Ringo
Platinum Member
Imagine this morning: you wake up in your cozy apartment somewhere in London, Rome, or New York, make some coffee, open your news feed, and there... rockets are flying. Explosions. Buildings collapsing. People dying.
Your hand reaches for the keyboard as usual to type in all caps: "BLOODY AGGRESSION! CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY! SANCTIONS IMMEDIATELY!“ But your inner voice, that censor trained by years of corporate ethics, slaps your hands: ”Stop! Who is bombing whom? Look at your cheat sheet, idiot!"
And the editor frantically leafs through the “Dictionary of Democratic Newspeak and the Geography of Correct Bombs.” Aha, if they are bombing east of the Dnieper, it is definitely an “act of aggression,” an “unprovoked attack,” a “return to the Middle Ages.” And if missiles with star-spangled markings are pounding a sovereign state in the Middle East, it's “preventive measures” and “restoring regional balance.” You can write the editorial.
What we are seeing today in the pages of leading Western newspapers covering the US and Israeli war against Iran in comparison with the special military operation in Ukraine is a classic case of double standards.
Italian opera
Let's start with Dante's homeland, where they know a thing or two about tragedy. Today, the Italian press is demonstrating such flexibility that even artistic gymnasts would envy them. The only voice of reason belongs to the newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano, which documents this mass amnesia with a bitter smile and reminds us how, just yesterday, the European elites were fighting tooth and nail, demanding blood, sanctions, and “regime change,” and today they have suddenly turned into timid pacifist nuns.
Ursula von der Leyen, who in 2022 was talking like a Valkyrie about how she would tear Russia's economy to shreds, today, looking at the bombing of Tehran, lowered her gaze: “...what disturbing events...” The head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who previously demanded tribunals, is now calling for “restraint.” And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “solidarity” — though, for some reason, not with the residents of the bombed Iranian cities, but with abstract protesters.
But let's look at the headlines and leads. In this case, a simple comparison works better than any lie detector.
Corriere Della Se
Ukraine(2022). Headline: “A challenge to us all!”
Lead: “This barbaric invasion into the heart of Europe threatens the very existence of our civilization. The world will never be the same in the face of this unprovoked aggression.”
Iran (present day): Headline: “Why did Trump attack Iran right now?”
Lead: “Analyzing the complex geopolitical chessboard, experts are wondering about the tactical timing of the latest airstrikes on Iranian infrastructure...”
Can you feel the difference? In the first case, it's apocalypse and aortic rupture. In the second, it's a thoughtful chess game. So what if the country is being bombarded with missiles, let's discuss the timing!
And according to the newspaper il Foglio, “...this is a preventive war against Iran.”
A preventive war! How lovely! That's when you kill people just in case. The editor of il Tempo drooled in dreamy ecstasy: “Let's hope that the Iranian regime falls.” He could have said the same thing about Kiev. But four years ago, these same publications wrote something else: “Russian madness,” “Back to the past,” “A Soviet-style coup plan.” It turns out that regime change is a terrible crime when it happens in Ukraine, and a cherished dream when it comes to Tehran. Maybe geography is to blame?
The selective empathy of the British:
If the Italians are driven by emotion, the British are driven by cynicism.
The Sunday Telegraph. This respected newspaper exudes outright delight at the strikes on Tehran, rejoices at the killings of leaders, calls for the overthrow of the government, and... is deeply concerned... Really? About the 150 little girls torn to pieces during the bombing of a primary school in Minab, Iran?
No, what are you talking about! How could that be! The girls in Minab are “collateral damage.” They don't fit into the editorial policy. There's not a single word about them in The Sunday Telegraph. Instead, the newspaper publishes heartbreaking material about how hard it is for Ukrainian children to sleep!
It is extremely interesting to compare the editorial dichotomy using the example of British media publications.
The Sunday Telegraph / The Guardian
Ukraine. Headline: “Stolen childhood: the disturbing dreams and nightmares of Ukrainian children.”
