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Words have consequences. Those who toil in the world of words know very well this power. Abusers of words ply their trade with reckless abandon. This is not simple mischief; it’s madness. Crafting words for deceit gives them power. We call it disinformation. We call it propaganda.
A number of regulators are fed up with disinformation and propaganda. Strong rules exist to protect speech and expression, less strong to protect the public from abuse. This is changing, carefully. This morning (February 25) Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) directed telecoms to disconnect five Russian TV propaganda channels and one from Belarus. It’s a one year ban.
"Extraordinary times call for the making of decisions, and we find that the channels have exceeded the threshold. To avoid further harm to society's security and to protect the public interest action must be taken immediately," said TTJA director general Kaur Kajak, quoted by Estonian public broadcaster ERR (February 25). The TV channels removed - all Russian language - include RTR Planeta, NTV Mir, NTV Mir Baltic, Rossiya 24, TV Center International (TVCI) and Belarus 24. Gazprom Media operates the NTV franchises. RTR Planeta and Rossiya 24 are owned by the Russian state, TVCI by the Moscow city government and Belarus 24 by the Belarus state. (See more about conflict zones here)
Simultaneously, the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission suspended the same channels for five years, PBK and TVCI for three years. Latvia banned several Russian-based TV channels a day earlier (February 24). That coincided with Poland’s National Audiovisual Council suspending (February 24) operating permits for RT (Russia Today), RT Documentary, RTR Planet, Soyuz and Rossiya 24. (See more about propaganda here)
Fans of the Russian disinformation factories, predictably, rose to the occasion. “These are politically opportunistic solutions that hit not only the freedom of journalism, but also the audience of Russian channels," said pro-regime Union of Journalists of Russia Timur Shafir, quoted by Russian state news agency TASS (February 25). The European Union officially sanctioned RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan this week (February 24) as well as state TV Channel One talkshow host Vladimir Solovyov, whose bombast was noted in the Polish regulators decision.
For those with more than a passing interest in currents media outlets have given wall-to-wall coverage of the invasion of Ukraine this morning (February 24) by military forces of the Russian Federation. Most all big media networks and publishers have correspondents and news crews on the ground. Audiences have been huge and that will certainly continue until the tanks stop rolling.
Ukraine’s television broadcasters have followed suit, mostly, reported Ukraine media news portal Detector Media (February 24). The 1+1 TV channel, arguably Ukraine’s most viewed, began its non-stop coverage at 6 in the morning local time, just as the Russian troop movements began. All advertising was halted. The channel is available via satellite at no charge and the news program simulcast on other channels in the group, 2+2 and UNIAN. The Ukrainia channel mirrored that plan, also simulcast on several channels and offered free on satellite. (See more about media in Ukraine here)
StarLightMedia opened its wall-to-wall coverage at 11 in the morning on its channels, jointly branded as “We Are Strong.” Individual programs on ICTV, STB and Novy diverged somewhat. Ukraine Public TV offered a single news program on national and regional channels. The output of public radio channels was also merged. (See more about TV news here)
Inter TV took a different tact, running entertainment and children’s programs, including some in the Russian language, interspersed with news bulletins. Inter TV has long touted a pro-Russian line and is owned by Dmytro Firtash, currently in Vienna, Austria fighting extradition to the United States on bribery and corruption charges.
Much of the public and all the world’s news outlets became aware very early in the day of Russian forces invading Ukraine. News media in the Russian Federation followed the proscribed marching orders, fanning support for the operation while condemning foreigners. The usual state media talkshow hosts were beyond restraint.
A few hours into the invasion Russian Federation media regulator/censor Roskomnadzor messaged all Russian media demanding they use information “only from official Russian sources” when reporting the story, according to independent Russian exile news portal Meduza (February 24). Russian law on “false information” was cited, fines for noncompliance noted. Russian state media, of course, always march in line. (See more about media in the Russian Federation here)
The notification was clearly directed at those few independent news outlets in the Russian Federation. They have been, so to speak, marching to a different drummer. “Shame on everyone who pushed for this war, who works for propaganda, who helps propaganda, who is now enjoying the bombing,” wrote Mediazona chief editor Sergey Smirnov (February 24). “Damn you!”
"This is the day of great shame for Russia, the shame that the stunned dictator and his retinue brought to our country.” wrote Important Stories (IStories) founder Roman Anin (February 24). “In order to sit on their throne, in order to preserve their palaces, they are ready to kill innocent people in Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Mariupol and other cities of Ukraine. I have dozens of Ukrainian friends. Friends. I have no words to describe my pain and shame for everything that is happening now. This is not forgiven and yet - I'm sorry!” For his investigative reporting on the Panama Papers, Mr. Anin was honored with the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.
"We all gathered in the editorial office early today,” wrote Novaya Gazeta chief editor Dmitry Muratov (February 24). “We have grief.” Mr Muratov was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with Rappler co-founder Maria Ressa.
Update: An official notice from Roskomnadzor was sent to several independent Russian outlets demanding removal of the words “war,” “invasion,” and “attack” in reporting about Russian state military operations in Ukraine, noted St. Petersburg independent news portal Lenizdat (February 26). Lenzidat received the notification, along with newspaper Novaya Gazeta, radio channel Ekho Moskvy, TV channel TV Dozhd, The New Times and Mediazona. The news outlets were admonished for publishing "unreliable socially significant untrue information” about military actions and civilian deaths and threatened with being blocked, noted independent Russian exile news portal Meduza (February 26).
Sometimes a television series becomes an institution. This is rare. Every part of the TV ecosystem changes, from writers, producers and actors to viewers and distributors. The greatest disservice to that entire family is the all-too-frequent attempts to bring back a series that has run its course. There is a time to just let it go.
French television Plus Belle La Vie (PBLV - More Beautiful Life) is, perhaps, coming to a close, reported La Figaro (February 17). Public broadcaster France Télévisions, which has produced, through production house Newen, and broadcast the series since 2004, has confirmed the show will continue through December 31st. "After this date, the end of Plus Belle La Vie, whose audiences are declining, is a possibility. But it's not the only one,” said its statement, quoted by Le Parisian (February 19). (See more about media in France here)
PBLV is a semi-scripted drama/comedy with an ensemble cast. Longevity aside, it has notably taken on all subjects near to urban life in France, through four families living in the fictional Mistral district of Marseille. PBLV appears five evenings per week on France 3, roughly 260 episodes per year. Each episode is broadcast, generally, on the day of production. France Télévisions has thoroughly exploited the show with apparel, coffee mugs, DVDs, books and video games. There was, for awhile, a merchandise shop in Marseille. (See more about television here)
Its first two years were “chaotic,” as it competed with evening TV news. From 2006 through 2014 it was reaching about 5 million viewers nightly, peaking in 2008 at 6.5 million, as the writers integrated more timely subjects. But with competition rising the PBLV audience slid to under 3 million last year, cited by La Figaro as the main reason for its possible cancellation.
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