The Saker — Re-Visiting Russian Counter-Propaganda Method

In May of 2016 I wrote an article for the Unz Review entitled “Counter-Propaganda, Russian Style” in which I tried to show the immense difference between the old, Soviet, approach to propaganda and counter-propaganda and the approach taken by the Russian authorities today. The main difference was this: if the Soviet went out of their way to prevent western propaganda from reaching the Soviet people, the Russians are nowadays doing the exact opposite: they are going out of their way to make sure that western propaganda is immediately translated and beamed into every single Russian household. What I propose to do today is to share with you a few recent examples of what Russian households are regularly exposed to....

Good analysis.

The Unz Review
Re-Visiting Russian Counter-Propaganda Method

The Saker

Jill Dougherty — How the Media Became One of Putin’s Most Powerful Weapons

Interesting presentation of a Western take on Russian media, without comparison with similar matters in the Western media, which are controlled by a small group of the ruling elite like Rupert Murdoch, who has a lock on the popular media in the US, UK, and Australia. So one needs to read between the lines while reading this.

The interesting point is that Putin concluded that the West was weaponizing the media and that Russia needed to counter. This is a political duel with a lot of money at stake, too. So it is a tale of money and power. What else is new?

Interesting section on Margarita Simonyan, too. She became chief of RT (Russia Today) in when she was only 25, and now at 34, she is one of the world's primary influencers.

The Atlantic
How the Media Became One of Putin’s Most Powerful Weapons
Jill Dougherty, public-policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and formerly Moscow bureau chief for CNN.

Saker — A 5th column in the Russian media? Absolutely!

Like during the latest Q&A with President Putin. I don’t know if anybody else noticed this, but this really pissed me off. Check out who got to ask a question from the studio….

• Irina Khakamada: bigtime Nemtsov groupie, professional protester and feminist.
• Alexei Venediktov: editor in Chief of the rabidly anti-Russian “Ekho Moskvy” (Echo of Moscow) Radio Station, aka “Ekho Matsy” (Echo of the Matso) due to its russophobic political line. He is actually a “true believer” in western democracy
• Alexei Kudrin: one of the figureheads of the Atlantic Integrationists, a hardcore market economist, very offended since he was fired (by Medvedev, of all people!).
• Konstantin Remchukov: owner and editor in chief of Nezavisimaya Gazeta who has received the official imprimatur of the Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty.…

These guys represent at most 5% of the Russian people. And yet, they are treated by the state media like some kind of honored guests, as if they were literally all Heroes of Russia, with something important and enlightening to say.…

But nevermind them. The real question is this: who invited them and why?

So yes, there is a 5th column in the Russian media.

This would be like the US inviting Noam Chomsky or Ralph Nader to question President Obama on a widely broadcast national forum.

The Vineyard of the Saker
Saker rant: A 5th column in the Russian media? Absolutely!
The Saker

Also

Direct Line with Vladimir Putin was broadcast live on Channel One, Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 TV channels, and Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii radio stations.

During the live broadcast that lasted 3 hours and 57 minutes, the President answered 74 questions out of the over 3 million that were received.

Direct Line with Vladimir Putin