stan van houcke: US Social and Other Major Media v. Russia

donderdag 2 augustus 2018

US Social and Other Major Media v. Russia

August 2, 2018 Posted by Addison dePitt

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US major media are maliciously Russophobic, supporting the official falsified narrative, suppressing hard truths on virtually all major geopolitical issues, notably anything about Russia. The Tampa Bay Times-owned Poynter Institute for Media Studies owns and operates PolitiFact. It’s dubious “Truth-O-Meter” is notoriously Russophobic.

Earlier it said claiming Russian US election meddling is a “made-up story’ (is) Lie of the Year” unjustifiably saying:

“A mountain of evidence (sic) points to a single fact: Russia meddled in the US presidential election of 2016,” adding:

Vladimir Putin “ordered…cyber-theft of private data, the placement of propaganda against particular candidates, and an overall effort to undermine public faith in the US democratic process.”

CNN’s Chris Cuomo is beginning to match Rachel Maddow at MSNBC in cynical “rabid russophobia”. His obsessive “Russiagate” focus obviously pleases his employers and delights the clueless liberals who admire such thoughtless witch-hunts.

All of the above are bald-faced lies. So is calling America’s fantasy “democratic process” real. Falsely accusing Russia of meddling in the US political process is one of the Big Lies of the year since 2016. During the 2016 presidential campaign, PolitiFact operated as Hillary’s press agent, objectivity [always a dubious proposition in so-called journalism] abandoned for shameful bias, its supposedly impartial “fact checking” farcical, its major conflicts of interest unacceptably glaring. [In this, it mirrors Snopes, equally biased.—Eds]

Social media giants Facebook, Twitter and Google allied with anti-Kremlin congressional Russophobes. Their opposition to “extremist content” and fake news is all about suppressing truth-telling on vital issues, notably about Russia. News and opinions diverging from the official narrative risk online social media censorship. I experienced it on Facebook, some of my articles deleted.

Twitter earlier prohibited RT and Sputnik from “purchas(ing) ad campaigns and promot(ing) tweets on (its) platform.”

Google “de-rank(ed)” RT and Sputnik in displaying search results.

Facebook COO Clintonite billionaire Sheryl Sandberg (est. $1.56bn) has appeared several times before Congress, done “apology tours,” and taken private meetings with various prominent Russiagaters, including the notoriously corrupt Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi both Democrats), to supposedly eat humble pie and promise full cooperation. Congress, while pretending to be alarmed about the “unauthorised use of Facebook users’ private data” by Facebook and other social media giants, a totally common business practice, is really trying to jawbone these media executives into more stringent ways of snuffing out all dissent. The task—despite the hoopla and theatrics—should be pretty easy since these billionaires completely share the goals of the Deep State being transmitted to them officially by the establishment’s most visible enforcers, the politicians in Washington. Abject hypocrisy is the coin of the realm.

On Wednesday, Facebook Twitter, Google, and other online tech officials testified before the Senate’s Intelligence Committee – part of the imperial state’s endless campaign against Russia. Company officials read from the long ago discredited script, falsely claiming Russian misinformation hostile to America continues with no signs of slowing – a bald-faced lie.

Undemocratic Dem committee vice chairman Mark Warner turned truth on its head, claiming “(f)oreign operatives…by design slip between our free speech guarantees and our legal authorities.” Wednesday’s hearing came a day after Facebook removed 32 pages of “inauthentic” content.

The State Department praised the move, falsely claiming pages removed were “orchestrated from abroad (to) foment division and violence inside the United States,” suggesting Russian involvement. During a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Homeland Security secretary Kristjen Nielsen maliciously lied, claiming “Russians and other nation states (sic) are absolutely attempting to manipulate us,” adding FB should be “commended” for helping to reveal a “very real” threat – when no foreign ones exist.

Facebook removed other material earlier it claimed was similar to previously banned content falsely linked to the Kremlin.

Online censorship in America is the new normal, social media giants complicit with the imperial state.

Mark Warner is one of many enemies of the people masquerading as a simple “representative of the people” in this fake democracy. His anti-democratic pro empire activities in the current Russiagate witch hunt amply show where he stands despite his devious self-serving rhetoric.

Mark Warner praised FB censorship, falsely saying its “disclosure is further evidence that the Kremlin continues to exploit platforms like Facebook to sow division and spread disinformation, and I am glad that Facebook is taking some steps to pinpoint and address this activity.”

The real threat to freedom and security in America is generated internally, not from abroad. The imperial state threatens everyone everywhere.

A Final Comment

A report last May on foreign meddling in Russia’s March presidential election blamed Washington, explaining US attempts to interfere in the nation’s internal affairs are longstanding – before and after Soviet Russia’s dissolution.

Russian Senator Andrey Klimov said Washington spends “billions of dollars” on foreign subversion.

Russia gets “special treatment (because) we are the only country in the world that is capable of giving the US an immediate tangible response. Therefore meddling into our affairs will continue,” adding:

“We have concrete examples…based on absolutely reliable facts. It’s not someone’s guess. It’s not ‘highly likely.’ It’s something we can prove…backed up by testimonies (and) documents…not disputed by” the US.

Post-WW II, Washington meddled in scores of foreign elections, aiming to install pro-Western puppet regimes in power.

It’s part of the imperial state’s campaign to eliminate all sovereign independent governments, wanting planet earth colonized with subservient vassal states.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

STEPHEN LENDMAN was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. In 1956, he received a BA from Harvard University. Two years of US Army service followed, then an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. After working seven years as a marketing research analyst, he joined the Lendman Group family business in 1967. He remained there until retiring at year end 1999. Writing on major world and national issues began in summer 2005. In early 2007, radio hosting followed. Lendman now hosts the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network three times weekly. Distinguished guests are featured. Listen live or archived. Major world and national issues are discussed. Lendman is a 2008 Project Censored winner and 2011 Mexican Journalists Club international journalism award recipient. His new site is at http://stephenlendman.org

Ignorance kills