Having studied the Australian newspapers, I found out that their opinion is not really different in comparison with opinion of journalists from other countries. It is hard to say how much truth in their articles as in Russian mass media space there are many controversial statement son a given topic. I also found absurd articles with distorted information, but I think that the reason is in their source – the Russian television channel REN TV (there are known cases of information distortion for episodes). As for President V.V. Putin, he is treated with an unswerving respect, only sometimes pointing to his dubious attitude to the global warming. Thus, in the article devoted to President’s 67th birthday noted: «While boasting of his love for wildlife and eschewing hunting, unlike many Russian officials, Mr. Putin backs drilling for oil in the pristine Arctic and has cast doubt on global warming.» His opinion was also mentioned in the article about the 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, the girl who organized mass strikes to take action against the global warming. Putin described her as a kind but “poorly informed” girl. He also added “Go and explain to developing countries why they should continue living in poverty and not be like Sweden.” (Greta is from Switzerland).
Another topic that has been covered in many articles concerns the explosion of rocket engine in the Arkhangelsk region. According to the Russian sources, the tragedy claimed the lives of 7 people and there was noticed a short-term increase in the radiation level. Moreover, it was mentioned that there was nothing to fear for local population because the explosion wasn’t dangerous. In the Australian newspaper article, the number of victims also didn’t exceed 7 people, and it was the only common thing. It was noted that a gas cloud ejected as a result of explosion, and despite the statements of the Russian Ministry of Defense about the normal level of radiation, the meteorological service recorded its clear growth. The author of the article emphasized that Moscow suppressed claims about nuclear pollution, moreover, Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, expressed dissatisfaction with the independent Russian media, which are trying to «distort reality».
In the end, I would like to note that most articles express an objective opinion. In rare cases, you can find a clear distortion of information, but this is what makes you think about where the truth is.
The author of the article: Maistrenko Anna
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