Media US vs. Russia (was Re: visiting Russia)

[anon at example.com]

> here is a war of information. Still, Western media has a lot stronger
> tradition for providing freedom of speech and freedom of information,
> as well as objectivity. Quite on the contrary, russian free media is
> U.K.

Indeed, this is a war of information. And it was, to an extent, a small
victory for Milosevic to have all Western journalists sent out of
Kosova. Now, all TV channels I can watch carry pictures of RTS (Radio
Televizija Srbije): no Serb atrocities, but bombed bridges, destroyed
factories, demonstrations against "the American Fuehrer and his Nazi
allies."

Well, as Slavoj Zizek noted, "the Western counterpoint to this obscenity
is the more and more racist tone of its reporting: when the three
American soldiers were taken prisoners, CNN dedicated the first 10
minutes of the News to their predicament (...), and only then reported
on the tens of thousands of refugees, burned villages and Pristina
turning into a ghost town."

>Russian media coverage of Kosovo is perhaps slanted. But for the REALLY
>one-sided coverage watch American TV, which still talks about >MILOSEVICH
>being "punished" by bombardments, as opposed to his people suffering
>immensely...

This is another Western myth, which Zizek addresses, by the way. There
is no bad Milosevic (Miloshevich, if you like) and good Serbian people.
These are the people who supported and support him, with whose express
or silent approval he conducted wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and
now a genocide--in Kosova. I'm not saying: bomb 'em to death. But when I
disapprove of the bombings, it is not because of another destroyed
factory but because of the ineffectiveness of the bombardments in
stopping the genocide in Kosova.

"(T)here are also no "old myths" which we need to study if we are really
to understand the situation, just the PRESENT outburst of racist
nationalism which, accroding to its needs, opportunistically
resuscitates old myths." (S.Zizek)

Perhaps, situation in Russia needs no thorough analysis of past
connections and loves between Yugoslavia and Russia, as well. Russians
vent their own present Angsts: economic fears, fear of the Muslim
East/South and the Causasus, into their anti-Western anti-Muslim (I was
told, Kosovars are portrayed in Russia as another irrational uncivilized
Muslim horde) pro-Serbia attitude. Russian Internet is full of articles
on how "they" destroyed Russian economy and will now destroy Serbia on
"their" way to world domination. This goes well with the recent
antisemitic wave in Russia; "they" can be defined broadly.

I am sorry for this verbose message and hope not to have strayed too far
from the Visiting Russia/US and Russian media topic.