The Daily Kos blog still has the best Ukraine reporting I’ve read. I’ve already written how shocked I am at the uninformed war reporting from most major media sources. I’ve given up on the Washington Post, New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN. Even MSNBC – reporting from Hungary and, when it’s safe, Ukraine – are weirdly acquiescent to the common groupthink. Every report focuses on Russian actions while painting Ukraine as a passive object.
Bias in the New York Times
I could do this with any major source but let me pick on the Times. Here are all the headlines, in time order, from “What Happened on Day 52 of the War in Ukraine“:
The closing of Ukraine’s southern ports could trigger a global food catastrophe, the U.N. warns.
The Moskva’s sinking inspires one of Ukraine’s most popular rockers.
Russian forces shell towns across eastern Ukraine as military analysts predict a major offensive.
Ukrainian officials will visit Washington for economic meetings.
Explosions in Kyiv are a chilling reminder that the war isn’t over despite Russia’s withdrawal from the city.
Putin says Russia should redirect energy exports to ‘the south and the east.’ It’s not that simple.
Fire, debris and charred mannequins: A missile strike hits a Kharkiv shopping center.
A Russian default is looming. A bitter fight is likely to follow.
Zelensky acknowledges that Mariupol’s defenders now control only a small part of the city.
Russia claims it has surrounded a steel plant where Mariupol’s last defenders are holding out.
Putin’s forces are pivoting to a very different battlefield.
Ukrainian refugees attend a Passover Seder in Poland.
Russians turn to Telegram for uncensored news on Ukraine.
Mental health professionals across Eastern Europe say the war has sown intense anxiety.
Times photographers document strikes and destruction in Ukraine.
Russia fires missile barrage at Ukrainian cities and military targets.
Patterns of Reporting
Notice the patterns? On the Russian side, everything’s active: “Russian forces shell town…” “Russia fires missile barrage…” “Russians turn to Telegram…” “Russia claims…” “Putin’s forces are pivoting…” Every headline is [subject] – [verb] – [object]. Even in defeat, Russia is powerful, all their actions actively voiced. I’m tired of the papers using overtly masculine terms for Russia and Putin.
Are they parroting the Trump-Putin Axis or just internalizing Republican hypermasculine posing?
Compare that to the Ukraine headlines. “…Strikes and destruction in Ukraine.” “…Missile strike hits a Kharkiv shopping center.” “Zelensky acknowledges…” “Ukrainian refugees attend…” “Ukrainian Officials will visit…” Passive, helpless victims, primarily women, children and the elderly. I wonder if they got in that habit from their political reporting on Democrats.
To shift to the Washington Post for a second, consider “Why Russia gave up on urban war in Kyiv and turned to big battles in the east.” Yes, I’m sure that “Russia gave up.” No, it wasn’t because Ukraine’s military defenses completely savaged Russia’s poorly equipped and logistically unsupported Russian conscripts. But I wonder why they can’t tell the real story.
Positive Reporting is Hard to Find
What does an embattled country have to do for a positive headline? Ukraine just crippled and sank Moskva. Yes, they crippled and sank the largest ship in the Russian fleet, the Missile Cruiser Moskva. Russia surrounded the ship with a fleet of support craft designed to protect their forces from air, surface, and undersea attacks. And yet, with a mix of a drone, two missiles and luck, Ukraine’s locally designed and built missiles sank the ship along with over 400 Russian sailors. On their first try.
And yet, here’s the Times headline: “The Moskva’s sinking inspires one of Ukraine’s most popular rockers.” Somehow, mysteriously, the boat sank. But it inspired a rock song!
The nonsense keeps running. After a long pause, Manly-Man Putin is bombing poor, helpless Nell Kyiv. Did he tie her to the railroad tracks again? I’m still puzzled why the Times feels this expensive and unsupportable attack is unrelated to Ukraine’s military humiliation of Putin.
Best Ukraine Reporting
For a good counterexample, here’s a quote from Daily Kos:
The Pentagon, Ukrainian military, and every Very Serious Military Analyst is convinced Russia is massing troops to execute that pincer maneuver in the Mother of all offensives. Just you wait for the hellish shock-and-awe Russia has in store! The Pentagon even thinks Russia has eyes on Dnipro further west, which is so implausible and stupid, Russia just might give it a shot.
Yet every day that goes by, any such massive offensive seems less and less likely. And not just because of the rain that has made a slurry of all ground off the major roads, and will keep it that way for at least the next several weeks. (Mark Sumner hilariously talks about “General Mud.”) Russia’s fundamental problem is that it keeps executing the exact same tactics that failed around Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy.
Ukraine Update: What makes anyone think Russia has the competence to pull off a major offensive?, Daily Kos, April 16, 2022.
Honestly, the Daily Kos has the best Ukraine reporting. I know war reporting is complicated during the fog of an active conflict, but they manage. In the “Ukraine Update” articles, Mark Sumner and kos take turns explaining things. I am not a military expert, but sometimes, I can recognize the truth when I see it.
