When the dust settles, will the West’s media coverage get a passing grade, or will we find, at times, we allowed our sympathy for the Ukrainian cause to overlook matters we shouldn’t?

When the dust settles, will the West’s media coverage get a passing grade, or will we find, at times, we allowed our sympathy for the Ukrainian cause to overlook matters we shouldn’t?

  • happybadger [he/him]
    ·
    1 day ago

    This wouldn’t be unusual — it’s what happened in the run-up to the post-9/11 Iraq war, when American and British media were arguably far too unquestioning of Western officials’ claims that Saddam Hussein was awfully close to having a nuclear bomb or had a huge stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.

    There was then British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s “dodgy dossier” and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s defining speech at the U.N. Security Council, where the formerly staunch critic of intervention announced Washington had solid evidence of sophisticated and illicit Iraqi weapons programs. But there was insufficient media skepticism overall, and alternative voices and awkward questions were all too often crowded out.

    Unfortunately, it seems we’re now in danger of repeating this very same mistake, as we all too quickly dub those who question current Western strategy as defeatists or accuse them of advancing Russian propaganda.

    Next 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓌𝒶𝓇, every propagandist who writes in support of it is immediately sent to the frontline. If they survive, they're shot.

    • cfgaussian@lemmygrad.ml
      ·
      1 day ago

      Lol. Just lol.

      But there was insufficient media skepticism overall, and alternative voices and awkward questions were all too often crowded out.

      Hm. Yeah, "crowded out" (aka blacklisted and smeared) by who? Oh yeah by the very same publications that you are currently writing for. That continue to do this even as you write this article.

      This is really rich. You've only now just noticed you've been cheerleading another war based on lies and helping to spread falsehoods and propaganda while demonizing anyone who says differently?

      I find articles like this really, truly shameless. They are honestly worse than the ones where they just lie all the time. At least with those there is no pretense. But to pretend like now all of a sudden they care about the truth? Sorry, i'm not buying it. It's too little too late.

    • huf [he/him]
      ·
      1 day ago

      Unfortunately, it seems we’re now in danger of repeating this very same mistake

      mistake

      ????????? agony-deep