NPR‘s Emily Harris reports.
Why do most Russians looking for news turn to two television outlets controlled by the state, its third by the state-owned gas company, and tolerate this system that allegedly employs tactics like poisoning journalists and arresting them for “hooliganism” to prevent coverage of breaking, sensitive news stories?
According to Alexander Goltz, a critic of Russian propaganda and one of the journalists interviewed by Harris, Putin has tapped into the public’s need to hear good news and aversion to truth that spoils the illusion.
The economy is humming along, we’ve cracked down on corporate looters, the tax cuts do benefit everyone, the elections in Iraq will take place. (last three links via Eric Umansky).
Oh wait. Those are examples of U.S. propaganda.
You won’t find commentary on the proposed new laws from the Chechen separatists’ website Kavkaz Center as it was ordered closed by the Lithuanian Defense Council for “inciting ethnic and religious hatred.”
The main argument of the people who seize theatres and schools consists in the fact that, allegedly, Putin, his generals and special services, wouldn’t give orders to shoot at the young children, or to poison their own citizens with the chemical agents “sarin” and “saman”. But they are wrong about this. These people are wrong, because they don’t know the true face of their enemy and the state with which they are at war. And here, in Beslan – I repeat: I’m not justifying these people – they probably didn’t believe that there would be an assault, they couldn’t imagine that the order would be given in the Kremlin to shoot at the children. And I am sure that these “terrorists” didn’t shoot the children in the back.
One child from this school confirmed that there were two explosions from the outside which crushed the wall, then the roof, and the “terrorists” didn’t fire at them, they changed their clothes and left. I think that the main fault of these “terrorists” and those who take living people hostages lies in one single thing: that they want to force the government of Russia to make specific concessions by risking the lives of these people. I am sure that they can’t do this. Let me repeat: they don’t know the beastly face of their enemy and the Russian leader.
He not only used chemical weapons against his own citisens the heinous action was excused by soul mate George, whose one-time popular support for the Chechen cause was derailed by business interests, and Ariel Sharon, who seeks to destroy any nation that doesn’t cheer the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Neither of whom hesitate to injure and kill children who get in between their armies and their goals.