A case of Western propaganda

That is the current Spiegel cover. Spiegel is the most successful German weekly news magazine.

It reads "STOP - PUTIN - NOW!" and pictures deceased passengers of the commercial air plain famously shot down in Ukrainian air space.

I am no Russian sympathizer. I am no sympathizer of Putin.

But this cover is cock button.

From what I know the state of things is still that most likely Pro-Russian forces accidentally shot down an civilian plain. That is a text book example of collateral damage. It may demonstrate the amateurish disorganization of the Pro-Russian rebels - but that is hardly a surprise. They are rebels, after all.

From where I stand this cover is saying (paraphrasing) "PUTIN BAD, PUTIN EVIL, LOOK INNOCENT VICTIMS, EVIL PUTIN !!!111!!!"

"E V I L !!!"

I don't think I am laying it on thick here. See there are certain papers renowned for such covers. They are called yellow press.

Here is a random example of German yellow press.



Big letters, sensational headline. I think we all know the type. Yellow press is about making causal things big stories. Where content lacks, projected hyperbolic emotions are making the news. It is the lowlife of news.

Now I understand that the shot-down of the airplane is no casual thing. It is pretty spectacular in itself. However - what is casual is that civilians get accidentally shot dead in a war zone. That is just war. Messy, dirty - that is casual war to you.

But there has been an on-going trend to try to capitalize on this accident. And this cover is the prime example of propaganda from where I stand.
It shows how a respectable German news magazine - "the" German news magazine - degrades itself to a piece of low-life original yellow press running a smear campaign.

As said, I am in no Pro-Russian camp. In deed, for several reasons I have nothing but contempt for the Pax Putin.
But this is actually shocking to me. I have already grown used to smear campaigns related to the shot down Dutch air plain. But in this case a supposedly respectable German news magazine drops all pretends and goes full yellow press on Putin.

....

I lack words to adequately judge it. It shames me for the German media landscape.

So now the Spiegel is another rag?

(of course it should be noted that the Spiegel's cover at 9/11 2001 was a quote by... Nostradamus 'two brothers, torn by hatred' ).

It seems most western papers are pitiful by now. Surely is the case here as well.

Infamously and interestingly - fairly recently former yellow press employee Nikolaus Blome became the vice chief editor of Spiegel. Got a lot of angry letters by Spiegel readers. Because the piece of yellow press he used to work at was "Bild", notorious for its disastrous journalistic quality (and just that paper which is pictured in the OP as the show case example of yellow press). I wonder if this is his legacy.
Especially because "Bild" officially sees itself committed to the USA.

I've been reading the Times quite a lot recently here in the UK. I get it free with my shopping at Waitrose and I get it primarily because it has a lot of Crossword and Sudoku type puzzles in it. I wouldn't get it for any other reason. The standard of reporting is dire and there's an insane amount of bias.

And this is a well respected broadsheet, not a tabloid.

REDY said:

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Wow...

It should be noted that british tabloids are hardly the most reputable.

Thanks Redy - quit illustrative

I remember laughing at America for their ridiculous campaigns back in the era of Bush and 9/11.
Now I am seeing it at my door step. Sickening.

That only solidly confirms what I thought since some time - public media needs some serious independence legislation. The free market of public opinion is laughable.

By the way - "Der Spiegel" was called the "Sturmgeschütz der Demokratie". Literally meaning the assault gun of democracy. It really isn't just any magazine.
Or rather.
It was not.

So has Putin sealed up Time's Man of the Year award yet or what?

Good occasion to find Time's Worst Man of the Year award

You gotta admit, "Assault Gun of Democracy" is a pretty badass title.

/Germans

I just realized that I said "cock button" instead of rock button. I feel weird.

^And, at that, you might mean "rock bottom."

"cock button" really had puzzled me.

REDY said:

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Wow British CFCers, you need to explain yourselves on this one .

Gori the Grey said:

^And, at that, you might mean "rock bottom."

"cock button" really had puzzled me.

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I wanted to post a youtube video of an embarrassed laugh but when I hit

Kate Middleton Topless Photo EXCLUSIVE

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I gave up.

Now Gori,
If I said that the way I expressed myself was a very old and established form of English - would it change anything?

Much as I hate Putin, he didn't do this. His rebels did, and then on accident, and while it's still criminal incompetence, we shouldn't be blaming him for this. No, there are many other things to hate him for.

I'll admit that I'm kinda satisfied to see that even the Germans aren't perfect, though. Much as I like and admire Germany, it's kinda grating to see them act like they're uniquely immune to making the mistakes their favorite punching bags the Americans make.

Terxpahseyton said:

Infamously and interestingly - fairly recently former yellow press employee Nikolaus Blome became the vice chief editor of Spiegel. Got a lot of angry letters by Spiegel readers. Because the piece of yellow press he used to work at was "Bild", notorious for its disastrous journalistic quality (and just that paper which is pictured in the OP as the show case example of yellow press). I wonder if this is his legacy.
Especially because "Bild" officially sees itself committed to the USA.

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Blomer is the reason I'm a bit sad and disappointed, but not genuinely surprised about this.
Such a shame. The Spiegel just got over a stupid liberal period. I've even bought a couple of issues this year.

Phrossack said:

I'll admit that I'm kinda satisfied to see that even the Germans aren't perfect, though. Much as I like and admire Germany, it's kinda grating to see them act like they're uniquely immune to making the mistakes their favorite punching bags the Americans make.

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It is kind of hard to not come off as a condescending jackass if almost everything that is wrong with Germany is even worse in the USA