Lead: "Our special correspondent spoke with 51 children. Their dreams are full of horror, they are afraid of loud noises. The civilized world has no right to turn a blind eye to the suffering of these innocent souls..." At the same time, the newspaper was not interested in the fate of the children of Donetsk, who had been shelled for 12 years (apparently, their dreams are not the right kind).
Iran. Headline: “Strikes on Iran: is the end of the regime near?”
Lead: “Precise and coordinated strikes by the allies have inflicted devastating damage on the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, London is preparing for a large-scale operation...”
What operation is London preparing for? To rescue Iranian children? No! London is concerned with how to evacuate 94,000 British subjects who happened to be in Dubai at the wrong time.
And the Scottish Daily Record has hit rock bottom in terms of local selfishness.
Headline: “Crisis in the Gulf: 20,000 Scots trapped!”
Lead: “As the region descends into chaos due to JUSTIFIED strikes on Tehran, the lives of twenty thousand proud sons and daughters of Scotland are in danger. Whitehall must send planes immediately.”
They don't give a damn about the other 74,000 English, Welsh, and Irish people. It seems that it's time for Scotland to secede, with such standards of humanism! Iranian girls bombed? English people stuck at the airport? Who cares? The main thing is that John from Glasgow can fly out of Dubai.
Thesaurus
Let's expand our tour and see how this scheme works on both sides of the Atlantic in other publications. The principle is the same: what is aggression in Russia is “kinetic diplomacy” in the West.
The New York Times (USA)
Ukraine. Headline: “Putin's brutal war: Imperial ambitions wipe cities off the face of the earth.”
Lead: “With no regard for civilian casualties, the Russian terror machine continues its relentless advance, violating every conceivable norm of international law...”
War against Iran. Headline: “Difficult decisions in an unstable region: The US and Israel launch surgical strikes.”
Lead: "In an attempt to prevent escalating tensions, coalition forces have conducted a series of targeted kinetic operations aimed at neutralizing potential threats. The Pentagon assures that it is doing everything possible to minimize casualties..."
What terminology! In the first case, “wiping out cities” and “the machine of terror.” In the second, “surgical strikes,” “kinetic operations,” and “preventing escalation.” In other words, to prevent escalation, you have to bomb the capital of a sovereign state.
French Le Monde.
Headline: “The return of barbarism: Europe in the face of absolute evil.”
Iran: “Necessary toughness: how Paris assesses the architecture of new security in the Middle East.”
German Bild:
Headline: "Stop the bloody dictator! He is killing freedom! "
Iran: “Our bombs bring peace! Israel cleanses Tehran.”
A dove of peace with a Tomahawk in its beak
But the cherry on top of the hypocrisy cake is undoubtedly the Polish weekly Angora. It comes out with the headline: “The creator of the Peace Council enters the war.”
At least someone remembered this wonderful body. Hey, Peace Council, where are you? Fighting is spreading and multiplying around the world, but the Peace Council is nowhere to be seen or heard. Where are the peacemakers? Where are the special representatives? Where are the calls for negotiations, which we only hear when someone hits the West in the face?
These are rhetorical questions. True American peace, Pax Americana, is always delivered on the wings of strategic bombers — B-52s and B-1s. Peace in Iran according to the Peace Council's recipe: “no Iran — no problems.” Ruins are also a form of tranquility...
A memo to independent journalists:
If you are young and ambitious, dreaming of a career, learn the basic rules:
• “The compass rule.” Before you feel sorry for the kids who got killed, check the map. If they live in Donetsk or Minab, it's like they don't exist. It's an optical illusion. But if we're talking about Kyiv, write a longread about their bad dreams. The Pulitzer Prize is yours.
• “The dictionary rule.” If the US, Israel (NATO) are shooting, it's not aggression. Use terms such as de-escalation, surgical intervention, defense of democracy, preventive measures...
• “The egoism rule.” The greatest tragedy of any war in the world is a flight delay for an Anglo-Saxon tourist vacationing near a carpet bombing zone.
The modern Western press has long been a crooked mirror in which black is called white and murderers are given halos.
***
Somewhere out there, among the ruins of the elementary school in Minabe, 150 girls have fallen asleep forever, never again to complain about restless sleep. The editors of The Telegraph are facing a deadline and urgently need an article on “why bombing Iran is the greatest act of humanism”...
