DISINFO: Western journalism is dominated by Russophobia and prefers fantasy and story-telling to objective reporting
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: it.sputniknews.com (archived)*
  • Date of publication: December 05, 2019
  • Outlet language(s): Italian
  • Reported in: Issue 176
Tags:
Sergei Skripal West Mainstream media Anti-Russian Media Russophobia

DISINFO: Western journalism is dominated by Russophobia and prefers fantasy and story-telling to objective reporting

SUMMARY

After the Skripal case, even the most respected Western media have increasingly discarded objective reporting and have substituted the latter with Russophobic fantasy stories and spy-fiction. The most recent examples of Russophobic spy-fiction is a Le Monde article, and a previous New York Times article, on an alleged top-secret Russian intelligence unit that engaged in “destabilising activities” throughout Europe.

Western journalism, and many aspects of Western culture, are increasingly Russophobic, Sinophobic and phobic towards any actor that is critical of dominant Western globalist thinking. Russia can be accused without any argument or evidence to support the accusations, and it is up to Russia to prove its innocence. The Western media system has deteriorated, it is no longer based on objective information but on scandals, accusations, commercial considerations and geopolitical motivations.

RESPONSE

No evidence is given. Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the spread of Russophobia in Western media, which also allegedly censors views that are critical of dominant Western narratives. A second recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aims at discrediting investigative journalists that research Kremlin-sponsored, hostile, influence activities in the West, by claiming they are Russophobic and that their investigations are based on false information and dubious sources.

The Western media cannot be described as “Russophobic” nor as dominated by a ruling “globalist paradigm”. Media in pluralist democracies represent a wide range of political opinions and do not have a single editorial policy for any country or topic. Several journalistic investigations on topics such as the Skripal case have been based on serious research work and can in no way be described as “Russophobic”.

Read similar cases claiming that the German media and NATO portray Russia as an enemy and that Buzzfeed hires Russophobic journalists, spreads false information and incites hatred

Read here for further background on the theme of the Russophobia myth.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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