G7 to consider mechanism to counter Russian 'propaganda'

Yeah! Let's get down on that Russkey propaganda! Maybe China too! How dare they try to make us look in a mirror! Then, once we have them thoroughly chastened and polite, all we have to do is figure out what to do about the equally squalid lies the G-7 pushes regarding Russia and China...

The Group of Seven richest countries will look at a proposal to build a rapid response mechanism to counter Russian "propaganda" and disinformation,

By...creating propaganda and disinformation...

The Group of Seven richest countries

Hey, where is China?

Merriam Webster defines propaganda (not in caps) as: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person; and ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause.

Truth is the most powerful weapon. How can you lose an information war with the truth? If the truth is on the side of G7, then why are they afraid of Russia and China?

The way China promoted the unscientific lockdown strategy was something that should have been dealt with more effectively but you have to be careful you're not just going to end up with different propaganda...

The multiple studies that show lockdowns (and other social distancing measures) have an important effect interrupting the spreading of the disease are not based in any way on chinese information. You can completely eliminate anything China has to say about it and it would not make any important impact on the current consensus.

What?

The British Foreign Office has been sponsoring covert disinformation campaigns against Russia by the BBC and Reuters for years:

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have sponsored Reuters and the BBC to conduct a series of covert programs aimed at promoting regime change inside Russia and undermining its government across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to a series of leaked documents.The leaked materials show the Thomson Reuters Foundation and BBC Media Action participating in a covert information warfare campaign aimed at countering Russia. Working through a shadowy department within the UK FCO known as the Counter Disinformation & Media Development (CDMD), the media organizations operated alongside a collection of intelligence contractors in a secret entity known simply as “the Consortium.”

Through training programs of Russian journalists overseen by Reuters, the British Foreign Office sought to produce an “attitudinal change in the participants,” promoting a “positive impact” on their “perception of the UK.”

“These revelations show that when MPs were railing about Russia, British agents were using the BBC and Reuters to deploy precisely the same tactics that politicians and media commentators were accusing Russia of using,” Chris Williamson, a former UK Labour MP who attempted to apply public scrutiny to the CDMD’s covert activities and was stonewalled on national security grounds, told The Grayzone.

https://thegrayzone.com/2021/02/20/reuters-bbc-uk-foreign-office-russian-media/

This is a really interesting article that clearly shows the links between MI6, Alexei Navalny, The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), BBC, Reuters, Bellingcat and the efforts of the Integrity Initiative to spread propaganada and escalate tensions between the West and Russia.

The way China promoted the unscientific lockdown strategy was something that should have been dealt with more effectively but you have to be careful you're not just going to end up with different propaganda...

Did China also promote the lock downs used during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic? The strategies were much the same, with restaurants, theaters, gyms, and yes even indoor church services banned. Masks were required in many big US cities. In fact there is an interesting scientific study out there if you are interested comparing the outcomes of the San Francisco lock down with the much longer one used in Los Angeles. Those dastardly commies weren't even in power in China back then. Musta had a time machine!

Truth is the most powerful weapon. How can you lose an information war with the truth? If the truth is on the side of G7, then why are they afraid of Russia and China

China especially and Russia too are trying to tell the world that single party dictatorships like theirs are the future. They assert that democracies are unable to cope with the demands of a changing world and are failures. That is their story. Those of us who live in democracies know this is tripe but what is our story? What do we tell the world? Back during the Cold War there was very much a competition for hearts and minds. We had a story to tell about the social and economic superiority of democratic governance, guaranteed rights and a free market economy (even as the Brits were resolutely socialist until the 1980s). The Soviets and their allies pitched communism. Today we have a similar challenge coming from two big authoritarian states. The west has a story to tell and it is compelling but the lies coming out of China especially have to countered vigorously. In addition the west needs to get the word out to the Chinese that Xi Jinping is almost single handedly making relations with China worse and this will ultimately hurt China, but the door has to be left open to a resumption of good relations if Xi is dumped.

How dare Russia trying to expose our propaganda!!!

China says the West is a bully and that its leaders have a post-imperial mindset that makes them feel they can act like global policemen.

