Why are the Major US news media cover the Russo-Ukraine War so terribly? They’re all bad, but the Washington Post seems like the worst right now. This war is arguably the most important military conflict in this decade. America and our allies are dedicating so much military support that several NATO countries worry they may not have enough stuff left to fend off Russia, should they attack. Billions and billions of dollars are moving around the globe. The outcome will redefine East-West relations for a generation.
The Invisible War
In Europe, the Russo-Ukrainian War is routinely top news. But most US media barely reports on the the invasion. When they do, it’s only to quote Russian and a few American press releases. They painted the Ukrainian people as helpless objects without their own agency. Months into the war, NBC was still routinely running Russian military propaganda as their B-roll. The media compulsively quotes anything Putin says and ignores the rest.
It’s not as if there’s nothing to say. We’ve seen wonderfully rich, deeply sourced open reporting throughout the war. Many highly dedicated bloggers have been geolocating footage showing verifiable results from the Ukrainian position. The military analysis is detailed and It’s been exciting to follow, and US media chose not to report any of it. And yet, they’d gleefully cover every negative story at length.
Breakthrough
Yesterday, when the Ukrainian counter-offensive had broken through Russian lines and recaptured over 1000 square kilometers, the Post and the New York Times posted smaller articles that were quickly pushed aside by the latest gossip about the Royals.
We’re in the fog of war, but as of this writing, Ukraine has probably recovered more than 3000 square kilometers of territory that Russia invaded. That’s huge. After months of Ukraine’s attacks on their logistics chains and command and control locations, they succeeded. Russian defenses simply crumbled. They ran away, leaving tons of equipment, supplies and neatly stored ammo.
Just today, Ukraine captured Izyum, Lyman, and Kupyansk. Izyum is one of the few large cities under Russian control, and it’s the core of the Russian attack in northern Ukraine. All three cities control railroads that are critical to the Russian offensive. This will starve the remaining Russian forces in the region.
Does America Love a Winner?
So much for that myth. Even now, the media mostly covered Russia’s disingenuous announcements. Our big reporters repeated the Russian’s laughable claims that their forces had deliberately fallen back to regroup, insisting they’d inflicted massive losses on the Ukrainian forces. And they definitely weren’t running away.
Let me pick on the Washington Post. As of this writing, they’ve published one article on the counter-offensive: “Russia confirms big retreat near Kharkiv as Ukraine offensive advances.” “Russia confirms….” They still have yesterday’s brief story about “Ukrainian forces retake key villages as counteroffensive advances,” repeating a Ukrainian press release about the northeast front, publishing maps the Post describes as from “Pro-Russian mapmakers.” One article cites a Ukrainian source.
Below the top, the Post has “The Big Picture” section with four articles. The most recent article dates from last April. So, what’s that big picture? Russia’s poor elites, April’s “Looming Ground Battle,” Ukraine’s despair and bloodshed, and Zelenskyy’s strong political support in his hometown.
That’s a very small frame for the big picture.
Below that, there’s the “Video from Post Journalists” section, showing one article from May about clearing mines, two about the atrocities in Bucha, and an Easter Orthodox service.
Next is the Post’s “Understanding the Conflict” section. One story from July, two from June, and the rest are older. The July story was “Maps of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” which the Post prefaces with “This page will no longer be updated.”
No, I don’t understand.
The Washington Post wins the race to the bottom for today, but honestly? They were only the worst by inches. The Times is only marginally better, and NBC’s coverage is nearly criminal. Why, it’s as if the media were terrified of offending Republicans, who were afraid to offend their donors, who might be bankrolled by Putin.
Remember when the Senate discovered that the NRA was acting as unregistered agents of Russia? Did anyone ever follow that up?
