Information shapes the world we live in, and the West and Russia seem to live in a completely different media world right now. Who says we are not in a propaganda bubble?
War is usually unpredictable, but in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in recent months one thing has proved certain:two almost completely different readings about exactly the same events. For example, when Ukrainian sources reported that a maternity hospital in Mariupol had been bombed by Russia (which was also confirmed by photographers from the international news agency AP, satellite images, the World Health Organization and the United Nations), Russia was quick to say that the clinic was a legitimate military target. Among others, the ambassador of Russia in the Netherlands told on TV that Ukraine is carrying out war propaganda with actors who played injured patients.
Who do you believe? Journalists are attempting to separate the wheat from the chaff in the information forest, but in spite of this, the Western media also contains misinformation and misinformation about the conflict in Ukraine. Is our image of the war correct and can you find out whether you yourself live in a propaganda bubble?
Truth Guarantee
There is no one hundred percent truth guarantee in journalism, but there are a number of ways to test the reliability of information. Be the first to rely on the reputation of the media, says Huub Wijfjes, professor by special appointment in the History of Radio and Television at the University of Amsterdam. Look at media that are "traditionally" trusted and have a reputation for providing reliable news about controversial topics.
“For example, a newspaper can gain trust if it delivers the news according to a set routine,” he says. “This means, for example, that information is only presented as fact if it has been checked, that multiple (independent) sources have been used, that claims have been double-checked, but above all that it is clear how articles came about.” This principle of 'familiarity' can also be applied to individual journalists. You can probably trust the ones you know reported well before.
Should we trust the media with their blue eyes? Success in the past does not guarantee flawless reporting in the present, does it? Wijfjes mentions a number of other ways to control the media, such as approaching ombudsmen present in many media, starting a complaints procedure and the possibility to give reactions. “You can participate as a citizen and in many cases see how the journalistic process works,” he says. “Do people use it? That's verse two… Sometimes it's baffling to see that instead of taking advantage of their civil rights, people believe political figures like Donald Trump who claim that the media is fake and that there is some sort of top-down control," he says.
Of course, Ukrainian propaganda also reaches the West (see box below). In addition, PR forces from (Western) politics, business and sport play a role. “Journalists are free to fall for that,” says Wijfjes. “But this is different from 'management' from above. In fact, journalists have to be up to it, otherwise they won't do their job well. The fact that, despite the PR violence, I still see critical pieces in the media about companies and politics is a sign to me that we have a democratic news system.”
Different media may have a different approach or even a different view of the same news. That is also a sign of a democratic and free media, according to Wijfjes. "It is certainly not the dominant position in our coverage, but if you want you can defend the Russian position," he says. This is in contrast to the situation in Russia, where you can only speak of a 'special military operation' aimed at expelling 'neo-Nazis' from Ukraine. Calling the conflict a war is already punishable by a maximum prison sentence of fifteen years.
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TikTok War
Social media is also teeming with reports of the war in Ukraine, from reports from soldiers at the front to reports from civilians from the war zone. 'The TikTok War', as some have already called the conflict, after the social medium of the same name. Marieke Kuypers followed the reports from Ukraine and Russia, mainly on TikTok, and sees a lot of disinformation about the war. She then shares the fact checks that she does on the platform. “I saw explosions from conflicts from years ago, or even 'war images' from games,” she says. “Those images were zoomed in or darkened so that you could barely tell it was fake.” Some of those messages came from parties with an interest in the conflict, but it also came from individuals who simply took advantage of people's hunger for information.
Kuypers also noticed that TikTok feeds you with information that mainly fits your world view, a common criticism about social media. She has two TikTik accounts, one where she places her fact checks, among other things, and another where she detects fake messages and, according to herself, follows as many conspiracy theories as possible. That last account presented her with a fan video of Putin, something she wouldn't get on her other account.
Disinformation and conflicting messages can eventually lead to general doubt about information. "I don't think that many people in the West take Putin's whole story, but sometimes after the umpteenth confusing message you hear something like 'I don't know anymore, I don't trust anything anymore'," says Kuypers. “Or people then unfairly sit somewhere in the middle, as it were exactly between the two contradictory readings about a certain event. You can't actually do that.”
Asked about what you can do to get out of your 'information bubble', she says:"The series of messages you see is determined by an algorithm and shows you what the algorithm thinks you like. You follow certain people, but the order is partly determined by the amount of comments and likes. So you may wonder to what extent that bubble really belongs to you alone. Sometimes you can turn certain recommendations on or off, or let them know that you want to see certain things more or less. Also delve into the mechanisms of such a platform if you want to take back some power. Watch time and post sharing count. If you forward a video that really pisses you off to others, you'll likely get more of it. If you want more diversity in your feed, watch videos of people you wouldn't normally follow completely.”