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Russia's Info War
[Australian Broadcasting Corp] Russian media propaganda used to be extreme, now it’s verging on insane. But a group of exiled journalists is fighting back.Five nights a week, across the world’s biggest country, millions sit down to watch the TV talk show, Evening with Vladimir Solovyov. It’s one of Russia’s leading television programs discussing the invasion of Ukraine. During a typical broadcast, Solovyov might call for nuclear strikes on Washington and London, warn that the Earth will be reduced to ashes unless Ukraine surrenders, brand Germany’s chancellor the new Hitler, suggest Ukraine’s president is a paedophile or claim NATO is run by Satan. He not only calls Ukrainians Nazis, but insists they’re now working in league with LGBT activists to destroy Russia. Solovyov is not on the fringe of Russian politics. He is the star of Russia’s main television network, Russia-1, and one of a tiny pool of media figures trusted to interview President Vladimir Putin. His regular panel guest is Margarita Simonyan, head of the Kremlin’s international news network Russia Today, known in the West as RT. RT markets itself as hip, non-mainstream media providing real news and alternative commentary, but its boss shares Solovyov’s views. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned into a bloody quagmire, state-controlled television has turned the propaganda dial to 11 to try to maintain support for what’s officially called a "special military operation". Discussion programs like Solovyov’s dominate prime-time viewing, while social media is full of bizarre odes to Russian manhood, Christian family values or nuclear weapons — all produced with Hollywood-level production values. Posted by: Ebbains Threrenter5475 2023-02-23 |
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