On February 1, I wrote a short Ground Report on the English language news program, Russia Today, defining it along with CNN, BBC, Aljazeera as one of the many 24 hours news coverage destined for abroad, i.e. outside the program’s country of origin. Now that Vladimir Putin had invited George W. Bush to Sochi in South Russia for the weekend, let’s look at Russia Today again. In February, I noted that the information selected by the Russia program differed quite a bit from that on Aljazeera, CNN etc., but this time I predicted that the Sochi weekend of the two soon-to-be deposed presidents would be a feature, and I was correct.
1) The Putin-Bush relationship was the lead item. It begins in a prelude at the Bucharest NATO conference where Putin made a spectacular entrance and speech, totally at variance with the consensus of the over 23 states represented. These had all decided that a U.S. financed missile shield on Polish soil, right in Russian’s backyard, would be okay with them. Where the missiles were to come from was not particularly specified; “the enemy,” generally understood to be Iran. Putin was against the missile shield. He is against the AMD and CFE Treaties also, but nevertheless invited Bush for a weekend at Sochi, the last meeting the two of them will enjoy as Heads of State.
Operative word “enjoy.” Switch of old footage of their weekend together at Bush’s ranch, both casually dressed in designer sports wear (I assume). Putin has a large bouquet he presents to Barbara Bush (mama of George W.), kisses on cheeks all around. The voice-over here is Alexsey Kutsin, Russian accent. Mega-information: the young anchormen and women on Russia today are often natives of Britain, young, with perfect non-BBC English; the older ones Russian, fluent English with Russian accent. Kutsin is a fatherly type who begins by satisfying our question as to why the two men are spending the weekend together since they have just disagreed on a major move by the United States to continue its world domination.
“They are good friends,” explains Kutsin. “But they totally disagree about politics.” Background shot of a round table with Putin and Bush and about eight others, just sitting down to a meal, laughing and joking. We also have a shot of an airport arrival with the two Presidents walking down the red carpet, the two wives following at about an eight foot distance; Mrs. Bush is wearing a beige safari suit, Mrs. Putin a dark coat and what look like splendid furs. Kutsin is over-voicing with information that Putin does not at all like the Czech republic opening its borders to American military power–neither does Medvedev, Putin’s successor, who has not yet assumed office. The expansion of NATO is not at all to Russia’s liking, he repeats, but, anyway, the hopes of Georgia and the Ukraine to join NATO have been ruined at the Bucharest meeting.
Next comes a pie diagram tabulating results of a Russia wide poll on How to Make the World more Democratic: 48% think “by example”; 33% think there is no future for democracy; the rest are for using force (these must be the pro-US people, my comment); a tiny sliver of the pie have no opinion. Kutsin ends with the personal touch again: Sochi is Putin’s favorite resort, so he wants to show it to Bush. His relations with Blair had been okay, and they usually had been able to iron out their political differences; relations with Gordon Brown are negligible. But with Bush are friendly. (Bush’s father was CIA head for awhile, and Putin himself make his career in the KGB, or Russian CIA, my comment).
RT goes on to sports: Grosny and Chechen are playing football. In Miami, USA, we see Davydenko beating Roddick, who is tired from his win over Federer, so Davydenko will be the one to play Nadal in the next round. F 1 sees Robert Kubica at the BMW Grand Prix. The Olympic torch is carried through Saint Petersburg.
At the Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the astronauts–Korean woman member of team pointed out–are planting trees before their space launch. Tradition. “The next walk they take will be in space.” English woman reporter shows us the desolation of the desert launching pad, comments on scorch marks left in the earth by previous launches.
Now on to foreign news: the Clintons are seen getting into a limo. We are told that in the eight years since Clinton has left the White House, the couple has made 110 million dollars, later downsized to nine. Still in the US: fifteen girls are removed by police from a Mormon ranch in Utah where they were subjected to very harsh treatment. 80,000 jobs were lost in the US in the month of March, the inflation rate in the first quarter of 2008 has been 4.8%, and the country is in a recession. The Federal Reserve Bank says no, yes, it isn’t. Hollywood actor Jon Voight (and Dolph Lundgren) are in Moscow promoting their new made-in-Moscow movie. Voight is interviewed at museum of Moscow Art Theater and talks about American attempts to do Russian plays (“not very good, but we try”). Very pleasant personality (father of Angelina Jolie incidentally).
End on animal story. Russia Today is very big on animals. In recent broadcasts we were introduced to Monika, an operatic donkey from the Mariinsky Theater who is retiring at nineteen years; a Siberian tiger, who had his cavities filled by a team of dentists; now a moose farm in Kostroma where moose (not meese?) are being raised for their milk, which is rich in fat and mineral. For cows, Siberia is a little cold. The moose are natives, but very independent, and only come back from the forest, their pasture, when they know a soup of bark and water is awaiting them. When a female gives birth, her calf is taken and she starts entering the milk production line. Like with cows. We see cow moose drinking bark soup.
End of Russia Today on Saturday, April 5th. More footage given to Putin and Bush than to the moose–and they don’t even give milk!
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