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Censorship and Misinformation in Russia

 Misinformation is such a prominent aspect of media nowadays, especially in regards to the relationship between media and politics. One important and recent example of misinformation in the media is the portrayal of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Putin’s censorship and spread of disinformation of motives for invading Ukraine as well as threats to reporters attempting to publish what is occurring in Ukraine is becoming more and more prevalent as the invasion of Ukraine continues. In the Guardian Article published below, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka takes a photo of a very pregnant and injured women evacuating a bombed maternity ward in Ukraine. Furthermore, once this image circulated Russian media, Putin claimed that the pregnant Ukrainian woman was simply an “actor.” Putin claiming that injured Ukrainians are actors is not the only way in which he attempts to manipulate the Russian people and gain support of his actions. Allegations that the U.S and Ukraine are planning to spread pathogens in Russia using birds, as well as hiding documentation (and threatening others whom attempt to post documentation) of injured and killed civilians and children, as well as claims that images of injured Ukrainians and destruction from Russian attacks are staged are other ways in which Putin is using censorship and disinformation to keep Russian citizens from knowing the truth of the devastation Ukrainians are facing from Russia.


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/22/the-guardian-view-on-disinformation-truth-is-a-casualty-of-russias-war

Comments

  1. Citlalli S.April 27, 2022 at 9:38 AM

    After reading a bit more on Russia's tactics, it is clear the country was dependent on this censorship and usage of state controlled media in order to gain support or simply justify their actions. However, many Russian citizens refused the citizenship and took to the streets to protest the war & Russia's leadership. It is disheartening to see how far a leader of a country will (i.e. fabricating stories of injury to justify war) in order to gain support but it is not a new thing.

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Melissa N
Hello everyone, my name is Melissa Clopein. I am a senior at Kennesaw State University, my major is Political Science with a minor in International Relations. In my free time I enjoy cooking, hiking, traveling, and learning as much as I can about different countries and their cultures. Ever since I was old enough to truly understand politics, I have been interested in international relations and politics. In addition, I have also been extremely interested in how media influences politics and the relationship between the two, which is a major reason I am taking this class. I intend to use this blog to focus on some important topics relating specifically to mass media and politics. I think an important topic to address is the common occurrence of biases in media, extremism from the left and the right, and how both sides contribute to political polarity in U.S citizens.