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In the Western media, there exists a tangible and increasingly obvious media bias towards global events and countries around the world, in particular when it comes to reporting on material related to Russia. For the American media in particular, recent years have seen a decline in readership and a plethora of other problems such as scandals about manipulation, plagiarism, intimidation, falling profits, and obvious cases of reporting outright lies as fact. The reasons for this are many, and even though there doesn’t exist an official censorship body to control the media, most American media outlets are the victims of self-censorship, or “Market Censorship” as some call it. This occurs due to a desire not to offend or displease their advertisers, owners, or the government.
Regardless of the underlying reasons, it exists, and we must counter it. Most readers and consumers of information and news are intelligent and can often judge for themselves how much validity to give a particular source, but the majority don’t have the time to investigate and take a closer look at the information they’re presented. Most of their time is spent in digesting the information they’re given and this is exactly what those who wish to manipulate the media count on. Unfortunately, this occurs so regularly that it emboldens media-manipulators and they rely on this fact.
One shining example of “less-than-honest-media”, and that’s putting it lightly, would be Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, an outlet so blatantly dishonest that anyone who even slightly opposes their views or seeks a balanced source of information rarely takes them seriously. The practises of Fox News include everything from having their own goon squad, or “Fox Security” as they call it, which they use to harass and physically intimidate people who oppose the organisation, to doctoring photographs of people they target so they appear less attractive (click here, here, here, here, and here for more detail).
When investigating Western media bias toward Russia some recent shining and blatant examples are impossible not to mention; too often, Fox News is right in the middle of them. The most-recent outright falsifications and attempted cover-ups involve the events in South Ossetia and the recent demonstrations by the so-called “opposition” here in Moscow. Other areas that are continuously the object of censorship and manipulation include Iran, Syria, conflicts in the Middle East, and events in the Balkans. One good example of manipulation by the media was coverage of the invasion and bombing of South Ossetia and the murder of civilians by the Georgian Army. The false reporting quickly became clear and obvious as witness reports began to come out, the clearest example being the scandal surrounding the then-12-year-old Amanda Kokoeva, who was stopped from telling her story in an interview on Fox News after she began relating how she and her family were saved from the Georgians by Russian forces.
The numerous doctored photos and even video coverage of the recent demonstrations in Moscow are also another clear example of Western media manipulation. These include the use of Moscow crowd photos from 1991 and footage of Greek riots passed as being in Moscow, also by Fox News. All of these attempts had the intention of showing that the level of violence and the amount of the people involved were much greater than they were in reality. The reality was that many of these events were attended by more western reporters than demonstrators, and that, even though they were being funded by the USA, through NGOs and their agents, and people were being paid to attend the anti-government demonstrations, the actual turnout was nothing to write home about. The fact that the USA attempted to interfere in the election of President Putin and organised anyone it could to do everything possible to de-legitimise his election is just one more example of American meddling into the internal affairs of sovereign nations.
For its part, the internet has helped in offsetting many attempts at media manipulation. Many incidents would never come to light if it weren’t for media watchdogs, bloggers, and alternative media outlets. For this reason, the USA has aggressively pursued anyone who does damage to its media manipulations or is too successful in getting out the truth. This was clear after 9/11, and the attacks on 9/11 truth sites has been epitomised by the American reaction to the efforts of WikiLeaks. The truth is something that criminals and tyrants fear. It’s also something that they can’t allow when it interferes with their plans for geopolitical domination, resource wars, or the military takeover of the planet. We saw this on 9/11 when the authorities prevented reputable experts, witnesses, and even engineers, by the hundreds, if not thousands, from telling the truth. We saw this in the invasion of Iraq, with yellowcake, WMDs, and fake atrocities. We also saw this in the former Yugoslavia, with fake atrocities and the continuing media blackout in Serbia. Unfortunately, that isn’t all; we continue to see this in Syria and Iran, and in other locations where the West has plans in place, and they must make the reality on the ground coincide with their scenarios, even if it means creating complete and total fabrications.
As the falsehoods continue, so do the number of dead, this is most obvious in such places as Afghanistan, Syria, Bahrain, and other “hot-spots”, even in Egypt, where the USA recently did a 180-degree about-face and supported the Muslim Brotherhood. Once again, we see that, for the USA, the truth is a very inconvenient thing, and if it doesn’t please them, they’ll attempt to create their own.
