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Like Western media is an example to follow when it comes to freedom of the press... yeah right. Come to think of it, The Congo Times is probably more free than the New York Slimes.
by vladimir on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 05:36:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
While the western media is not as free as it should be (mostly but not wholly due to incompetence), Russian media is in a class of its own.

The article you linked to is a real classic in the best  paranoid traditions of the Russian media.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 06:46:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]
http://en.rian.ru/world/20090115/119507774.html
KIEV, January 15 (RIA Novosti) - The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday Russian media reports that Kiev was planning to involve the United States in modernizing its Soviet-era gas pipeline network.
by vladimir on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 07:39:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You shouldn't believe these things, though. The Ukrainians have been trying to make others pay for the maintenance of their pipelines for the past 15 years... Russia, Europe, the US. Anybody but them is good ;)

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 08:56:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Fair enough. So why would the US be interested in investing in the modernization of Ukrainian gas pipelines?
by vladimir on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 09:07:16 AM EST
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What makes you think the US is interested in investing? It's only interested in yanking Russia's chain... and it works, no?

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 09:29:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
"mostly but not wholly due to incompetence"

They admit to being incompetent, and you believe they're free.

by Lily (put - lilyalmond - here <a> yahaah.france) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 07:52:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I believe that incompetence is not behind Western medias systematic communication of official propaganda. If it were, you would have more 'hazard' and therefore more disparate viewpoints and positions defended by the various outlets.

In reality, what we observe is a perfectly 'managed' environment with 99% of mainstream media promoting identical positions - often through copy-paste operations.

That's not free or relatively free media. It's 100% pure propaganda.

Dr. Goebels was not Russian.

by vladimir on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 08:03:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I know some journalists, and by god, most of them are really stupid. Always wearing the ideological blindfolds.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 at 09:00:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I'd have to agree, Starvid. I've met a few who are very interesting to talk to, with inquiring minds, a grasp of facts and a useful ability to listen. But most of them are running around with blinkers on - just like many operatives in the political parties. There's no such thing as 'the big picture' with such 'jobsworths'.

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 at 09:17:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Most journalists I know surpass a given minimum intelligence requirement and some could even be classified as bright. After all, they need to be able to communicate in a proficient and convincing manner. That's what they're paid to do.

Dumb or smart, the point is that the official editorial policy of any media outlet is known by all those who work for it. And whatever the outlet, the simple rule is always the same: fit in or f*** off.

To conclude: I really don't think incompetence can explain why MSM is 99% aligned in the positions it advocates.

by vladimir on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 at 09:32:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't think you need to invoke a grand unified conspiracy to explain how the Western corporate media come to toe the party line. I think it's much, much simpler:

There's a herd mentality to Western newsies that I frankly didn't believe until I saw it up close and personal on an issue I know a little bit about.

"Original research" is a small village somewhere in rural China as far as most Danish news coverage is concerned. The cycle for at least two thirds of the news [1] goes something like this:

  • Newsie is fed press release by a PR agent or spin doctor propaganda flack.

  • Newsie plagiarises press release. The press release has now become an "article."

  • Other newsies plagiarise the first newsie's article. The article has now become "news."

  • Political figure makes statement on the news. The news has now become an "issue." [2]

  • Newsie writes an article based on the interview with the political figure (or plagiarises his press release).

  • Other newsies plagiarise the first newsie's coverage of the political figure's statement.

  • Et cetera ad nauseum.

I wish I were in some serious way exaggerating or misrepresenting the news cycle, but it really is that bad.

[1] And that's not even counting the cars and sports supplements which might as well be written directly by advertisers...

[2] Of course, the political figure does this only in an interview to a friendly newsie and/or a press release of his own, which can branch off an entire news cycle of its own.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Jan 17th, 2009 at 10:48:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Had the same experience myself - except sometimes I have exploited it, dishing up PR copy that lazy journalists can use verbatim or adapt, according to how quickly they want to get down to the pub. Most of this was in music/record reviews. Overworked local papers in particular were happy to use them. It's a form of syndication.

Never had the experience of having stuff become an issue, but I've seen it happen or heard about it from journalists who used to hang out at the same clubs in my partying days.

The phenomenon is stronger these days simply because cut and pasting is so easy. Back then, you had to OCR someone else's print copy or rewrite. (Journalist typing speeds were faster then)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jan 17th, 2009 at 11:16:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That and the fact that newsies are being tasked with filling up ever more pages of news (because more pages of news translates into more pages of ads...) on less and less time.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Jan 17th, 2009 at 01:50:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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