Each Wednesday,     Tim Carson shares 
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Tim Carson

 

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Wednesday Wonder
March 7, 2018

Another True/False documentary film festival in Columbia, Missouri has come to a close. The some 25,000 people who have travelled across the country and even the world are now finding their ways back home. And we are left to digest the gleanings from multiple films that addressed a plethora of topics.
 
One film that took me entirely by surprise was Our New President. I had assumed that it might explore the meteoric ascendancy of Donald Trump. But no, such was not the case. This was a long and deep look inside of the Russian propaganda machine, and what a machine it is.
 
Using stock footage from Russian media itself, the documentary presents how Russian propaganda is created and dispersed throughout the world. As a part of the story we were escorted into the Kremlin's central television station - and the closing of the last news outlet that presented anything other than the government's interpretation of all events. From the inside we were able to view exactly what has been aired to the Russian public. The distortion of reality was shocking. And of course Russian citizens have no other version available to them.
 
RT (Russia Today) is the most current technically savvy network created to interface with the rest of the world. It presents a non-stop stream of propaganda delivered via very smooth English-speaking broadcast anchors. RT was a primary go-to source for certain quarters of American social media during the last election. They quoted RT without knowing that they were channeling exactly what Russians hoped they would.
 
The combined mission of the state television station whose audience was internal - the Russian people - and RT broadcasting to the world, was to destroy Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama who were considered threats to Russia and at the same time elevate Donald Trump who was seen as friendly to Russian interests. These combined media sources presented Obama as an uncivilized president from the jungle and Hillary as a deranged woman cursed by the ghost of an unearthed Russian princess. On the other hand Trump was presented as a heroic figure who rose from the people and who was especially good with money and women. After Trump won the election tributes from rank and file Russian citizens were captured on film and they included comments about "Our new President." So the title of the documentary.
 
In the now iconic scene of Trump and Obama seated in the Whitehouse, passing the baton with a handshake, the Russian news commentator described Obama as a course beast and Trump resembling an English squire who just emerged from his manor house.
 
In addition to Russian television and RT the film took us inside the Russian Troll factories. These are office buildings with the windows blacked out. Hundreds work day shifts and are replaced by hundreds working the night shifts. Their singular purpose is to create misinformation, false news, fake websites, distorted news pieces that are strategically distributed wherever they can create division and dissention. During the election these constant releases hit American social media without restriction and were forwarded and tweeted throughout the dark corners of the web and passed on as legitimate. This is an authorized misinformation cottage industry. Western democracies are the intended targets. Though to the outside world Russia denies any interference, internally there is a wink and tacit admission that Putin steered the election one way as far as was possible.
 
In one telling informal video taken of the central director of Russian television he gives a lecture to journalists about how the word "propaganda" is so...old school. Facts are beside the point. What is important is doing what is necessary - internally and externally - to win. In short, it is war and a war that must be won. Truth and facts are merely subjective. Destroying enemies is the chief goal. And journalists were put on notice not to buck this ... or there would be consequences.
 
I shivered with the remembrance of Goebbels and his role as director of propaganda for the 3rd Reich. This is what happens when Fascism takes hold. The press is the first target. All opposition is silenced. Then the totalitarian state becomes the press. One of the greatest threats to democracy is eroding the 1st Amendment. That's exactly why our founders included protections for religion, free speech, a free press, and freedom of assembly.
 
All of our American intelligence agencies have verified that the story told by the documentary is exactly what is happening. Our leaders have been briefed and warned. And yet when I left the theater I encountered the news that though our State Department has been appropriated $80 million to do everything in its power to countermand all future cyber attacks on our country, our democracy, our forthcoming elections, exactly $0 has been spent to do that.
 
I am baffled. This is a clear and present danger. And yet...nothing.
 
This is one of those documentaries that present an uncomfortable truth. I didn't enjoy watching it one bit. But I'm glad I did. I'm even gladder that the last film of the festival I viewed portrayed the life and work of Mr. Rogers. I could breathe again: Won't you be my neighbor? Thank God.

 

@Timothy Carson 2017

 

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