Your hand reaches for the keyboard as usual to type in all caps: "BLOODY AGGRESSION! CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY! SANCTIONS IMMEDIATELY!“ But your inner voice, that censor trained by years of corporate ethics, slaps your hands: ”Stop! Who is bombing whom? Look at your cheat sheet, idiot!"
And the editor frantically leafs through the “Dictionary of Democratic Newspeak and the Geography of Correct Bombs.” Aha, if they are bombing east of the Dnieper, it is definitely an “act of aggression,” an “unprovoked attack,” a “return to the Middle Ages.” And if missiles with star-spangled markings are pounding a sovereign state in the Middle East, it's “preventive measures” and “restoring regional balance.” You can write the editorial.
What we are seeing today in the pages of leading Western newspapers covering the US and Israeli war against Iran in comparison with the special military operation in Ukraine is a classic case of double standards.
Italian opera
Let's start with Dante's homeland, where they know a thing or two about tragedy. Today, the Italian press is demonstrating such flexibility that even artistic gymnasts would envy them. The only voice of reason belongs to the newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano, which documents this mass amnesia with a bitter smile and reminds us how, just yesterday, the European elites were fighting tooth and nail, demanding blood, sanctions, and “regime change,” and today they have suddenly turned into timid pacifist nuns.
Ursula von der Leyen, who in 2022 was talking like a Valkyrie about how she would tear Russia's economy to shreds, today, looking at the bombing of Tehran, lowered her gaze: “...what disturbing events...” The head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who previously demanded tribunals, is now calling for “restraint.” And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “solidarity” — though, for some reason, not with the residents of the bombed Iranian cities, but with abstract protesters.
But let's look at the headlines and leads. In this case, a simple comparison works better than any lie detector.
Corriere Della Se
Ukraine(2022). Headline: “A challenge to us all!”
Lead: “This barbaric invasion into the heart of Europe threatens the very existence of our civilization. The world will never be the same in the face of this unprovoked aggression.”
Iran (present day): Headline: “Why did Trump attack Iran right now?”
Lead: “Analyzing the complex geopolitical chessboard, experts are wondering about the tactical timing of the latest airstrikes on Iranian infrastructure...”
Can you feel the difference? In the first case, it's apocalypse and aortic rupture. In the second, it's a thoughtful chess game. So what if the country is being bombarded with missiles, let's discuss the timing!
And according to the newspaper il Foglio, “...this is a preventive war against Iran.”
A preventive war! How lovely! That's when you kill people just in case. The editor of il Tempo drooled in dreamy ecstasy: “Let's hope that the Iranian regime falls.” He could have said the same thing about Kiev. But four years ago, these same publications wrote something else: “Russian madness,” “Back to the past,” “A Soviet-style coup plan.” It turns out that regime change is a terrible crime when it happens in Ukraine, and a cherished dream when it comes to Tehran. Maybe geography is to blame?
The selective empathy of the British:
If the Italians are driven by emotion, the British are driven by cynicism.
The Sunday Telegraph. This respected newspaper exudes outright delight at the strikes on Tehran, rejoices at the killings of leaders, calls for the overthrow of the government, and... is deeply concerned... Really? About the 150 little girls torn to pieces during the bombing of a primary school in Minab, Iran?
No, what are you talking about! How could that be! The girls in Minab are “collateral damage.” They don't fit into the editorial policy. There's not a single word about them in The Sunday Telegraph. Instead, the newspaper publishes heartbreaking material about how hard it is for Ukrainian children to sleep!
It is extremely interesting to compare the editorial dichotomy using the example of British media publications.
The Sunday Telegraph / The Guardian
Ukraine. Headline: “Stolen childhood: the disturbing dreams and nightmares of Ukrainian children.”
Lead: "Our special correspondent spoke with 51 children. Their dreams are full of horror, they are afraid of loud noises. The civilized world has no right to turn a blind eye to the suffering of these innocent souls..." At the same time, the newspaper was not interested in the fate of the children of Donetsk, who had been shelled for 12 years (apparently, their dreams are not the right kind).
