Kitch and the Carneys: With the propaganda war
between Russia and
the West in full swing, Soviet-era
posters on the kitchen wall of White
House spokesman Jay Carney's home are
suddenly no laughing matter.
Jay Carney and the Kremlin's Propaganda Victory Over the West (Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland)
"For too long, the West has paid little attention to
Russian propaganda. The symbol of this could be the home of White House press
secretary Jay Carney. ... In his kitchen, professionally framed, hang Soviet
propaganda posters from World War II. ... It's time to say enough is enough. In
a democratic society, Russia Today
cannot be removed from the cable networks, but the lies of Russian journalists
should be publicly exposed daily. ... spokesman Carney should immediately deposit
those Russian posters into the trash."
A Soviet-era poster on the kitchen wall of White House Communications Director Jay Carney: Is this a sign that the West doesn't take Kremlin propaganda seriously enough?
On
the propaganda front, Russia is beating the West by several lengths. Russia's
chief of diplomacy Sergei Lavrov and a host of
Kremlin bureaucrats assure with a straight face that Russia isn't meddling in the
internal affairs of Ukraine, and moments later, threaten Kiev and Europe. The response
of European politicians to this Russian arrogance looks pale by comparison. Adding
more names to a black list impresses no one.
Meanwhile,
the ranks of so called "people who understand Russia" continue to expand.
Among them are chancellors and ministers, as well as the CEOs of great European
companies. Lately they have been joined by Eva Herman, a journalist
fired from German public television for praising the Third Reich's family
policies. Now she says that ordinary Germans reject anti-Russian propaganda.
In
the German blogosphere, an "Open Letter to Vladimir Putin on Anti-Russian
Statements by Our Politicians and Media" is circulating.
"Ukraine
could be the ideal bridge between the European Union and the Eurasian Union you
are creating. We are convinced thatpowerful pressure exerted by the United States has destroying that
possibility as a goal," we read in the document, signed by over 200 local
politicians and businesspeople from Western Germany.
As
a backdrop to all this, we have English-language
TV Russia Today, which, acting on
orders from the Kremlin, trumpets to the entire world talk of Ukrainian fascism,
the persecution of Russians in East Ukraine, and how the West is pushing for
war with Russia.
For
too long, the West has paid little attention to Russian propaganda. The symbol
of this could be the home of White House press secretary Jay Carney, who has
repeatedly condemned Russia for meddling in the internal affairs of a neighbor,
for annexing Crimea, and for sending agents provocateur into Ukraine's east. In
Carney's kitchen, professionally framed, hang Soviet propaganda posters from
World War II.
"Have
you enlisted yet?" asks a fierce-looking Red Army soldier in the poster.
If the chief PR official at the White House took Kremlin propaganda seriously,
he wouldn't let his family to be photographed against such a backdrop.
It's
time to say enough is enough. In a democratic society, Russia Today cannot be removed from the cable networks, but the lies
of Russian journalists should be publicly exposed daily. We all have a right to
pen letters to Putin, but open adulation of the Russian dictator should not go
unanswered. That is a task for politicians and non-government organizations. Meanwhile,
spokesman Carney should immediately deposit those Russian posters into the trash.
We
must also begin a struggle for the hearts and minds of people living in the so
called "post-Soviet space," which is dominated today by Kremlin TV.
Both Europe and the United States should create Russian-language media, through
which an antidote could be administered to the poison of Russian propaganda,
and the myth that Russians are persecuted, and that Russia is a fortress
besieged by a blood-thirsty West, could be put to rest.
During
the Cold War era, Radio Free Europe very successfully took on this task. The pool
of potential recipients of its latest edition would be enormous, ranging from Russians
living in the Baltic states, the populations of Belarus and East Ukraine, all
the way to the Caucasus and Central Asia. It's quite possible that such media will
soon be needed in Russia itself, as the Kremlin destroys all remnants of
independent journalism.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
In
Belarus over the past few years, this function has been taken up by E.U.-supported
Belsat
TV. So we have a foundation on which to build a larger structure. The
Union should be able to find the money to do so with little difficulty. This is
a necessary expense, given the many signs showing that we are entering another
period of Cold War that could go one for many years.
The
Russians will continue to look for new "useful idiots" in the West. They
won't accept the presence on their territory of "enemy propaganda."
Since the beginning of this conflict, the importance that the Kremlin attaches
to the information war has been obvious. We should finally begin to respond to
the blows coming from the other side.
