Date: Sat 08 Nov 08
From: Robert Bruce Ware (rware@siue.edu)
Subject: re Georgia Claims on Russia War Called into Question, (NY Times, 07 Nov)
Mr. C. J. Chivers deserves much credit for his integrity in scrutinizing his own previous reporting of the Russia/Georgia war (“Georgia Claims on Russia War Called into Question, NY Times, 07 Nov., JRL 2008-203) Nearly all major western news organizations made similar mistakes in covering that war. They began with the presumption of unwarranted Russian aggression, ignored all facts to the contrary along with anyone who attempted to present them, and accepted pronouncements and interpretations of Georgian officials without careful investigation. The result was lopsided journalism and outright falsehoods, which misled the public and paved the way for further policy errors by western leaders, particularly in the United States. Hence, considerable responsibility for the recent decline of Russia’s relations with the West can be laid at the door of organizations such as the NY Times. Thus far the Times is unique in its movement toward accepting some small measure of that responsibility.
However, three months ago, the first article that the NY Times published on the Russia/Georgia war (which did not list Mr. Chivers as a contributor) was relatively balanced. NY Times reporting did not become irrationally anti-Russian until Mr. Chivers contributed to the second article published on the war by the NYT. All subsequent articles to which Mr. Chivers contributed continued in this erroneous vain. Hence, Mr. Chivers bears some measure of personal responsibility, a responsibility which his most recent article entirely neglects to examine. He now has an obligation to accept that responsibility as did Times reporter Judith Miller, in the aftermath of her disinformation concerning WMDs in Iraq.
Mr. Chivers has a lengthy and unfortunate history of biased, blame-Russia-first reporting in the Caucasus, and it is long past time that he was relieved of those duties.
Yet, of course, the deeper problem goes well beyond Mr. Chivers and the NY Times, and encompasses nearly every other major western news outlet.
In the early 1990s, many Russians held the United States and Western Europe in high esteem. They eagerly sought our economic and political advice. In a spirit of cavalier triumphalism we sent them corrupt advisors who criminally misled and looted them. In 1993, we supported Boris Yeltsin when he shelled his own democratically elected legislature. Then we broke our promises about expanding NATO eastward toward Russia’s borders, along with other provisions for our military hegemony. Beginning in these years, and running up to the present we took a ludicrously simplistic view of problems in the North Caucasus. We took a similarly limited view of the struggles between legitimate Russian authorities and the obscenities of oligarchic rule, many of which we had previously enabled.
As a result of all this, we have managed to turn a willing friend into a powerful enemy. We deserve to reap what we have sowed. I hope that Mr. Chivers will now find the integrity to lead us toward that bitter harvest.