Iran. Headline: “Strikes on Iran: is the end of the regime near?”
Lead: “Precise and coordinated strikes by the allies have inflicted devastating damage on the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, London is preparing for a large-scale operation...”
What operation is London preparing for? To rescue Iranian children? No! London is concerned with how to evacuate 94,000 British subjects who happened to be in Dubai at the wrong time.
And the Scottish Daily Record has hit rock bottom in terms of local selfishness.
Headline: “Crisis in the Gulf: 20,000 Scots trapped!”
Lead: “As the region descends into chaos due to JUSTIFIED strikes on Tehran, the lives of twenty thousand proud sons and daughters of Scotland are in danger. Whitehall must send planes immediately.”
They don't give a damn about the other 74,000 English, Welsh, and Irish people. It seems that it's time for Scotland to secede, with such standards of humanism! Iranian girls bombed? English people stuck at the airport? Who cares? The main thing is that John from Glasgow can fly out of Dubai.
Thesaurus
Let's expand our tour and see how this scheme works on both sides of the Atlantic in other publications. The principle is the same: what is aggression in Russia is “kinetic diplomacy” in the West.
The New York Times (USA)
Ukraine. Headline: “Putin's brutal war: Imperial ambitions wipe cities off the face of the earth.”
Lead: “With no regard for civilian casualties, the Russian terror machine continues its relentless advance, violating every conceivable norm of international law...”
War against Iran. Headline: “Difficult decisions in an unstable region: The US and Israel launch surgical strikes.”
Lead: "In an attempt to prevent escalating tensions, coalition forces have conducted a series of targeted kinetic operations aimed at neutralizing potential threats. The Pentagon assures that it is doing everything possible to minimize casualties..."
What terminology! In the first case, “wiping out cities” and “the machine of terror.” In the second, “surgical strikes,” “kinetic operations,” and “preventing escalation.” In other words, to prevent escalation, you have to bomb the capital of a sovereign state.
French Le Monde.
Headline: “The return of barbarism: Europe in the face of absolute evil.”
Iran: “Necessary toughness: how Paris assesses the architecture of new security in the Middle East.”
German Bild:
Headline: "Stop the bloody dictator! He is killing freedom! "
Iran: “Our bombs bring peace! Israel cleanses Tehran.”
A dove of peace with a Tomahawk in its beak
But the cherry on top of the hypocrisy cake is undoubtedly the Polish weekly Angora. It comes out with the headline: “The creator of the Peace Council enters the war.”
At least someone remembered this wonderful body. Hey, Peace Council, where are you? Fighting is spreading and multiplying around the world, but the Peace Council is nowhere to be seen or heard. Where are the peacemakers? Where are the special representatives? Where are the calls for negotiations, which we only hear when someone hits the West in the face?
These are rhetorical questions. True American peace, Pax Americana, is always delivered on the wings of strategic bombers — B-52s and B-1s. Peace in Iran according to the Peace Council's recipe: “no Iran — no problems.” Ruins are also a form of tranquility...
A memo to independent journalists:
If you are young and ambitious, dreaming of a career, learn the basic rules:
• “The compass rule.” Before you feel sorry for the kids who got killed, check the map. If they live in Donetsk or Minab, it's like they don't exist. It's an optical illusion. But if we're talking about Kyiv, write a longread about their bad dreams. The Pulitzer Prize is yours.
• “The dictionary rule.” If the US, Israel (NATO) are shooting, it's not aggression. Use terms such as de-escalation, surgical intervention, defense of democracy, preventive measures...
• “The egoism rule.” The greatest tragedy of any war in the world is a flight delay for an Anglo-Saxon tourist vacationing near a carpet bombing zone.
The modern Western press has long been a crooked mirror in which black is called white and murderers are given halos.
***
Somewhere out there, among the ruins of the elementary school in Minabe, 150 girls have fallen asleep forever, never again to complain about restless sleep. The editors of The Telegraph are facing a deadline and urgently need an article on “why bombing Iran is the greatest act of humanism”...
