The truth, as the old cliché goes, was an early casualty in the war in Ukraine but it is also clear that mainstream journalism has died with it. The mainstream media was fatally wounded during the manufactured pandemic of 2020-2021 and beyond (it’s not over yet, folks) and has been administered the coup de grâce since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Barely a word of truth is uttered by the BBC, ITV or any of the controlled broadcasters over Ukraine and the mainstream newspapers simply follow suit.
I sense that TalkTV may not be the favourite news channel of our readers who probably think little of its mid-morning presenter Mike Graham. But, as I have said here before, the channel generally and Graham specifically, does give a weekly voice to the redoubtable Peter Hitchens who seems, uniquely amongst mainstream journalists, to ask the right questions about the war in Ukraine and to have the freedom to write about it in the Mail on Sunday. Despite that the paper continues to publish a one-sided version of the Ukraine war on its front pages about the brutality of Russian soldiers (I don’t doubt it but also doubt that brutality is the preserve of the Russians), the impossibility of Russia winning the war, Ukrainian victories (uniquely) and starstruck nonsense such as Cher’s representatives having to rescue a bear and other animals from zoos in Ukraine. This passes for news.
The Spectator has ventured to suggest that Ukraine casualties may be a tad higher than anyone imagines but also publishes articles in support of Ukraine’s proposed membership of NATO which, let’s face it, is pretty much one of the reasons the Russians invaded. The balance of reporting in The Spectator is biased towards Ukraine, with very little analysis of why Russia invaded or questioning whether there are any bad actors (including the president who used to, literally, be a bad actor) in Ukraine. Again, Hitchens has exposed these neo-fascists in Ukraine and only UnHerd has similarly given voice to this through its columnist Aris Roussinos. The shockingly poor quality of reporting from Ukraine and its one-sided slant has been a constant feature of Peter Hitchens’ comment and he was not slow to see the link between Covid censorship and apparent censorship over news coming out of Ukraine.
For a ‘Hitchens special’ on the war in Ukraine I urge you to listen to the second half of this interview with Mike Graham. Again, Hitchens bemoans the death of journalism over Ukraine. He refers to the death of a couple when Ukraine launched one of its attacks on the bridge between Russia and Crimea. The couple left behind a 14-year old girl who survived the attack but who is now orphaned. Google that in vain for any mention of this girl in the mainstream media; instead, read about it in the Israeli HAARETZ, The Indian Express and Gulf Today. Imagine the outrage if a story like that had emanated from Ukraine?
Hitchens refers to an excellent piece of investigative journalism (praise where it’s due) by the BBC Russia unit estimating the Russian casualties. They triangulated satellite footage of cemeteries with information from families who had lost men and identified a named 25,000 people, making this the minimum number for Russian casualties. Why, Hitchens asks, could they not do the same for Ukrainian casualties?
And, finally, reports of Ukrainian enthusiasm for the war are greatly exaggerated. Talk of willingness to die for their country, a fight to the death and reported massive public support amongst Ukrainians for the war (at least until the end of 2022) should be juxtaposed against the dismissal of Ukraine army recruiters willing to take bribes to allow men to avoid enlistment and reports of thousands of young soldiers deserting and fleeing to Romania along with men avoiding the draft. It seems they may not be as enthusiastic about the war effort.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn once asked, in his Nobel Lecture (never delivered) for One Word of Truth. It would be a breakthrough for the mainstream media if they uttered one word of truth about what war in Ukraine—a war which we seem keen only to perpetuate—is doing to the poor people of Ukraine.
Roger Watson is a retired academic nurse who lives in the UK.
He is currently engaged in a range of professional consultancies in the UK, Europe and China. He writes regularly for several outlets including The Daily Sceptic, The European Conservative, Country Squire Magazine and The New Conservative.
