How is Russia handling the coronavirus? You cannot know from "our free press," which pumps out nothing but Big Lies on that subject (among many others)

[Mark Crispin Miller]

This piece is rich with further evidence that "our free press" just makes shit up, 

and so is simply not to be believed, on any topic—any more than Donald Trump, 

among whose few true statements is his condemnation of the US media's routine

"fake news." 

In this horrendous crisis, the New York Times et al. are dedicated mainly to inciting

fear and hatred. These days, it's feeling more and more like Berlin c. 1938—and not

because of Trump's chest-thumping claims to absolute authority.   

MCM

Better the virus than Putin? In the information war against Russia, Covid-19 is just another weapon

https://www.rt.com/op-ed/486483-russia-uk-us-media-coronavirus/

Bryan MacDonald

Bryan MacDonald is an Irish journalist based in Russia. He has written for RT since 2014. Before moving to Russia, Bryan worked for The Irish Independent, the Evening Herald, Ireland on Sunday, and The Irish Daily Mail. Follow him on Twitter @27khv

21 Apr, 2020 16:17 / Updated 5 hours ago

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Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear at a hospital for Covid-19 patients, March 24, 2020 ©  Sputnik / Alexey Druzhinin / Kremlin

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We need to talk about the Western media’s coverage of Russia’s battle with Covid-19. Rather depressingly, it seems many outlets, and hacks, are rooting for the virus against “the Russians.”

You might think that during this sort of emergency, they’d have the good grace to lay off the “info wars” for a while. But, sadly, that hasn’t happened. Instead, coverage has become even more toxic.

Here’s what you got early on Tuesday morning if you entered “Russian response to Covid-19” into Google.

• Putin is distancing himself from Russia’s virus outbreak. But it could still damage him politically (CNBC)
• Coronavirus takes a serious turn in Russia, and Putin no longer radiates confidence (CNN)
• ‘All The Hospitals Are Full’: Russia's Healthcare System Scrambles as Covid-19 Cases Rise (US state-run RFE/RL)
• Ambulance jams, unprotected doctors, and mixed messages from Putin: Inside Russia’s chaotic response to the coronavirus pandemic (Business Insider)

There are more, but you’ve probably got the gist by now. What you have here is a collection of hokum, hogwash and hooey. Not so much failing to see the wood from the trees as chopping down the forest, lest a perceived opponent obtain use of the lumber.

Let’s be clear: Russia’s response to the coronavirus has not been perfect. But, so far, the country has been significantly less affected than Britain or America, and this appears to have deeply upset the US/UK media. Here are the Covid-19 stats, again as of Tuesday morning (according to data from Johns Hopkins University, Worldometer and UK reports).

• Total tests: USA 4.0 million, Russia 2.1 million, UK 0.33 million.
• Total cases: USA 788k, UK 125k, Russia, 52k.
• Total deaths: USA 42,518, UK 16,509, Russia 456.

Click on the link for the rest.