Contradicting the 'West' bashing | 42 comments (42 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Contradicting the 'West' bashing (none / 1)

I agree with you. In France, for example, the printed press was much more balanced from day one. It seems to be the case in other countries, too.

I think there is a bias due to the fact that, for evident reasons - this site in an English-speaking one, we tend to quote media that have an English-speaking website. This means we tend to quote mainly Anglo-Saxon media. Also it seems to me (I might be wrong) that media from other countries that have an English website are most of the time right-wing leaning ones.

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

by Melanchthon on Thu Aug 14th, 2008 at 04:59:30 PM EST

Which suggests that the ... (4.00 / 3)

... cutting point of this quote diary is that it is imprecise to say or convey the suggestion of "western press" when the worst examples are in the English language press.

But in the English-language media bubble, I would caution against taking the content of detailed coverage as representative of coverage in terms of framing public policy debate. The existence of reasonably careful, well-informed coverage is one thing ... the total audience receiving careful, well-informed coverage versus the total audience receiving the impression common to the DC Village and the Murdoch machine is also a matter to take into account.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:22:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Didn't we agree (none / 0)

that "Western" = "English speaking" anyway? France and Germany are not quite Western

(remember Thatcher: continental Europe is where all the problems of the 20th century have come from, and the Anglo-Saxon world where all the solutions have come)

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 at 07:00:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Didn't we agree (none / 0)

I never agreed to that ... that's another thing "agreed to" by the DC Village and the Murdoch Press Empire without my consent.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 at 11:57:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Didn't we agree (none / 1)

Didn't we agree that "Western" = "English speaking" anyway? France and Germany are not quite Western

I suppose there is "Western" as in the FT and then there is "Western" as when you stand at the Pointe du Raz, and the next land is America. Then France is Western Europe all right...

by balbuz on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:21:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Didn't we agree (none / 0)

This would be a very uncommon definition. And I agree with BruceMcF, that this definition would be kind of neocon success.
Your diary on dkos gives a completely wrong picture about the role of Europe, as many on dkos will believe, that you include Europe in the West, especially given your general dislike of Sarko, Berlusconi, etc.
If the article is correct, the EU and the OSCE had a positive moderating role in the conflict, and are accepted by Russia as sufficiently neutral to negotiate with. If the West is only UK and US (Eastern Europe for sure has less right to call themselves 'West' than Germany, Benelux and Italy) then, as many people think the West has won the cold war, you declare western continental Europe as irrelevant on the world stage, just in a moment, where it proves greater diplomatic skill than many others.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:29:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Which suggests that the ... (none / 0)

There are comments to articles in newspapers, where people say things like 'Putin for chancellor'. There are very critical voices of Russia, but I have the impression there is not a strict editorial line on this thing, e.g. on spiegel.
In general among young people the US under George Bush is much less popular than Russia, especially in east Germany, but as well in west Germany. Eastern Germany seems to be very different with respect to the common opinion about Russia, compared with e.g. Poland, the Balticum, Tzchech, Ukraine, ...
As Russia isn't a boogeyman here for much of the population, there is no benefit in riding it for the press.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers

by Martin (weiser.mensch(at)googlemail.com) on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:40:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

In the French media (none / 1)

I was surprised by the hard anti-Russian line in Libération. The FT was a lot more balanced than Libé onthis crisis.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 at 07:01:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: In the French media (none / 0)

BHL is part owner of Libé...

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 at 09:04:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Contradicting the 'West' bashing | 42 comments (42 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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