Watching the tragic events in Ukraine unfold in real time demonstrates the incredible responsibility of the American media to ensure that the truth about the unwarranted invasion continues to be told. A well-planned attack by a nuclear superpower on a small sovereign nation that posed no military threat is nothing less than a criminal act. It’s not Ukrainian weapons that Russia is afraid of, it’s the Ukrainian people’s desire for democracy and commitment to freedom that terrifies the autocrats next door.
The patriotism of the Ukrainian people is an inspiration to individuals and nations around the world. The ferocity with which they repelled the Russian invaders shocked many of us. But reality guns and Molotov cocktails will only hold back armored columns and airstrikes for so long. Putin is so far off now that he will stop at nothing to subjugate his former subjects. The Ukrainians will undoubtedly continue to fight as long as there is a Russian tank left in the country. The prospect of a prolonged guerrilla war between the Ukrainian resistance and the Russian occupiers is very real.
Such a war is likely to cause further damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure and, more importantly, should anger the Russian people who will be forced to pay the price in rubles and lives for this misguided aggression. And such a war should not only be remembered, but strongly supported with weapons and humanitarian aid by freedom-loving people here at home and around the world. The question I ask myself is, do we have the attention span and gut strength to do it?
In an age where public opinion is shaped by 140-character posts and 30-second videos, we tend to tire of the really important questions. Are we going to get bored with the parody of Ukraine in a few weeks and allow Putin and his cronies to do whatever they want with this nation and its people? Will we be so upset with the price we have to pay – higher energy prices and further supply chain disruptions – that we demand that our political leaders end economic sanctions against Russia ?
Or do we have the commitment to defend the freedom this nation was built on to suffer minor inconveniences – none of which come close to what Ukrainians are going through – to keep squeezing the Russian economy until its own people say to Putin “enough is enough?”
I hope it’s the latter. And I hope that the American media industry, which has done an incredible job of covering the war so far, will continue to focus on developments in Ukraine and in a way that inspires America and the world to pay attention and act.
And if you don’t think a free press is an essential part of a free nation, look no further than these examples propaganda that Putin expects the Russian people to swallow.
Beyond news outlets covering the invasion virtually 24/7, I have watched carefully and am encouraged by how the media and tech entities are collectively stepping up to help Ukraine. It goes a long way, and it goes a long way – encompassing media-related sanctions, banning business with Russia, carrying out offensive cyberattacks on state-run media, and carrying out humanitarian efforts to help Ukrainians.
On the broadband side, Liberty Global offers free calls and texts from Europe to and from Ukraine, as well as free data to customers currently within the country’s borders. Polish Liberty employees are raising funds for the refugees which will be matched by UPC Polska, its Polish telecommunications operation, and donating supplies to the refugees.
Verizon and Astound Broadband are both waiving domestic and international calling charges for their customers in Ukraine; Verizon is also waiving text roaming charges and encouraging customers to donate to the International Rescue Committee for emergency supplies.
Taking a page from the EU’s playbook, which announced it would ban all Russian-sponsored media, DirecTV and Roku removed Kremlin-funded state broadcast network RT from their US lineups from March 1. Comcast-NBCUniversal’s IMD (International Media Distribution) told its US pay-TV distributors that it was removing its Russian-language channels. Discovery and WarnerMedia suspended Russian channel broadcasting and business with Russia this week.
The New York Times, Bloomberg, Netflix, Amazon/Amazon Prime Video and TikTok have followed several major networks in pulling out or ending service to Russia. The news divisions of CNN International, ABC, CBS, BBC and CBC cited the safety of their embedded journalists and a new law passed by the Russian parliament allowing for 15-year prison sentences for anyone accused of broadcasting anything. that Russia considers “false” information in the country. .
The NAB has shown its solidarity by urging broadcasters carrying Russian-sponsored programs to drop the limited amount they are offering. NATPE said it would ban Russian companies from its upcoming international television sales market in Budapest, and Brunico Communications’ parent company Realscreen said it would suspend business relations with Russian-based companies until that Russia cease its aggression against Ukraine.
On the Big Tech front, Facebook parent company Meta said last week that it would block access to RT and Sputnik across the European Union, and that it had applied algorithmic media restrictions. Russian state officials to prevent it from appearing so prominently in user feeds. Google and YouTube have said they won’t allow Russian state media to run ads or monetize their content (although this week Google and other platforms were called out for continuing to invest in advertising on many websites that promote Russian disinformation). Twitter announced plans to “reduce visibility and amplification” of content from Russian state media.
Microsoft has downgraded search results from Russian state-sponsored sites and banned all advertising from RT and Sputnik on its advertising network. Apple and Microsoft have removed RT apps from their app stores, and Apple has announced that it will no longer sell its products in Russia.
Russian attacks on Ukraine continue to destroy infrastructure and the damage has disrupted internet access in Ukraine. After a government official publicly advocated for Starlink satellite internet access for the country, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk agreed, activating Starlink service in Ukraine and sending additional hardware.
The internet and other tech companies have been aware of – and fighting against – the dark world of cybercrime in Russia for decades. Cyberspace has become the real battleground, and perhaps even more sustained than what is happening on the ground in Ukraine.
Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) has detected a new series of “offensive and destructive cyberattacks” on Ukraine’s digital infrastructure that began several hours before the physical attacks began on February 24. Microsoft President Brad Smith reminded readers in a blog post that the company has long advocated creating a Geneva Convention to govern cyberspace. Meanwhile, Ukraine is openly calling for a “computer army,” and loosely organized groups including cyberpartisan and global hacking alliance Anonymous are answering the call, claiming responsibility for disabling a host of Russian and Belarusian government websites and the hacking of pro-Russian ransomware groups. .
I am heartened that the media industry is willing to forgo revenue in order to support all efforts to end Putin’s madness. This is more important than just getting a country like Russia to drop its foolish notion that it can take any country it wants, impose its brand of “democracy” on the world and allow a madman leading a superpower to rule, without consequences. If we don’t draw the line here, what’s next?
Joe Annotti is President and CEO of Media Financial Management Association and his BCCA subsidiary, the media industry credit association. He can be reached at [email protected] and through the association LinkedIn, Facebook, instagram and Twitter accounts.
