A word, a camera, a photo, a weapon

Image: Awarding ceremony of the media festival “Media-Ace”. Source: Mil.ru

Pro-Kremlin commentators often argue that while official Russian media might be accused of spreading disinformation, Western media do the same.

But this argument fails on several counts, and one of them is the very concept of journalism.

Journalists with military excellence
On 17 April, Russia Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu decorated selected Russian journalists with ministerial medals – these were awarded “To the participant of the Syrian military operation“, or “For military excellence“.

Staff of the leading pro-Kremlin outlets had been selected, the most important were listed in an article by sprotyv.info.

Yet another type of weapons
Two years ago, President Putin awarded 300 journalists for “objective” (sic) coverage of the events in Crimea.

These very journalists were of course the ones promoting official lines about the absence of Russian troops in Crimea, or about bloodthirsty Ukrainian Nazis oppressing Russian speakers in Ukraine.

“The day has come when we all have to admit that a word, a camera, a photo, the Internet, and information in general have become yet another type of weapons, yet another component of the armed forces,” Minister Shoigu said last year. Last week, he reminded once again that official pro-Kremlin media outlets are seen as another part of Russian armed forces.

It can’t be claimed that the West has the same concept of journalism.

Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda portrays two winners of the award after the ceremony.