18 July 2012
John Robles
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_18/Media-bias-US-coverage-of-Russia/
Voices from Russia 
#FoxNewsFacts… Fair and Balanced: Fox News Facing Lawsuit from Paris
Tags: anti-Muslim hysteria, bias, discrimination, EU, European Union, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News, Fox News Channel, France, Islam, Islamophobia, mass media, media, Media bias, media spin, Muslim, Muslim world, Muslims, Paris, political commentary, politics, Ummah, Ummahsphere, United States, US media, USA
“Terrifying photo of how a typical Muslim from Birmingham guards the city gates against infidels. #foxnewsfacts“
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While many Europeans responded to Fox News’ guests’ patently false reports about Muslim “no-go” zones with humour, Paris’ mayor says it’s no laughing matter and that she’ll take the network to court. Mayor Anne Hidalgo says Fox News’ recent incorrect reports about the city’s Muslim population went too far and that she’s going to sue the network. Hidalgo told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, “When we’re insulted … then, I think we’ll have to sue. I think we’ll have to go to court, in order to have these words removed. The image of Paris has been prejudiced, and the honour of Paris has been prejudiced”. When Amanpour asked which specific network the city would target, Hidalgo responded, “Fox News, that’s the name”. Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman assured the BBC that Hidalgo was “definitely serious” about the suit, saying, “We have our legal advisers working on the case. We’re looking under which jurisdiction to bring the case, Paris or New York”.
No-Go Zones? No Such Thing
Fox News pundits claimed on-air that whole areas of European cities, and Paris in particular, contained “no-go zones”… areas that were essentially under Muslim control, where non-Muslims and police wouldn’t enter. Nolan Peterson told Fox News host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, “There are basically neighbourhoods where French Muslims have coalesced because they can’t find housing or economic opportunity within the major French cities”. Peterson, introduced as a “journalist and veteran”, claimed there were 741 such zones in Paris alone.
“We Deeply Regret the Errors”
American and European media outlets roundly criticised and mocked the claims, as they had no basis in fact. The backlash was so strong that several Fox News shows aired apologies for the comments. On Saturday, Fox News anchor Julie Banderas said in one of four on-air apologies Fox issued, “To be clear, there’s no formal designation of these zones in either country, and no credible information to support the assertion that there are specific areas in these countries that exclude individuals based solely on their religion”. Paris wasn’t the only target of Fox News misinformation. The network also had to apologise for claims made by guest Steve Emerson, who claimed that the entire city of Birmingham, England was “totally Muslim”. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said, “When I heard this, frankly, I choked on my porridge, and I thought it must be April Fools’ Day”, adding that the commentator was “clearly an idiot”. Later, Emerson apologised, saying that he’d made “an inexcusable error”. Fox Executive Vice President for News Michael Clemente responded to Mayor Hidalgo’s lawsuit threat with a statement, “We empathise with the citizens of France as they go through a healing process and return to everyday life. However, we find the mayor’s comments regarding a lawsuit misplaced”.
Laughter is the Best Revenge
Many responded to the “no-go zones” reports with comedy, and Twitter users added their contributions to the conversation under the hashtag #FoxNewsFacts. French satirical show Le Petit Journal shot back with a parody of two terrified Fox News reporters in Paris, including an encounter with “a very dangerous couscous”.
21 January 2015
Sputnik International
http://us.sputniknews.com/us/20150121/1013530225.html
READ MORE:
Louisiana Governor: Muslims Create Sharia Self-Governing Districts
Editor:
Fox News is so inaccurate that it borders on insanity to trust its veracity. Amongst Russian Orthodox people, the konvertsy actually believe the fluff broadcast by these idiots (they also believe that the pro-war and pro-death penalty GOP is “Pro-Life”). After all, too many of them take Rush Limboob and Sarah Palin at face value. Believing in the Tea Party and believing in Fox News are delusions like unto one another. After all, they believe that Willard Romney was a great patriot… when he sat out the Vietnam War on a bogus clergy deferment bought n’ paid for by his gazillionaire daddy… not only a Chicken Hawk, but also one who mooned every veteran in the USA by his chickenshit cowardice (you can’t deny that Willy didn’t serve in the forces at a time of war).
As for Muslims, everyone knows where I stand. Most of the bullshit out there about them is utter nonsense; those who repeat it and take credence in it are either evil or stupid (more probably the latter). I’d say, “Don’t fear the evil… they’re obvious… but do fear the stupid, for they’re impenetrable and impervious to fact”. Pass the jug…
BMD