Summary: Today we look at off-road sources of information about the world (especially wars), used by those who seek more than the polished narrow narratives of the western news media. What do we seek? Are we gathering information, or finding only new sources of propaganda? Answers and advice follow, using examples from the Ukraine Civil War. Post your thoughts in the comments. {2nd of 2 posts today}
The western news media deliver a richly detailed and polished narrative about our world. The information highway takes those seeking more detail or different perspectives to a vast array of websites offering what seem to be reliable pictures of conflicts in the far corners of the world. Usually described in the first or second person, often with graphics, pictures, or videos as evidence, they give dissidents from the mainstream worldview confidence that theirs is a more accurate worldview. Are they correct?
A frustrating aspect of cyberspace results from our inability to know what’s real. This makes effective propaganda easy to manufacture, and much of the fringe internet overflows with exaggerated, distorted, or fake news created by partisans about distant wars — some by amateurs, some by professionals. Debkafile developed many of the tactics now commonly used: details from the front lines (sometimes real, sometimes bogus) plus confident analysis dramatically presented.
Americans provide an eager audience, as we are often alienated from our society, suspicious, eager to join teams representing goodness fighting evil, and (above all) credulous. Even if today’s news proves last week’s story to be false, we believe today’s story.
Although it’s difficult to measure, I believe fringe sources were influential on public opinion in our post-9/11 war, since their audience included many people exceptionally outspoken — carrying their misinformation to other websites, letters to the editor and Congress, and discussions in the real world.
Their influence seems greater in conflicts receiving less attention from the news media, such asthose in Eastern Europe, perhaps because of the larger numbers of Americans with roots in that region. Here again we see Americans becoming well-informed on issues about which they intend to do nothing, rooting for “their team” (e.g., Russia or Ukraine) in a fashion little different than for their local football players — or fantasy football team. Since we’re interacting purely with electrons, is it really a different experience than fantasy football?
Today’s example of news from the fringe
At a press conference this week in Donetsk, the Donetsk news agency (DNA) made an important announcement. Since the DNA does not publish in English, we learn about this from websites. Such as this by Jim Dean in the authoritative-looking Near Eastern Outlook…
Kiev is still a coup that has not really consolidated its power. The people trust this government less than the former. They know they were sold a bill of goods. Most are powerless but not all, like Kiev’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Major-General Alexander Kolomiets who defected to Donbass this week. He has this to say: …
I find no bios of Kolmiets. He retired or was fired from the Army, then later held the civilian post of Deputy Minister of Defense (or assistant to the Minister; stories vary) — fired (or retired) in 2012. Getting this basic fact wrong is typical of fringe sources. I assume the DNA provided this video (there are several translations out there, differing in small details); although none of the stories mention this important detail.
This is typical of the information available on the fringes. This was posted to YouTube by Tatzhit Mihailovich, who runs a widely cited channel about the Ukraine civil war (websites tend to assume these are his own work, which I doubt), and occasionally writes about it (e.g., “Seeing through the doublethink: Primary evidence on losses of the combatants at Donbass“, undated). His “mission statement” at YouTube does not reflect the solidly pro-Russian nature of his analysis:
“The current conflict in the Ukraine is largely the fault of the Obama government, greedy idiots within Ukraine, as well as short-sighted policies of EU and Russian government. It benefits the US military-industrial complex and extremists within Ukraine, and hurts the common people in Ukraine, Russia, EU, and US.”
Ukraine’s partisans, probably aided by spinsters in its government, quickly fired back with dirt about General Kolomiets.
Making sense of fringe news
How do we use fringe sources of information? Here are some suggestions before you click on that headline…
- Why bother reading it? Life is short. What might you gain from it that will affect your life, especially your responsibilities. If it’s a hobby or entertainment, go for it.
- Read both sides! If it’s a hobby, you will find more excitement from the writings of your foes, the unscrupulous villains. Gaining a more balanced view is a side benefit.
- Don’t believe anything unless experience has taught you to trust the source, or there is sound evidence, or you have a link (citation, quote, etc) to a source you consider reliable (in a practical sense; only Heaven’s newspaper is “reliable”).
- If you care about a story, you should care enough to look for verification. It takes time and practice, but requires no skills beyond those of a typical American teen.
The posts on this website are designed to be read according to these rules.
For More Information
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See all posts about Russia, about Ukraine, and especially these…
- Let’s stop the 2-minute hate on Putin & think before we reignite the Cold War.
- The Ukraine anti-semitic flyer: a case study in propaganda.
- How the world looks from Russia. It’s a picture the US media don’t show.
Some recent books about Russia…
- The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin
- Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia?
