own expenses or were paid to do the trip. Bashar said it appeared that the Iranian government valued Shaikh’s content as it invited her back for a second trip in April, after her first tour in February.

Shaikh is part of a growing number of “war influencers” or “war-fluencers”, content creators who offer followers unmediated, at times citizen journalist-style access to a war zone.

Response on X

On 31 May 2026, Bushra Shaikh posted on X:

In a remarkable twist of irony, The Guardian spoke to a US government–funded, exiled Iranian of ASL19 - Factnameh - to infer that I was the 'propagandist' for the Islamic Republic.

Open Fund Technology (OFT) funds "anti-regime" voices for Iran, Cuba, Russia and China.

So the accusation essentially amounted to this: a figure associated with a US-funded 'fact checking' organisation focused on opposing the Iranian government was presented as a credible source to imply that I was the one being paid and acting on behalf of that same government but couldn't fact check it.

You couldn't make it up.

Facebook response

Jonathan Cook posted on Facebook:

The Guardian regurgitates British state propaganda by accusing a UK "influencer" of spreading "Iranian regime messaging". On a visit to Iran, Bushra Shaikh reported the effects of US-Israeli air strikes, including one on a girls' school that killed some 170 Iranians, mainly children.

That used to be called journalism – stuff The Guardian and BBC claim to do. The Guardian amplifies calls for Shaikh to be investigated for "sanctions violations".

The Guardian sees a particularly sinister agenda in Shaikh's posts because:

• They "appeared timed to coincide with critical events in Iran, including the intensification of the conflict, ceasefire talks and nationwide protests in January" – that is, her posts were topical and newsworthy.
• They showed a “highly calculated pattern of social media manipulation” – that is, she was good at promoting her posts.
• They attracted "disproportionately high engagement” – that is, lots of people were interested to read her posts.
• They "offer followers unmediated, at times citizen journalist-style access to a war zone" – that is, she didn't have to submit her reports to Guardian editors so they could edit out information that might embarrass western leaders.

Shaikh herself is reported as being "aligned with anti-imperialist, anti-colonial frameworks” – that is, she doesn't simply regurgitate British state propaganda, like the UK corporate media.

This Guardian hit-job isn't about getting to the truth. It's the paper desperately trying to protect its traditional information monopoly for "liberal-left" audiences, and thereby remain useful for the security services.

References

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