The Media That Cried Wolf And Its Lies That Blind

Often, admitting that one is wrong is seen as a great mark of humility. Sometimes, and often more than not, it does feel shameful and an admission of being wrong may be the waging of a pyrrhic war to one’s end goals. These past few days have proven that even with the best of intentions, bias can give one blind spots to clearly evident facts. Bias serves as a deterrent to truth. It acts as a life guard to preconceived and at times ill-informed notions. Today I stand corrected with regard to the Russia-Ukraine crisis unfolding. I did not fathom the idea of an invasion being on the table for Russian President Vladimir Putin. As is habit, when America’s corporate media(and by extension western corporate media) proclaims one thing, the opposite is true. We’ve seen this time after time: The Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots of the summer of 2020 which the media downplayed to “mostly fiery but peaceful protests” in spite of the devastation they caused, the near 2 billions dollars of damage by one estimate and over two dozen lives lost. We saw this with the Kyle Rittenhouse trial when even Brazilian and Danish main stream media publications were duped into propagating falsehoods prevalent on America’s mainstream media circuit. We saw this back in 2012 when NBC doctored audio to implicate George Zimmerman for racially profiling Treyvon Martin. Even though they apologised, the damage was done. The incessant lies of the New York Times with the weapons of mass destruction hoax. No accountability. Promotions in many cases. Then there was the Russia hoax. A hateful and hurtful vile criminal conspiracy to overthrow a sitting president. One which some analysts posit has fuelled this current crisis as it prevents any meaningful diplomacy between America and Russia. A hoax that involved elements of Ukraine and bad actors in the highest echelons of American government. This being said, bias led many, myself included, not to see all the warning signs. Ukraine was Russia’s line in the sand. American foreign policy experts have pointed this out for years. President Obama in 2016 rightfully pointed out that NATO expansion into the Ukraine was not in America’s best interest. Last December, President Vladimir Putin made it clear that Ukraine joining NATO would be tantamount to an act of aggression and that the Russians would respond accordingly. This warnings went ignored by American, EU and NATO leadership who kept insisting publicly that Ukraine will join NATO. Then the dam broke. Ukraine has been left without allies. All of that NATO talk was just talk. No country is willing to risk war with Russia over Ukraine. More than half of the world’s nuclear stockpile is in Russia. The sanctions which were meant to be a deterrent have been allegedly mocked by Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin, the head of Russia’s Space Program, as “Alzheimer sanctions.”

These past few days have proven that even with the best of intentions, bias can give one blind spots to clearly evident facts. Bias serves as a deterrent to truth. It acts as a life guard to preconceived and at times ill-informed notions. Today I stand corrected with regard to the Russia-Ukraine crisis unfolding. I did not fathom the idea of an invasion was on the tables for Russian President Vladimir Putin..

Keli.

America’s critics have been quick to point out that the war in Yemen, which has been going on for years, has received little to no attention compared to how quickly news of the invasion of Ukraine spread like wild fire on corporate media. Saudi Arabia, one of America’s allies, is accused of committing heinous war crimes in Yemen. A war backed by America. All seemingly reading from the same script media outlets the world over are repeating the same talking points: Russia bad, Ukraine good. Wars are complicated affairs and hardly do we ever find clear cut antagonists and protagonists. In American social media spaces, the public debate is quickly becoming one sided. Simply pointing out that Russia has valid concerns about NATO aggression and violation of international treaties and promises is enough to have one deemed Putin’s stooge. No one is safe from criticism. Former congresswoman and democrat Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has been vilified for simply stating what foreign policy experts have been stating all along: To end this war assurances have to be given to Russia that Ukraine will not become a part of NATO. It has to remain neutral because of its strategic importance in the region i.e. access to Russia via its border. Investigative journalist Glen Greenwald has been asked to start collecting payment in rubles for “shilling” for Vladimir Putin simply for stating what many others are but may soon become verboten. At a time when cooler heads need to prevail, America’s media and political class are busy beating the war drums louder and louder. Many in America’s media outlets openly picking sides rather than remaining neutral and giving an accurate a picture as possible of the situation on the ground and the failures that brought the world to the brink of a nuclear war. How many know of the alley of angels in Donbas in Eastern Ukraine? A memorial to the 140 children killed during the 2014 war of Donbas in Ukraine. There are no clean hands in war.

