Fabricated Statement Glorifies Russia’s Power

International security and military issues tend to attract a great deal of interest from readers, which often causes certain events or statements to be taken out of context, and to be colored in sensationalist colors. In this way, the more people click on the link, the more the advertising and profits of the people who abuse the media space increases. In the article we are reviewing there is a fabricated statement through which the power of Russia is glorified, writes Portalb.mk

Author: Shefkije Alasani

“Putin: Our Missile Arrives in 5 Minutes to Those Who Give Orders” is the title of the article we are reviewing, and it was published on 2 December 2 on the portal “Direct”, and was shared on Facebook on 27 January 2022 by the FB page “Diaspora Together”.

At first glance, the bombastic title and dramatic photographs are the main elements to attract attention. However, it is an unprofessional media product. The text we are reviewing does not contain the name of the author who worked on this “news” and that is contrary to journalistic principles. After each paragraph, the reader is required to click on the advertising link to read more. The release date of the content does not coincide with the date of the Facebook sharing. However, all these elements did not prevent the content from interacting highly. In just a few days, 104 people liked the Facebook post, about 115 others commented, and another 5 shared it on their profiles.

The sensational title that does not appear later in the text

The title of the content we are reviewing is very sensational and tendentious and at no point is quoted later in the text. Regarding the content of the text, a confusing approach is visible and it is incoherent.  The first paragraph reads: “Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned against sending NATO troops and weapons to Ukraine, saying it was a ‘red line’ for Russia and would provoke a strong response.” In fact, the text published in December refers to the statement of the Russian president given on 18 December a statement that was in the focus of the world media. In one article published by Reuters, “Putin says the West is crossing Russia’s ‘red lines.’ There is also an article by Aljazeera entitled “Putin accuses the West of taking Russia’s ‘red lines’ too lightly”.  The disturbing statements of the Russian president are discussed in detail in these two articles, but at no point is it quoted that Russia has a missile that reaches those who issue orders in 5 minutes.

According to international media, Putin made these statements during a televised appearance on Russian television, and not at an “investment forum” as claimed in the text we are reviewing. During the televised address, Putin spoke at length about Russia’s foreign policy and warned that Western strategic bombers carrying “very serious weapons” were flying 20 kilometers from the Russian border.

The last paragraph reads: “The Russian president said that the new hypersonic missile, which is expected to be launched by the Russian navy early next year, could reach its target at similar times. It will only take five minutes to reach those who issue the orders,” he said.

As mentioned above, from the review and analysis of the articles published in the world-famous media, there is no statement of the Russian president where the sentence “Our missile reaches those who give orders in 5 minutes” is emphasized. The author of the text either mistranslated the statement of the Russian president or deliberately misrepresented this statement in order to create tension and attract as many clicks as possible.

As for the topic of the new Russian hypersonic missile, it is another issue that has attracted the attention of the international media. On November 29, the world news agency Reuters published the article “Russia says the Zircon hypersonic missile hit target in latest test”, which explains Russia’s announcement of the successful test of the Zircon missile. The missile is said to have been fired from a warship in the Barents Sea and hit a naval target more than 400km away. The details of the latest test of the missile were announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense, and not by President Putin, as claimed in the text we are reviewing. Putin hailed the successful test and described it as an important event for the country (VIDEO: Min- 0.55), during a public appearance in December.

With articles of this kind, the mentioned medium creates fascination and favoring Russia. Russia’s military power is usually not part of a broad or in-depth analysis, the mention is often made out of context (related to any event – celebration, maneuver, statements by senior Russian government officials) and has no comparative elements or balanced narrative about the military power of other states. You can read more about this phenomenon at this link.

Distortion of facts and taking them out of the context of a statement is unacceptable in journalism. Such a procedure is contrary to the Code of Journalists which states:

• The journalist has the right to free access to all sources of information that are of public interest. The journalist must publish accurate and proven information and will not hide essential information or falsify documents. If the information can not be confirmed, or if it is a guess or speculation, it should be pointed out and announced. The accuracy of the information should be proven.

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