Kremlin TV shows Syria gas attack - without the victims

[webfact]

Kremlin TV shows Syria gas attack - without the victims

By Andrew Osborn

REUTERS

 

A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX33ZAV

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A deadly poison gas attack in Syria this week led TV news bulletins across the West with images of the victims -- children and adults struggling to breathe -- front and centre. In Russia, it was item 10 of 17 and the victims were not shown.

 

Western governments have unanimously pointed the finger at Syrian government forces for the attack. Russian state TV's flagship Vremya evening news show had another take: "Terrorists and Western countries" were wrongly trying to blame Damascus.

 

Vremya, which inherited its name from the Soviet Union's main evening news show, cut to a spokesman for the Russian defence ministry who said what had actually happened was that Syrian air force jets had bombed a "terrorist" bomb making factory that contained chemical weapons procured in Iraq, a version dismissed as impossible by Western countries.

 

Vremya's report was almost bereft of ordinary Syrians. It briefly showed an image of one woman whose hands appeared to have been damaged in a different chemical weapons attack that Russia alleged was carried out by rebels. She said nothing and betrayed no emotion.

 

Russia, a staunch ally of the Syrian government, has its own tragedy to focus on this week -- Monday's suspected Islamist bombing of the St Petersburg metro in which 14 were killed.

 

But the starkly different way Russian media reported the Syrian attack from media elsewhere underlines how far apart the Kremlin and the West remain on Syria, which could doom prospects for a U.S.-Russia detente under new President Donald Trump.

 

It also shows how rock solid official Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Russia remains. Moscow intervened on his side in September 2015, turning the tide of the conflict in his favour, and has repeatedly defended him and his government in the U.N. Security Council.

 

'SAY ANYTHING'

 

"Russian state TV will say literally anything as long as it exonerates Assad and blames the West," said Alexey Kovalev, founder of Noodle Remover, a Russian fact-checking and media analysis website that is often critical of the Kremlin.

 

"No matter what Assad does - he's never to blame for anything, even if it takes impossible rhetorical gymnastics."

 

Pro-Kremlin social media users had a different opinion.

 

"It's a damn lie! Assad did not use chemical weapons!" wrote one, calling herself Delia Novorusia, and posting a picture of the Syrian president proclaiming him "the great hero of the century".

 

Western countries believe the Kremlin maintains "troll farms" of people paid to pose as users making such posts online.

 

Moscow shows no sign of turning on the Syrian leader, who, although not particularly well liked in some Moscow foreign policy circles, is seen in Moscow as an anchor of stability.

 

A year before a presidential election which Vladimir Putin is expected to contest for his fourth term, the Kremlin is keen to bank what it sees as its foreign policy success in Syria bolstering Assad.

 

Since Russian forces helped Assad capture the rebel-held section of Aleppo at the end of last year in the Syrian government's biggest victory of the war, Russian state TV has downgraded its once breathless coverage of the war.

 

State television, which once led its reports with slick footage of Russian planes bombing Islamist positions, now usually relegates Syria to the late section of its newscast, if it is mentioned at all.

 

"Whenever we see Syria on the news it's about how our soldiers are handing out humanitarian aid there, about how Aleppo is being rebuilt, or how a sick Syrian child has been flown to Russia for treatment," said Elena, a student strolling in sunny central Moscow, who declined to give her surname.

 

"In general, there's far less of Syria on TV these days."

 

(Editing by Peter Graff)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-04-07

[craigt3365]

Quote

 

"Russian state TV will say literally anything as long as it exonerates Assad and blames the West," said Alexey Kovalev, founder of Noodle Remover, a Russian fact-checking and media analysis website that is often critical of the Kremlin.

 

"No matter what Assad does - he's never to blame for anything, even if it takes impossible rhetorical gymnastics."

 

 

I guess if the Syrian army knew it was a terrorist chemical weapons factory, located inside a civilian population, why bomb it?

 

It'd be nice, just once, to hear the truth come from Russian media sources.  Instead of just demonizing the "West".

[Langsuan Man]

1 hour ago, craigt3365 said:

It'd be nice, just once, to hear the truth come from Russian media sources.  Instead of just demonizing the "West".

It would also be nice if the Trump administration would stop blaming every thing that happens in Syria on Obama

[Stargeezr]

Russian TV is a bit like NK TV with out that lady who sounds like a Nazi in a dress.

Too bad  they can not be more honest.

Geezer

[RuamRudy]

1 minute ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Russian TV is a bit like NK TV with out that lady who sounds like a Nazi in a dress.

Too bad  they can not be more honest.

Geezer

I don't doubt for a second that the Kremlin controls mass media in Russia, but without wanting to come across all Trumpetish, how can you be so sure that the narrative being spun in the west is any less controlled?