Objectively speaking, it is reasonable that Russia sees Ukraine as nothing more than a playground for America’s corrupt ruling class. Not to forget, in 2014, America helped stage a coup to depose the then Ukranian president Victor Yanukovych who was seen as being friendly to Moscow.

Keli.

Lee Smith, investigative journalist and author of “The Plot Against The President,” points out that while many are quick to paint Ukraine as a democracy, Ukrainian leadership dug Ukraine and its citizens into this quagmire. While clearly a David to Russia’s Goliath, Ukrainian officials gambled with the fate of their country by being open to the seduction of American influence and corruption. As a reminder, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son was involved with Burisma, one of Ukraine’s leading energy companies. He held a position on the board of the company that he was woefully unqualified to hold and one that undermines any anti-corruption message American and Ukrainian officials had hoped to portray. Per a senate majority staff report, which American politicians and their corporate media allies labelled Russian misinformation, Hunter Biden and his then business partner Devon Archer collected millions of dollars as payment for their services on the board of Burisma from corrupt Ukrainian Oligarch, Mykola Zlochevsky. As vice president, Mr. Biden publicly bragged about getting a prosecutor fired for prodding into Burisma corruption. Objectively speaking, it is reasonable that Russia sees Ukraine as nothing more than a playground for America’s corrupt ruling class. Not to forget, in 2014, America helped stage a coup to depose the then Ukranian president Victor Yanukovych who was seen as being friendly to Moscow. Add all of these factors in plus the push for Ukraine to join Nato and Russia’s concerns no longer seem far fetched but rather reasonable. As a result of the hateful and hurtful Russia Collusion hoax, a dangerous game played by American politicians and western media, many don’t have an objective view of events at play. Many believe that President Putin cut loose from reality, acted on a whim and decided to invade Ukraine. A fact that is contradicted by his past actions and the reality of the past decade’s geo-politics as American Historian Victor Davis Hanson correctly points out.

A public that is adequately informed is one that is sufficiently discerning, to paraphrase Dwight Eisenhower. We all need to choose our news sources wisely and be careful of being intoxicated by the blood lust of others. Objectivity and restraint have to be the pillars that we lean on during these uncertain times.

Keli.

War is a horrible thing. More often than not, much gets lost in the fog of war. Propaganda coming from all sides involved flows quick and fast in attempts to gain tactical advantages or to justify the atrocities of war. We are in a rather precarious position as onlookers. Who do we trust for accurate information that is untainted and at least honest? It does seem to me that even the much vaunted independent media got this wrong and are still getting it wrong. Many whose opinions I trust seem to be partially blinded by loyalty or affections. I also got it wrong. I have a deep seated mistrust for corporate media. The Russia hoax, which many of them gleefully participated in and are yet to show remorse for, was the last straw for me. I don’t have any feelings as to either side of this war. I’m neither pro-Russia nor am I pro-Ukraine. I am anti-war though. In my opinion, the public should be wary of manipulation by media outlets and politicians. No country has to get involved in a war that will cost the whole world dearly all the while enriching a few. A war that was completely preventable as recently as last December. One, at the time of writing this, that is still preventable. For now, the best tool that we have is information. A public that is adequately informed is one that is sufficiently discerning, to paraphrase Dwight Eisenhower. We all need to choose our news sources wisely and be careful of being intoxicated by the blood lust of others. Objectivity and restraint have to be the pillars that we lean on during these uncertain times. Don’t trust and as much as possible, verify. Blessed are the peacemakers and as much as depends on us, let us pursue peace.

Here and here are sources I’m using seemingly based in Russia. Here is one currently living and reporting from Ukraine and at time of publishing in Donetsk People’s Republic(DPR). 

Image credits in order of appearance: Image par macrysstina de Pixabay; Image par Grégory ROOSE de Pixabay