A former editor for an Iranian state-affiliated newspaper is now working as an analyst for Ad Fontes Media, a United States-based group known for publishing a 'media bias' chart that rates news outlets by ideology and reliability. Meisam Zamanabadi previously worked for Hamshahri, a Tehran newspaper overseen by the municipality and controlled at the time by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is now the speaker of Iran's parliament.

Zamanabadi’s résumé and online posts indicate he served as an editor at Hamshahri during Ghalibaf’s tenure as mayor and also worked for other Iranian news agencies linked to the government. While living in California, he has continued appearing on Iranian state television and recently helped advance a resolution through the Asian International Sports Press Association condemning Israeli military actions. He serves as a vice president of that association.

Ad Fontes Media, whose ratings are used by universities and major corporations to assess media reliability, says its methodology relies on panels of analysts with differing political views. However, critics point to its chart consistently rating left-leaning outlets as more reliable than conservative ones. The Federal Trade Commission has requested records from the company as part of an investigation into possible collusion between advocacy groups and advertisers.

Ad Fontes founder Vanessa Otero defended Zamanabadi, saying his professional experience qualifies him to analyze news content and that working for a state-run outlet does not automatically indicate bias. Zamanabadi did not respond to requests for comment.