It is a curious tactic.....there's a discussion underway in the EU that it was a 'evil/bad' thing for Russia's Putin to be interviewed by Tucker Carlson (American journalist). So they'd like to condemn Carlson, and set into motion some 'forbidden-to-enter' the EU.
I sat and paused over the chatter.
First, there is no listing of world leaders which guides EU or non-EU journalists on who to interview, or who is considered 'Hitler-like' (thus forbidden).
Even if you asked the EU to develop such a listing....with their past history, it'd take three years to get the first name on the list approved by the membership.
Second, for two years....Ukraine's Zelenskyy has wandered around Europe and given probably 300 interviews to just German journalists. Just guessing, but for Italian or French, or Dutch journalists....it's probably in the 200 to 300 range each.
It's reached a level in Germany where probably a quarter of the public is not pro-Ukraine or pro-Zelenskyy....wanting no further views of Zelenskyy. I'm not saying this group is pro-Russia or pro-Putin (even though German public TV hints of that)....it's just people no longer see the war in the same light as they did in the first 30 days.
Is watching a 90-minute interview of Putin dangerous? Well....most Germans (maybe Dutch and Italians as well) are generally skeptical of any BS given to them....even by their own journalists, politicians, religious leaders, or scientists. If you put a BS-button on your remote and you could record a BS-level on some news piece....it'd probably go off at least once or twice during the nightly news.
Do I see this sanctions chatter as having value? Yes...for the next month...rather than get onto the idea of regulating toilet seats, or setting portion limits on mustard, or setting a standard police siren for all of the EU....they can go and spend countless hours discussing whatever BS that Putin opened up about and the absolute evil nature of that Carlson guy.
Finally, to this odd factor....the EU election is about 100 days away, and typically.....it's a quiet period, with no real ruckus to set up the dynamics of the votes. It would be fairly stupid to create this mechanism where people are thinking about their choices and whether they are pro-Putin or anti-Putin, or pro-war or anti-war.
As I've said....probably a quarter of the German population isn't that happy over events created in the war....the inflation....the cost of energy....or the invented solutions to make up for a loss of natural gas. Whether Putin speaks or not....folks have a crappy feeling.
If Carlson is sanctioned or forbidden entry? Who will be next on the list?
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Isn't he the same bloke that said he thought Trump was retarded? Or was that some other talking head/fake journo?
One of the meme's circulating shows Putin being interviewed by various western journalist, Barbra Walters, Charlie Rose, George Stephanopoulos.
Tucker Carlson made a comment on Trump...more or less...that he disliked Trump but not laying out a full list. My impression...the continual theatrical show that played out on opposition to changes he wanted to bring.
When you get down to interview podcasts...there's just Rogan and Carlson presently...at the 'top'. They both know how to interview people (something you see rarely these days, with 'puff' piece interviews).
This hype or fake-worry being generated that people will listen to Putin? The minute Putin says something over Ukrainian Nazis (constant thing in 2022), most people (except Russians) are amused. So I would question what can come of value in some interview. One oddity, Putin is one of the few folks who could sit there for three hours and answer general questions, without looking stupid or requiring rehearsed Q-and-A.
Rogan and Carlson know how to have a nod-along conversation. They rarely prepare themselves with counterfacts or challenge/grill their guest. But that's not the model now, and it's also not journalism.
It's a conversation.
Same way with Trigonometry (out of the UK), Danny Jones, 1420, Joe Blogs, Robert Sepehr, Lex Fridman, Darkhorse, and Dr John Campbell....all conversations....taken at face value.
To be honest, I don't think any word yet fits (beyond conversations).
I'll admit...at least once a month, I watch Yeonmi Park, who only talks over North Korea (a place I will never travel to in my life). I watch it because almost no journalist will touch the topics.
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