Note:  Since I wrote this draft for future posting the media has become a bit better at reporting this conflict.  I still think there is too much ‘unverified’ sources.

These are my thoughts and opinions on the quality of the reporting by the MSM on the Ukraine conflict.

As a consumer of the news and interested on the conflicts around the world I am dissatisfied with the quality of the news that is given to us mere mortals on the Ukraine/Russia conflict.

Let me explain why…..

The public is getting canned unverified information there is little to no actual fighting shown…..like the statement that 200 Russian soldiers have been captured….if so then why is the Ukrainians not trotting them out for propaganda purposes….a Ukrainian member of parliament stated that 5000 Russian soldiers have been killed and left rotting in the streets…where is the proof?

Then there is ‘Breaking News’ that is reported for hours…the same story…the same reporters….that is NOT breaking in my book.

Of course the Russians are just as bad they spread false news liberally.

I am not saying that all the news is crap….just that there should be a more concerted effort to tell the story beyond hearsay….quantity does not mean quality.

I fall back to the battle with ISIS…journalist pressed forward to get the real story and the real fighting….not so much in Ukraine….why?

The media keeps trying to make this situation worse….by comparing it to WW2.

We keep hearing the Ukraine crisis described as the “worst since WW II.” This is seems far-fetched given the number of dead (4 million) in the Korean War (which US refuses to end), Vietnam (2.5 million), and Iraq (2 million).

The journalists are doing their jobs as they are instructed to do….but somewhere there has to be someone that will say….”can we please used verified information”…..

The sanitizing of war by the media.

Showing destroyed buildings but the dead are put in a burred bubble…..war is the ultimate obscenity….it is brutal and ugly…..let the people see just how brutal it truly is and the human costs of any conflict.

Then there are there network pundits, so-called ‘experts’ that regurgitate the slogans and views of the groups they actually represent….. Big Time political commentator in the US have to be able to generate nonsense on-demand….and they are excelling at this….

The newest poll shows that 83% of the American people support Ukraine I can understand this figure by the quality of the news they consume….the bias that they are given by the MSM.

I am disappointed in the news coverage….CNN was on top of the beginning of Desert Storm and did some fabulous reporting but their news stories around this conflict is a pale shadow of their previous years.

Please someone explain these networks if the news is 12 hours old it is no longer ‘Breaking News’….it is just news.

I search various sources for info….Reuters, AJE, BBC, France24, DW….and I still cannot put together an accurate analysis of this conflict….so I will stick with my gut and my analysis.

Forf those that want to do their own research (I realize that there are few and far between)…..there are some ‘open source’ intel sites you can go to…..

Bellingcat – A leader in OSINT journalism known for painstakingly geolocating video and photo evidence, Bellingcat is tracking the use of cluster munitions in Ukraine and debunking dubious footage from the Russian invasion. The Twitter feeds of individual Bellingcat journalists including Christo Grozev and Aric Toler, among others, are also useful sources. 

Liveuamap – An interactive map that pins the locations of video and photo evidence of military movements, strikes, and other events. (A recent NYT story describes its history.)

The Centre for Information Resilience – With another mapmaking effort, CIR is working with Bellingcat and others to chart original source material of significant incidents in Ukraine. The group also frequently updates its Twitter account with its work geolocating footage from social media. 

Oryx – Orxy has worked to identify and track Russian equipment losses, including those destroyed by Turkish drones. They have a great Twitter account as well for updates.

Ukraine Weapons Tracker – This active Twitter account identifies Russian weapons and abandoned (and destroyed) vehicles. 

Satellite imagery companies – Several companies, including Capella Space, Planet and Black Sky have become a valuable source for journalists, researchers and governments seeking to track developments like Russian convoy movements from above.

Some of the reporting smacks of propaganda…..at least to my mind….

Is it propaganda?

Define and explained….so you decide unless of course you will accept crap as news.

What Is Propaganda?

Please do not think for a minute that I feel this war is a hoax….far from…..and the reporting is getting better but I still feel that more could be done.

What are your thoughts on the reporting?

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