Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Of Putin and press coverage of the Gaza conflict

TIME magazine calls it ''Cold War II''. Any avid follower of international politics already knows what to make of that headline. You would be forgiven for thinking that the Cold War ended in 1991 with the spectacular collapse of the Soviet Union. Who would have predicted that in 2014, Russia would be the most prominent threat to western hegemony? With the tragic downing of MH17 in Ukraine, Snowden and the Ukraine separatists and yes, Syria, it appears Russia is back from the dead to reclaim its old adversorial role in the world. What a difference one individual can make at the helm of a country. Vladmir Putin. Previous Russian president like Boris Yelstin were so mired in the very survival of Russia out of the Soviet ashes that no one imagined that Russia would every be a foe of note post-cold war end. I used to have complete and utter faith in CNN. Watching the current press coverage of the Gaza conflict has revealed how blind I have been. Can CNN ever make an attempt to balance its coverage of the warring parties? I was told Journalists should aim for balance. I am not sure CNN has made a decent effort in this regard to Gaza. And for that matter, should western media be trusted to report international news objectively? My undergraduate classes in political economy tell me that would be an illusion.