 

[craigt3365]

2 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

I don't doubt for a second that the Kremlin controls mass media in Russia, but without wanting to come across all Trumpetish, how can you be so sure that the narrative being spun in the west is any less controlled?

 

It's called freedom of the press. Not all media sites are good in the west. But many are. And many are as truthful as they can be. 

[Stargeezr]

Freedom of the press  and the people who work in the press,  is the difference.  Look at Fox  News,  Then CNN  and the,

BBC ,  France  and other news outlets, if you watch their programs, you can tell the difference btween them and the

Russian News.  They mostly have democratic leaders who will not have them taken out and shot if they report something

about their countries,  the reporters in Russia and North Korea do not have this freedom.  If you do not believe me

go to Russia and stay a while and go talk with the reporters there.  Be  my guest  and when you get back to

Thailand let me know how you did. Okay RuamRudy.  Thanks

Geezer

[craigt3365]

Interesting read:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/18/sara-firth-resigns-russia-today-lies-anchor_n_5598815.html

 

Quote

 

Russia Today Anchor Resigns, Admits To Spreading ‘Lies’ For Putin

Another Russia Today anchor has resigned from her post at the Kremlin-funded TV network.

 

Corespondent Sara Firth’s announcement came nearly two hours after she stated on Twitter that RT anchors “do work for Putin” and spread “lies,” in a conversation with RT London correspondent Polly Boiko. Firth alleged that the network asks its anchors to “obscure the truth,” and now she is saying she’s had enough.

 

 

This one is funny:

 

Amazing some of our members actually read stuff from these media sites.

 

[darksidedog]

On 4/7/2017 at 8:46 AM, Langsuan Man said:

It would also be nice if the Trump administration would stop blaming every thing that happens in Syria on Obama

It would also be nice if Trump would stop blaming Obama for everything fullstop.

The Russians have never told their people the truth about anything, so not surprising they are lying now.

They are in Syria as they are desperate to be seen as a player on the world stage. The conflict would probably be over by now, if they hadn't got involved.

[Dagnabbit]

 
"Russian state TV will say literally anything as long as it exonerates Assad and blames the West," said Alexey Kovalev, founder of Noodle Remover, a Russian fact-checking and media analysis website that is often critical of the Kremlin.
 
"No matter what Assad does - he's never to blame for anything, even if it takes impossible rhetorical gymnastics."
 

 
I guess if the Syrian army knew it was a terrorist chemical weapons factory, located inside a civilian population, why bomb it?
 
It'd be nice, just once, to hear the truth come from Russian media sources.  Instead of just demonizing the "West".


Same reason the US bombs hospitals/wedding parties because they think terrorists might be there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[boomerangutang]

                   Trump is to Putin, what Putin is to Assad.  They can't say anything disparaging about the people they adulate.  However, Trump can drag up all sorts of garbage-thinking to disparage Obama.  

 

                 In the same vein, Trump admires Russian journalism so much, that he would read an entire article from Sputnik (Russia's official news outlet) ....during his campaign - in order to trash-talk HRC about Bengazi.   Perhaps Trump didn't know it at the time (though many of us less-stupid people knew it) - but the Sputnik article was proven to be have false data throughout.  So one of two things was true about Trump reading that Sputnik article at his rallies:  

 

Either he knew the article was based on false data, and therefore lied to Americans, 

 

. . . . . . or 

 

He thought it was true, and therefore didn't have as reliable advice as the rest of Americans have.

 

Either way, Trump proved yet again, that he's an agent for the Russkies - bent on undermining US democracy.

[RuamRudy]

6 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Freedom of the press  and the people who work in the press,  is the difference.  Look at Fox  News,  Then CNN  and the,

BBC ,  France  and other news outlets, if you watch their programs, you can tell the difference btween them and the

Russian News.  They mostly have democratic leaders who will not have them taken out and shot if they report something

about their countries,  the reporters in Russia and North Korea do not have this freedom.  If you do not believe me

go to Russia and stay a while and go talk with the reporters there.  Be  my guest  and when you get back to

Thailand let me know how you did. Okay RuamRudy.  Thanks

Geezer

 

I have been to Russia and I did stay a while: I lived there from 2001 to 2009 where I learnt to speak Russian, albeit fair to middling conversational. I am very much aware of the dos and don'ts of life in Russia.

 

But maybe you can tell me what makes you such an expert on Russia?

[JHolmesJr]

lol....never mind

Edited April 9, 2017 by JHolmesJr

[Stargeezr]

RuamRudy, how about ditto, did that, but did not learn the language.  I did talk with enough people there to see what was what.

  I am glad I got in and out intact and am glad to live where I do and not anywhere in Russia, or in that area of the world.

Geezer