Comments on: Winning and Losing

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:51:59 +0000

I said varsity, not the water boy...

By: Bithead

Bithead — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:28:15 +0000

Heh.

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:01:54 +0000

Sour grapes?

Nope, just bored, waiting for the varsity to arrive...

By: Bithead

Bithead — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:59:06 +0000

Sour grapes?

Cute move, if predictable.

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:41:32 +0000

Yawn...

By: Bithead

Bithead — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:14:15 +0000

No, it seems clear to me you got the point, your dance not withstanding. Your problem is you don't like it.

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:39:53 +0000

Dealing with a free media... even one that leans left

Right. And you never play games. You just want to discuss the issues.

I suppose you were making a point. Just not doing a very good job of it...

By: Bithead

Bithead — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:37:42 +0000

If you look even a little bit closer, instead of trying to play 'gotcha' you may even notice that was the point being made.

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:43:12 +0000

Heh. Media savvy? You mean FREE media savvy. These boys pretty much wrote the book on media savvy, which I suppose to be easy to do when you own, and control the media by force of arms.

Savvy and domination via brute force are two entirely different things. You don't get out much, do you?

By: Bithead

Bithead — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:41:07 +0000

It’s time for Russia to get media-savvy.

Heh. Media savvy? You mean FREE media savvy. These boys pretty much wrote the book on media savvy, which I suppose to be easy to do when you own, and control the media by force of arms. Dealing with a free media... even one that leans left for the most part as they do here in the west, is a whole 'nother animal.

By: PD Shaw

PD Shaw — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:20:12 +0000

Part of the problem is the maps. The partisan positions hinge primarily on framing the issue of "who invaded whom." A standard atlas is not going to make sense of the Russian claim that Georgia invaded . . . er Georgia.

Also, if Russia wants to make a humanitarian case, it needs to be prepared to show the world a corresponding moderate use of force. When the cameras turned to Georgia we saw Georgian homes being looted, Georgians fleeing recrimination attacks, attempted bombing of the pipeline and Russian occupation outside of South Ossetia. We're the Russians and we're here to help!

By: RW Rogers

RW Rogers — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:19:19 +0000

Anyone else find it interesting that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has flown to Georgia and said that Georgia is on track for membership in NATO?

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:08:52 +0000

There is certainly divergent reporting from Western media sources. Throughout the conflict, I had access to a variety of TV and other reporting at work and home. The best on scene coverage I've seen on TV has been on Al Jazeera English service. I only have access to it at work and it's a shame none of the cable or satellite outlets dare to let us have access to it. AJ's coverage was very evenhanded and their reporters on the scene provided much of the eyewitness accounts of the war that I don't even see on BBC. Never mind CNN and the rest of the American media as they were too busy pushing the Russia=evil, Georgia=democracy line to be of any use. I was shocked (maybe I shouldn't be) to hear a BBC interview of a Russian duma member take a very partisan line of questioning which is very un-BBC like. I didn't hear of similar skeptic questioning when they were dealing with Georgian or American officials. Returning to the question of Russian media savviness, they're doing better with English speaking spokesman, but they can wisely spend some money on K street and Madison Avenue type frontmen to deal with the western press.