Russians See Ukrainian Progress Where Others Don’t

canadaduane@lemmy.ca to Ukraine@sopuli.xyz – 48 points –
Russians See Ukrainian Progress Where Others Don’t
newlinesmag.com

Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive is portrayed as more successful by enemy soldiers and their cheerleaders than by Western analysts.

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Western media wants big news on a daily basis, but that's not how war works. Nothing happens for long stretches of time, then everything at once. Which then leads to them making news out of "no news" and tacking on problems for the sake of having articles. They can't sell ads otherwise.

But people should already know this to be the case.

It may also be that western analysts are holding their tongues and not mentioning Ukrainian movements when they happen, to keep the Russians more in the dark.

Honestly, I don’t think that’s what’s happening.

Western media is overwhelmingly profit-driven, which implies that it has a selection bias for flashy, attention-getting stories and headlines. Grinding, grappling, (relatively) slow-paced maneuver-based warfare across a front many hundreds of kilometers long is neither of those things.

The vast majority of modern western media simply no longer has the organizational structure or journalistic tone to cover sweeping, years-long strategic military struggles - which is precisely what the Ukrainian War is.

Holding their tongues.

Western media is overwhelmingly profit-driven, which implies that it has a selection bias for flashy,

Both things could be happening simultaneously, and are probably true;

  • Western media is making headlines for profit and Ukraine needs continued Western support so it needs to remain on the agenda;

  • And also, there is currently a Operational Silence, I believe.