<\/p>\n
The mainstream media\u2019s echo chamber claim about\u00a0Russian media goes something like\u00a0this: \u201cRussian media is powerful and effective because it is well-funded propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n
Really? Having worked in\u00a0Russian media for\u00a0well over\u00a0a decade, I observe it focussing on\u00a0foreign audiences in\u00a0a very different way: it challenges the West\u2019s hegemonic grip on\u00a0shaping and controlling the global media agenda.<\/p>\n
Up until\u00a0recently, western media outlets enjoyed near\u00a0monopoly in\u00a0defining the news agenda. It also worked in\u00a0lockstep with\u00a0the powers that be. Reading the op-ed pages of\u00a0the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times one will quickly notice they closely mirror the foreign policies of\u00a0western governments.<\/p>\n
It has been a cozy arrangement too. \u00a0A pliant media whitewashed foreign policy adventurism. In return, major media outlets were given a front row seat to\u00a0cover wars to\u00a0be packaged as\u00a0the West saving the world.<\/p>\n
This model worked reasonably well until\u00a0the power of\u00a0the Internet made itself felt, and until\u00a0the financial crisis hit, failed wars were exposed, and new and alternative media began to\u00a0emerge.<\/p>\n
I am often asked why new outlets like\u00a0RT are so popular with\u00a0audiences around\u00a0the world. There may be many reasons for\u00a0this but\u00a0the short answer is that they offer a refreshingly different perspective.<\/p>\n
I believe it important to\u00a0understand how western media beat the drum of\u00a0war on\u00a0behalf of\u00a0George W. Bush. The echo chamber demonstrated it could be counted on\u00a0to back acts of\u00a0aggression around\u00a0the world with\u00a0impunity.<\/p>\n
How many people in\u00a0media lost their jobs when lying about\u00a0Bush\u2019s Wars (or Obama\u2019s war for\u00a0that matter)? We are told to \u201cget over\u00a0Iraq.\u201d But there is a strong sense today that western media lied to\u00a0their audiences.<\/p>\n
Then there is the great financial crisis of\u00a02008-09.\u00a0 The bulk of\u00a0western media is corporate media. How many bankers from\u00a0Wall Street went to\u00a0jail? There has been some very good investigative journalism on\u00a0the subject, but\u00a0the mainstream is shy to\u00a0pursue the story, telling us \u201cto get over\u00a0it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today there is a strong sense there is \u2018state socialism\u2019 to\u00a0bail out\u00a0the bankers and \u2018capitalist austerity\u2019 for\u00a0the rest of\u00a0us. The mainstream\u2019s echo chamber prefers to\u00a0dwell on\u00a0meaningless \u201cfirst world problems\u201d like\u00a0pouring buckets of\u00a0ice water over\u00a0our heads or the condition of\u00a0Kim Kardashian’s butt. In the meantime, Wall Street and Washington policy makers are never held to\u00a0account for\u00a0their past\u00a0and present actions.<\/p>\n
We in\u00a0alternative media (or non-western media) are often called propaganda merely because we say something different. Some of\u00a0the people, institutions and governments making this claim are very afraid of\u00a0those parting company with\u00a0standard narratives that are cozy and comfortable for\u00a0the powers-that-be and their media friends. Our mission is different: we exist to\u00a0challenge the conventional wisdom and to\u00a0break western media hegemony. We are interested in\u00a0hearing so many more and differing voices.<\/p>\n
The tragedy being played out\u00a0in Ukraine is very important for\u00a0us in\u00a0alternative media. This story is very clear-cut and those who have done wrong (and continue to\u00a0do so) are obvious. There is plenty of\u00a0conclusive evidence that Washington and Brussels backed an illegal coup against\u00a0a democratically elected government in\u00a0Ukraine. The West is in\u00a0complete denial, and its official narrative that there was a people\u2019s revolution is itself propaganda.<\/p>\n
The media are even worse. The violent events that ended the constitutional order in\u00a0Kiev included snipers killing over\u00a090 people. Western media took little interest in\u00a0the story when it began to\u00a0appear that those pulling the triggers were associated with\u00a0anti-government forces. A massacre occurred in\u00a0the city of\u00a0Odessa. An ample amount of\u00a0video available on\u00a0YouTube shows the culprits were fascistic elements aligned with\u00a0the coup government. Western media has taken little interest in\u00a0the story.<\/p>\n
Then there is MH-17. For a few weeks it was treated as\u00a0one of\u00a0the biggest stories in\u00a0media history. But then, MH-17 disappeared from\u00a0the headlines. Why? Common sense dictates western intelligence should know who shot the plane out\u00a0of the sky. The information is not being disclosed but\u00a0the media line is of\u00a0course that \u2018the Russians did it\u2019. And western media is not interested in\u00a0asking any further questions. But those of\u00a0us who do or who put forward alternative scenarios are called propagandists.<\/p>\n
The ultimate trick question when it comes to\u00a0western coverage of\u00a0Ukraine is to\u00a0ask: \u201cWhen did Russia invade Ukraine?\u201d There is no answer because there has never been an invasion (and most likely never will be either). At the same time western audiences are fed 24\/7 wall-to-wall dis- and misinformation about\u00a0Ukraine. Anyone who challenges this is called a propagandist.<\/p>\n
We in\u00a0the alternative media don\u2019t always get stories right. But why should one be called a propagandist for\u00a0simply asking questions that challenge those in\u00a0power? Traditionally, this has been the core mission for\u00a0journalism to\u00a0exist.<\/p>\n
The West\u2019s echo chamber has forfeited its moral right in\u00a0this regard. It is time the echo chamber made some more space for\u00a0the rest of\u00a0us.<\/p>\n