Yeah, well. Bullies tend to spout that they are the real victims. Remember that Austrian fella back in the 20s who made a career out of making out that Germans were victims of WW1. Like wumao of today, he referred to certain peoples as vermin and cockroaches. Like Xi, he found others to scapegoat while embarking on his bloody path to mayhem.

Sorry, a bit early in the day to be Godwinning, but Beijing really has some nerve.

China especially and Russia too are trying to tell the world that single party dictatorships like theirs are the future.

You mean like the Democratic party in the US these days? Btw, according to Wiki, Russia has a multi-party system, so your statement is not entirely correct.

During the civil rights movement of the 60's, the CIA spent a lot of money to label the peace, civil rights and social justice movements as "Russian and Chinese propaganda".

Btw, according to Wiki, Russia has a multi-party system, so your statement is not entirely correct.

@ Alex - Using that logic, Im certain you also believe North Korea is "democratic". If you look at Wilipedia, it says so in the name - Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Make no mistake - Russia is a totalitarian one-party dictatorship. That statement is correct. Any opposition is poisoned or goes "missing". It is an evil regime that hates freedom and despises democracy. Russia is no friend to any person or nation that has those values.

Nowhere in this silly article does it say exactly HOW they plan to combat Russian disinformation......

They should do less talking and more taking action. Especially with Japan, they speak about big games but no guts.

Alfie Noakes

The British Foreign Office has been sponsoring covert disinformation campaigns against Russia by the BBC and Reuters for years...,told The Grayzone.

The Grayzone is a Russian propaganda tool.

[Max] Blumenthal [who created The Grayzone website] has broadcast on RT (formerly known as Russia Today) on many occasions. In December 2015, during a trip to Moscow presumed by multiple sources to have been paid for by the Kremlin, Blumenthal was a guest at RT's 10 Years On Air anniversary party attended by President Vladimir Putin, then-Lieutenant General Michael Flynn of the United States and English politician Ken Livingstone. In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News in November 2017, Blumenthal defended RT against "the charge that it’s Kremlin propaganda." He has also contributed on multiple occasions to Sputnik radio, as well as to Iran's Press TV and China's CGTN. Blumenthal founded The Grayzone website a month after his visit to Moscow. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Blumenthal

Make no mistake - Russia is a totalitarian one-party dictatorship. That statement is correct. Any opposition is poisoned or goes "missing". It is an evil regime that hates freedom and despises democracy.

A lot of strong words and no substance or facts, just clichés. Typical western propaganda.

socrateosToday 03:38 pm JST

Alfie Noakes

The British Foreign Office has been sponsoring covert disinformation campaigns against Russia by the BBC and Reuters for years...,told The Grayzone.

The Grayzone is a Russian propaganda tool.

No, Blumenthal has appeared on Fox News but that doesn't make him a Trump supporters either. He's a Jewish American deeply critical of both Israel and America, and we all know what happens to people critical of Israel, like Jeremy Corbyn. The Gray Zone article is correct.

A lot of strong words and no substance or facts, just clichés. Typical western propaganda.

Poutine's minion spotted

Make no mistake - Russia is a totalitarian one-party dictatorship. That statement is correct. Any opposition is poisoned or goes "missing". It is an evil regime that hates freedom and despises democracy. Russia is no friend to any person or nation that has those values.

Don’t forget the journalists that were taken off elevators with more holes in their heads than they entered with.

The Russians and the Chinese are free riders on the Global order created by the West post WWII. They benefit from the system but contribute nothing to a rules-based world. In fact they are actively seeking to undermine it so they can expand their borders and intimidate their neighbors.

This is the fight of our time and the West must speak up and stand together, especially on Taiwan, the S. China sea and Ukrainian sovereignty.

Ask Russians and Chinese overseas especially in US , why? and if they are happy? or not.

@GtTokyo

Would be funny if you typed all that using a Chinese smartphone ))

Easier said than done when half of Americans believe everything coming from the Russian propaganda office.

Wobot:

The way China promoted the unscientific lockdown strategy was something that should have been dealt with more effectively but you have to be careful you're not just going to end up with different propaganda...

The harsh lockdowns worked - the Chinese are enjoying travelling within their country right now, while other countries whose leaders ignored the threat of a pandemic are suffering in misery.

I would call it "Putin Propaganda," rather than "Russian Propaganda." Without Putin, there would be no propaganda coming from Russian sources.

