This thread is intended as a primer on why it's important to be suspicious of any reporting on the conflict in Ukraine.
Journalists in the past had a moral obligation to check the facts and give a balanced account of the situation. These days they're only interested in sensationalism, getting the story out as fast as possible, and writing slanted content to keep their readers hooked on the "news." There are very few I have any respect for. I consider Glen Greenwald and the VICE team honest and impartial. There are probably others, but not many.
Always check the source and, if possible, the raw data! Many people find it difficult to comprehend that an entire industry could be so incompetent and culpable, but that's the way I see it, as I will explain below...
To give an example, I'll focus on an often-repeated quote is used as "evidence" that Putin is a communist and wants to re-establish the Soviet Union. Putin has many faults, but a communist he is definitely not. That kind of blatant and unapologetic propaganda destroys any notion of credibility that the English-language media could otherwise have in Russia and other parts of the world. Anyone who has been to Russia knows very well that it's one of the most capitalistic and materialistic countries on the planet.
I'm no Putin apologist and will readily admit that his failure to affect domestic policy reform makes him one of Russia's biggest problems, but in Ukraine and other international conflicts he performs very well.
Here's my take:
What you read in the English-language press: Putin said "the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical disaster of the century"
The translation isn't fantastic. Instead of "a major" I would have written "the largest", but however you look at it, the quote was taken well out of context.
At the very minimum, I would expect a journalist to write: In his annual address on the state of the Russian Federation, Putin said "the collapse of the Soviet Union was the largest geopolitical disaster of the century [for the Russian people]" and went on to outline the economic, political and legal effects it had on the Russian populace both in Russia and abroad.
Talking heads then further embellish the misquote into wild accusations like: Putin is a Communist KGB spy and he wants to bring back the Soviet Union!
Eg. the first 30 seconds of the following video (Credits to Nemausus for originally posting it):
Here's an extract of Putin's address, including the original quote in bold. One important clarification: "nation" was translated from the Russian word "народ," which means people/population in English
Transcript of the original address in Russian: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2005/0...7049.shtml
Official translation into English: http://archive.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2...7086.shtml
Journalists in the past had a moral obligation to check the facts and give a balanced account of the situation. These days they're only interested in sensationalism, getting the story out as fast as possible, and writing slanted content to keep their readers hooked on the "news." There are very few I have any respect for. I consider Glen Greenwald and the VICE team honest and impartial. There are probably others, but not many.
Always check the source and, if possible, the raw data! Many people find it difficult to comprehend that an entire industry could be so incompetent and culpable, but that's the way I see it, as I will explain below...
To give an example, I'll focus on an often-repeated quote is used as "evidence" that Putin is a communist and wants to re-establish the Soviet Union. Putin has many faults, but a communist he is definitely not. That kind of blatant and unapologetic propaganda destroys any notion of credibility that the English-language media could otherwise have in Russia and other parts of the world. Anyone who has been to Russia knows very well that it's one of the most capitalistic and materialistic countries on the planet.
I'm no Putin apologist and will readily admit that his failure to affect domestic policy reform makes him one of Russia's biggest problems, but in Ukraine and other international conflicts he performs very well.
Here's my take:
What you read in the English-language press: Putin said "the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical disaster of the century"
The translation isn't fantastic. Instead of "a major" I would have written "the largest", but however you look at it, the quote was taken well out of context.
At the very minimum, I would expect a journalist to write: In his annual address on the state of the Russian Federation, Putin said "the collapse of the Soviet Union was the largest geopolitical disaster of the century [for the Russian people]" and went on to outline the economic, political and legal effects it had on the Russian populace both in Russia and abroad.
Talking heads then further embellish the misquote into wild accusations like: Putin is a Communist KGB spy and he wants to bring back the Soviet Union!
Eg. the first 30 seconds of the following video (Credits to Nemausus for originally posting it):
Here's an extract of Putin's address, including the original quote in bold. One important clarification: "nation" was translated from the Russian word "народ," which means people/population in English
Quote:Quote:
I consider the development of Russia as a free and democratic state to be our main political and ideological goal. We use these words fairly frequently, but rarely care to reveal how the deeper meaning of such values as freedom and democracy, justice and legality is translated into life.
Meanwhile, there is a need for such an analysis. The objectively difficult processes going on in Russia are increasingly becoming the subject of heated ideological discussions. And they are all connected with talk about freedom and democracy. Sometimes you can hear that since the Russian people have been silent for centuries, they are not used to or do not need freedom. And for that reason, it is claimed our citizens need constant supervision.
I would like to bring those who think this way back to reality, to the facts. To do so, I will recall once more Russia’s most recent history.
Above all, we should acknowledge that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical disaster of the century. As for the Russian nation, it became a genuine drama. Tens of millions of our co-citizens and compatriots found themselves outside Russian territory. Moreover, the epidemic of disintegration infected Russia itself.
Individual savings were depreciated, and old ideals destroyed. Many institutions were disbanded or reformed carelessly. Terrorist intervention and the Khasavyurt capitulation that followed damaged the country's integrity. Oligarchic groups – possessing absolute control over information channels – served exclusively their own corporate interests. Mass poverty began to be seen as the norm. And all this was happening against the backdrop of a dramatic economic downturn, unstable finances, and the paralysis of the social sphere.
Many thought or seemed to think at the time that our young democracy was not a continuation of Russian statehood, but its ultimate collapse, the prolonged agony of the Soviet system.
But they were mistaken.
That was precisely the period when the significant developments took place in Russia. Our society was generating not only the energy of self-preservation, but also the will for a new and free life. In those difficult years, the people of Russia had to both uphold their state sovereignty and make an unerring choice in selecting a new vector of development in the thousand years of their history. They had to accomplish the most difficult task: how to safeguard their own values, not to squander undeniable achievements, and confirm the viability of Russian democracy. We had to find our own path in order to build a democratic, free and just society and state.
Transcript of the original address in Russian: http://archive.kremlin.ru/appears/2005/0...7049.shtml
Official translation into English: http://archive.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2...7086.shtml
