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to combat malicious media distortions |
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This is a very serious issue. That's because major world powers are making strategic decisions based on their understandings of Russia's motives and activities. That leads to forming policies and taking very consequential actions, both political and military. It's extremely important that they get things right. In the current milieu, the difference between a view of Russia that is based on fact and one founded upon misunderstanding can mean the difference between world progress on one hand and risk of global catastrophe on the other. Media organizations play an important role in all this. It is they who propagate the news of what Russia is up to. They tell their audiences what Russia is doing or not doing. It's no secret that the media in Russia and the media in the West are singing very different tunes. That in turn influences attitudes that the different populations adopt and creates a framework for believing or disbelieving what people are told by their political leaders. The purpose of this project is not to mediate who is right or wrong. It is simply to assure that Westerners have the benefit of an understanding of Russia that is based on fact, not deception. Presently, Russia possesses a very notable negative image. Its president is widely regarded as a dictator with territorial ambitions who will stop at nothing. Yet proprietary research suggests that this simplistic view has been influenced by various parties that have a vested interested in distorting the truth. They benefit materially and politically from Western populations developing and harboring false beliefs. As a result, countless allegations have been advanced by these parties to maliciously create and feed counterfactual images. These assertions have infiltrated stories such as: Invading Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine Murdering Alexander Litvinenko Using energy as a weapon Blowing up apartment buildings Exhibiting pedophilic behavior Cracking down on press freedom Killing journalists Retreating from the democracy of the 90s These are serious issues. But Western audiences have few resources readily available for differentiating between the fabrications and the truth. Three books have delved into the modus operandi used by those who seek to becloud the Russia issue. One is titled The Phony Litvinenko Murder. It is about the 2006 death of a Russian named Alexander Litvinenko. "Ex KGB Spy Murdered on Orders of Putin" is a typical headline of the day. The second book, Litvinenko Murder Case Solved, tells of the faulty UK prosecution of the case and describes a practical solution. And the third book is titled Ukraine in the Crosshairs. It shows how foreign entities twisted Ukrainians' quest for a better life into an unremitting disaster. Under Yeltsin, Russia was treated better in the Western press. That he oversaw the looting of state assets, launched a deadly tank attack against political opponents, ruled by decree, claimed reelection victory in the face of extremely low popularity ratings, and led the country into financial ruin received sparse media condemnation. Indeed, Russia's image in the West was mostly positive. More recently Putin has expressed a desire to improve Russia's image. He created a cornucopia of English language resources, hoping for a better reputation. Putin championed a friendlier business climate seeking Western investment and expertise, and vigorously participated in international organizations. He even asked Russia's ambassadors to put on friendlier faces. What has been the result? Not much. Russia's initiatives, while meritorious, have not achieved image remediation. It turns out the problem isn't that Westerners need to hear more nice things about Russia. It is that simply telling the truth and attempting to straighten the record has proved an ineffectual path toward change for the better. Russia without Spin is a private sector Russian and American initiative. It has emerged to offer a targeted solution to the reputation problem. Project participants conducted a proprietary longitudinal study and analysis of the process through which Russia is maliciously defamed. They have used the insights gained to quietly devise a methodology to combat malicious media stories by using an advanced counteractive technique that has been dubbed SSOPP for "Surgical Solution of Practical Problems." The methodology is like a non-military counterpart to a surgical air strike. To demonstrate the efficacy of its plan, the project undertook a demonstration. It involved the Alexander Litvinenko death case. Since 2006 it had been the focus of malicious media attacks. They involved Britain's high-profile pursuit of allegations that Putin ordered the killing of Litvinenko. Russia without Spin's researchers found the allegations to be specious. And by applying proprietary skills, they embarked upon an intervention to redirect the coroner's inquest onto a fact-based course. Ultimately this all resulted in the official closing of the London coroner's search for trumped-up Russian culpability, and the muting of related media attacks that had distorted Western perceptions for so long. With that accomplishment, the project announced in January 2014 that it could no longer self-fund its work on the Litvinenko case. It pointed out that the Litvinenko matter would require continued vigilance to sustain that which had been achieved. Key stake holders were invited to support a continuation of the work. None stepped forth, however. That left things wide open for British Prime Minister David Cameron to restart the witch hunt. He did that amidst the sanctions frenzy against Russia regarding the Ukrainian crisis. The Litvinenko case, as with all other past, present, and future efforts to deceive Western observers, now requires active application of the specialized skills that Russia without Spin has successfully demonstrated. What's next for the project is for key stakeholders to finally step up to financially support it. These stakeholders include not only the Russian administration but also major Russian business concerns, and Western multinational companies with a vested interest in Russia. By joining to support Russia without Spin, they will reap the benefits attached to a more fact-based image for Russia -- and will also receive conspicuous acclaim for having solved a long-standing and seemingly intractable global problem. |
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