Russia Revokes ABC's Credentials in Response to Inflamatory Interview

Russia has expressed outrage at a recent interview conducted by ABC, and in response has barred ABC journalists from working in that country. The interview with Shamil Basayev, a Chechen rebel leader of some renown, drew heavy criticism from the Russian state. They filed a formal complaint, have instructed officials not to cooperate with representatives of ABC, and have promised not to renew the credentials of any employee hailing from that organization. The President of ABC news expressed regret at the Russian reaction, but stopped short of apologizing for the interview.



I think this is an interesting situation. On the one hand, you have a news organization interviewing a mass murderer as though he was a TV chef, and on the other hand, you have a supposedly democratic state decommissioning the apparatus of a free press.

I don't know what will result from this disagreement, but I will be watching the situation carefully. It will certainly provide ammunition for those who claim Russia is reverting to it's roots, and may even prompt a response from the American government. I doubt a war will start over this, but it seems likely that diplomatic relations will be strained by this event.

[edit on 1/16/06 by FredT]

What would America and the President do if a Russian news network managed to get a interview with Bin laden for a documentary to air his points of view for a hour.

Then would ABC go an interview Bin Laden if they had the chance and protect his whereabouts and show that interview on American TV.

Think not some how.

But then again some America News networks scrape the barrel some times with their tasteless interviews and bias reporting. If I had shares in ABC I think I would have sold them due to my belief you do not deal with terrorists who ever they are.

Mr Putin is 100% right to throw ABC out (good on him)..

Now its up to ABC to go on air and apologize to the Russian People and the families of the dead this group has killed.

But that will never happen because they do not like admitting they got something wrong.
ABC 'cant you see you sometimes have to say No to some interviews and forget about viewing figures and ratings.

Anyone know what happened with this situation? Are ABC reporters still effectively banned from working in Russia?

It's so wierd how often stories like this surface momentarily and then disappear forever...

What I find funny is that if the US banned, say, BBC from the US for doing an interview with OBL, there would be a 400 page thread by now.

But if any other nation denys freedome of the press, no one cares.

Yeah, I'm kinda perplexed about the lack of interest regarding this story. I don't just mean ATS, but other sources as well. It seems to have just faded out without any closure. The story certainly seems important to me. I'm not sure how such a thing could happen and NOT make the evening news until it was resolved.

Originally posted by Masterspy
Then would ABC go an interview Bin Laden if they had the chance and protect his whereabouts and show that interview on American TV.

funny thing is.....they have interviewed bin laden on american TV, more than once and even on other networks....


[edit on 16-1-2006 by namehere]

As I was searching for news of a resolution to this issue, I found this interesting editorial. Very good read in my opinion, though I don’t endorse the author’s opinion’s necessarily, they are delivered in an entertaining way. It’s short, and the author quotes Ted Koppel, what more do you want?

Link

As "Nightline" host Ted Koppel rightly pointed out on the air: "Freedom of speech is never an issue when a popular person expresses an acceptable point of view. It is of real value only because it guarantees us access to the unpopular espousing the unacceptable."

This next article from the BBC says that the issue was somewhat resolved, in that ABC would be able to remain and work in the country. But...

Also a Link
"Today I have given the order to the head of the press service that not one serviceman of the defence ministry should have contact with the American television channel ABC," Mr Ivanov said in televised comments.

"We will continue to act openly with the press, but this channel will not be invited to the defence ministry and no interviews will ever be given to it.

"This channel is now persona non grata for the defence ministry and is an outcast."

Pretty strong language. Pretty pointless too, but who am I to judge?

On the other side of the coin, I’ve noticed since this whole affair began, ABC’s reportage has become slightly more adversarial in regards to Russia. Maybe I just never noticed it before, but everytime I read an ABC article about Russia, I think to myself “ROWWWR, pussycat, retract those claws.”

A somewhat recent ABC write-up of the Ukraine gas dispute springs to mind, as being particularly acidic. There was also a piece a little while ago about lost nuclear material, that came off the same way. Just this morning there was a story about deaths in Russia due to extreme cold.

(I'm not going to fill the page up with links, if you're interested in seeing for yourself what I'm talking about, a simple internet search should provide more than enough links, and you can compare and contrast articles from more than six months ago with more recent articles. I've noticed a shift, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's there.)

And have you noticed how ABC articles talking about the war in Iraq constantly use the term ‘Russian Made’ in describing the weapons used by insurgents? I understand that many of the arms, if not most, being used were produced by Russia but this seems a bit much. Have they always done that?

I could very well be mistaken, but I get a chuckle regardless. It really does seem like feathers have been ruffled on both sides, resulting in a lot of squawking.

Those are actually great observations WyrdeOne, and really put to light the power that the media really has. They have genuine GLOBAL political sway.

You # with them, and they can # with you. As the media becomes more and more centralized, they become more and more powerfull. Imagine if all 4 major US news outlets had the same experience in Russia. In short notice, you'd believe that the cold war was back in action after hearing every time a US soldier died it was beause of a Russian weapon. That's not to say it is right or wrong, as frankly it IS true that most weapons used by the insurgency are Russian while it is also true that a great number of these weapons come from several degrees of seperation from Russia.

I cant really decide which "side" I should take on this, because I can honestly say I see both sides POV. I can't really blame ABC for taking the story, but if they took the same one with OBL I'd call them traitors to the US if they did not give up his location.

For once, I don't know exactly where I stand.

They have genuine GLOBAL political sway.

No doubt. Another great example of this was the (somewhat) recent revolution in Ukraine. There was so much going on there, in terms of the media shaping perception, it's not even funny.

..frankly it IS true that most weapons used by the insurgency are Russian while it is also true that a great number of these weapons come from several degrees of seperation from Russia.

Yeah, it's absolutely true. That's what's so great about being the media, you don't have to report lies to effect public/political opinion, you just have to report truth selectively and repetetively. This is exactly what the media does. The key to retention is repetition, when it comes to advertising. Advertising a mentality is essentially no different than advertising a candy bar, the same exact principles apply. Selling a candy bar doesn't require lying, it requires an aptitude for NOT focusing on the bad (diabetes, addiction, obesity, tooth decay) truths when 'reporting the truth.'

Now, saying they don't have to lie doesn't mean they can't, or won't. Fox went to court to defend its ability to lie to consumers, and it won (on appeal I think). I can't look at the news as objective anymore. Politics and Business were cousins, and they mated (they shouldn't have done that). The MSM is the incestuous offspring of that union.

I cant really decide which "side" I should take on this, because I can honestly say I see both sides POV. I can't really blame ABC for taking the story, but if they took the same one with OBL I'd call them traitors to the US if they did not give up his location.

For once, I don't know exactly where I stand.

A good default 'side' is common interest. A truly free press helps everyone equally (at least in the long run). Obviously that ideal is a long way from realization, but the ideal itself is virtuous I think.