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Russian Reporter in Baghdad Sees Quick End to War

Tuesday, April 8, 2003
(4:41 PM)
Gazeta.RU

NTV correspondent Denis Shuisky, whose crew has been working in Baghdad since March 31 after replacing an earlier team, agreed to answer our readers’ questions. Shuisky is working in the Iraqi capital together with cameraman Timur Voronov and sound technician Mikhail Kolosov.

Can the Reuters, CNN and Al-Jazeera coverage be trusted? Tara, USA

How impartial is your standpoint on the war? Sasha, New-York

It would be interesting to know, with whom the personal sympathies of the journalists lie? Serik, Almaty

Why do Russian printed and television media cover the events in Iraq in such a biased, anti-American way? Could it be that Primakov and Co have brainwashed the public and the ruling elite? Moskvich, USA

Why have our media outlets taken a pro-American position and confined themselves to repeating CNN’s news reports? Is there the opportunity to report from the streets of Basra and Baghdad, and not from the US’ press-centres? Where are the interviews with local residents? Where is the live footage? Alexei Sidorov, Barnaul

Gazeta.Ru: Also, many readers question the credibility of world media coverage of the war in Iraq. Whose reports are more truthful, in your opinion?

I assume that in addition to the conventional war, there is also an information war going on in Iraq. When they call me from the Moscow office, on my mobile [phone] to inquire if it is true that journalists in Iraq are forced to hand in their mobiles…it is downright absurd! No, nobody has taken away the phones, though all news agencies carried the report that mobile phones were being taken away from us. I had to convince the editors in Moscow that it was not true.

Another example: yesterday there was a report that US tanks had already entered the city [Baghdad], there was even a video report, made either by CNN, or Reuters. In truth, my colleagues saw how it happened: several US armoured personnel carriers drove into the highway leading to Baghdad.

Near a sign that read 'Baghdad' they posed for the cameras, drove here and there a little and then vanished from the road. And the affair was presented as if Baghdad had been practically occupied… In truth, however, public transport and shuttle buses were still working a normal regime in Baghdad… And I had to refute those reports for the whole day. In other words, presently there is an information war waged by the US media. Objectively we can report only on things that we see with our own eyes, that is it.

(More: Gazeta.RU)
2003 © Gazeta.RU

We'll just ignore all recently torn political ties between Iraq (i.e., Hussein & Co) and Russia -- just the way Putin was unable to ignore the direct terrorist links between al-Qai'da, Iraq, and Chechnya. It's reasonable that Russian reps would get a more VIP service from this ignorant, step-child government. Putin had to work hard to back away from Iraq -- and wipe Hussein's spittle from the toes of his boots.

Reading the article, it seems that Denis Shuisky has a limited capacity for reality-thinking -- seeming unable to read the cards dealt until they've all been played.

Dan (Looking forward to the new Mel Brooks musical, "Springtime for Hussein".)