THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN HELPING THE WEST ACCEPT DEFEAT IN UKRAINE
Ukraine has run out of men, equipment, munitions, transport and supplies, the war is more or less lost, but the Mainstream Media is holding back on an honest debate with the public.
It’s no good labelling Putin a monster or the second coming of the moustachioed or accusing him of wanting to rebuild the Russian Empire or claiming sanctions will wreck the Russian economy or insisting that Ukraine can retake all land lost since 1991 or insisting on the strategic defeat of Russia.
Fact is, this war is un-winnable and the media should be supplying the information to support a wholesome, open discussion of alternatives to current military and economic strategies. The MSM needs to fulfil its traditional role in a democracy of helping to adapt the public to reality by generating options for debate.
This war cannot be won and was wrong-headed from the get-go. Progress and prosperity need global peace and stability and we need to adapt to the reality of defeat before it's too late.
SUMMARY
1. Are Western media outlets asking tough questions about the West's current strategy in Ukraine, or is dissent being suppressed?
2. Is the mainstream media failing to honestly discuss whether Ukraine can realistically win the war with the current levels of Western support?
3. Should the media encourage a public debate about alternative strategies, including negotiations, as Western military and economic support wanes?
A RANGE OF QUESTIONS
Here are some questions that the mainstream media could be discussing in order to smooth the process towards adaption and acceptance of defeat.
Are we asking enough hard questions about the West's current policy in Ukraine - we surely don’t want a repeat of the Iraq war experience when Western media failed to question the WDM claims?
Are we allowing a fair and open debate on Ukraine, or is challenging Western strategy being dismissed as defeatist or pro-Russian?
Are we overlooking the need to question whether the war in Ukraine is actually winnable, given the power of Putin’s Russia as demonstrated every day on the battlefields?
Are we scrutinising these claims of Western invincibility enough, because sanctions seem to have backfired badly on Europe and if it came to a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia it is by no means obvious that NATO could prevail and there would likely be a World War 3 with the threat of nuclear escalation?
Why isn’t the possibility of a defeat on the battlefield for the West being discussed more in mainstream forums, we can see Russia’s capacity and the depletion of Western military supplies?
Why are we avoiding deeper discussions on whether current strategies are sustainable, and instead pushing optimistic narratives, this stops us from developing compromise strategies or ways of preparing and managing defeat and risks making the final shocks even more shattering?
Wouldn’t it make sense to rethink whether retaking all of Ukraine, including Crimea, is realistic, fact is there is no clarity on the West’s war aims beyond backing Ukraine “for as long as it takes” - takes what?
How realistic is it for Ukraine to win with current Western support levels unable to match Russia's, not in troop numbers, not in equipment and not in munitions?
Scholz has suggested negotiations, why is this not being seriously considered or discussed by other Western leaders or in the MSM?
Are we being honest about the likelihood of victory, given that Ukraine’s Western allies may not have the capacity to continue supporting the war indefinitely?
What alternative approaches should Western leaders consider, given that the current strategy is not enough to achieve victory?
Are journalists asking these tough questions needed to hold leaders accountable in honest discussions about Ukraine’s future? The media is crucial to informed debate and adapting public opinion to reality, why isn't it happening, why are we stuck in a bubble of propaganda.
Who is responsible for handicapping debate? Is it the Mainstream Media or the politicians?
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