Pukey2: Chinese are enjoying travelling [sic] within their country

Maybe not for long:

China Rocked by Double Mutant COVID Strain As Nation Fears Fresh Outbreak

At a Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention press conference held in Beijing on Thursday, Wu Zunyou revealed the "Indian variant" had been found in "some Chinese cities," without elaborating. The news has sparked intense discussion online about stricter border controls amid the five-day Labor Day break beginning Saturday. The country where COVID-19 was first reported some 16 months ago is preparing to step up public health measures in order to allay fears of a fresh outbreak caused by the "double mutant" strain B.1.617.

https://www.newsweek.com/china-rocked-double-mutant-covid-strain-nation-fears-fresh-outbreak-1587419

And their friends next door:

Indian double-mutant COVID strain found in neighbouring Nepal as cases explode

Coronavirus cases in Nepal have exploded as the virulent Indian strain of the virus crosses the two neighbouring countries' open border. The surge in infections last week prompted the government to impose new lockdowns in major cities and towns, restricting the movement of people and vehicles and shuttering markets, offices and schools. Tens of thousands of people rushed out of Kathmandu to avoid the 15-day shutdown that began on Thursday. Nepal's ruling Communist Party has been embroiled in a power struggle for months, and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been criticised for his response to the crisis.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-03/nepal-india-double-mutant-coronavirus-outbreak-cases/100112568

1glenn: Without Putin, there would be no propaganda coming from Russian sources

Umm . . . no.

The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars; From propaganda posters to Facebook ads, 80-plus years of Russian meddling.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/russia-facebook-race/542796/

And

Inside Russia’s Secret Propaganda Unit; Newly discovered documents reveal the role of a secret Russian intelligence section called Unit 54777 in propaganda and espionage operations

https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/inside-russias-secret-propaganda-unit/

And

Cold War archive: How the USSR and U.S. battled each other with radio waves

https://www.rbth.com/politics_and_society/2017/02/17/cold-war-archive-how-the-ussr-and-us-battled-each-other-with-radio-waves_704218

And

In the 1980s, the CIA estimate that the budget of Soviet propaganda abroad was between $3.5 and $4.0 billion. Propaganda abroad was partly conducted by Soviet intelligence agencies. GRU alone spent more than $1 billion for propaganda and peace movements against Vietnam War, which was a "hugely successful campaign and well worth the cost", according to GRU defector Stanislav Lunev. He claimed that "the GRU and the KGB helped to fund just about every antiwar movement and organization in America and abroad".[FNs omitted]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_Soviet_Union

Nowhere in this silly article does it say exactly HOW they plan to combat Russian disinformation..

That is the purpose of the meeting.

All I can say is I have personally heard a former Colonel in the GRU with wide experience spying against the US and Chinese tell a group of us passionately that the US for all its faults is the best hope for the world. He was not the first high level Soviet/Russian defector I have personally heard say words like that. I have met a lot of refugees who fled the USSR/Warsaw Pact during the Cold War likewise express their gratitude for and love of the US. You haven't celebrated the 4th of July until you have done so with someone who fled Hungary during the 1956 uprising there.

Ultimately all dictatorships collapse in ruin. Their cough, cough, "leaders" live in great fear of their people knowing that unlike democracies where political parties and their politicians have a deep bench of ardent supporters, the dictator has almost no support outside their inner circle and usually their military/security forces. There is no popular support for them if things get tough. For the dictator the nanosecond they look weak they face popular uprising and are gone. They always look so invincible too, practically up to the day they are arrested and sent to a firing squad or the gallows.

Btw, what is interesting about meeting some of these defectors is that they believed their home country's propaganda until they started having contact with the west. Especially the spooks who did tours in western embassies under cover as diplomats. Working in the west they soon figured out all the things their governments told them were lies. Much the same is true of the Chinese and Iranians, most of who have at least one or two family members living in the US. They know the truth about the US and know what their governments tell them are lies. I think often they are less prone to believing their government's propaganda than outsiders are.

Pretty rich of the G7 to complain about "russian propaganda". Pot - kettle?

Western nations' govts themselves are responsible in this situation. They thought they were rulers of world after Soviet union dissolution