Opinion | Russia-Ukraine war enables western fake news industries to blossom again

By Edward Hei Leung, LegCo Member

Numerous fake news flood into social networks and media platforms, given the recent Russia-Ukraine military conflict. Worse still, western countries actively indulge themselves into heartbreaking, mostly unjustified stories. In general, no one should glorify wars in which the right to life could be taken away. Yet, the malicious intents, both individual and national, pollute people's goodwills to stand with Ukrainians. Western leaders set agendas and manipulate opinions in favor of their geopolitical correctness, even though to a certain extent Ukrainian leaders create fake news.

Let us commerce with the so-called heroic deaths of 13 soldiers on Snake Island. As Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky added, those border guards were given posthumous honors, whereas Russian defense ministry announced the voluntary surrender by 82 Ukrainian servicemen in the territory. The unanswered question remained heated, until two Ukrainian commanders, Ruslan Murenko and Alexander Molotokov, argued that their nation had abandoned them on the island. Hereafter, the country's navy suggested that their brothers-in-arms were alive and well. Is it justified, when it comes to a national leader using pseudo-deaths of his people to arouse others' emotion?

Another impressive story is about a mysterious top-class pilot nicknamed "the ghost of Kyiv" who had seemingly shot down six Russian enemy planes. A video clip displaying his or her aerial dogfight turn out to be artificially made, using Digital Combat Simulator, a free online video game.

Aside from the legendary, unclassified pilot, western media companies show their twisted values again, when reporting stories in Gorlovka. Citizens were evacuated daily to Russia, fleeing from Ukrainian attacks. A man said goodbye to his wife and daughter, with weapons in his hands, tears on his eyes. However, the original video filmed by Gorlovka Mayor Ivan Prikhodko was then reposted by a pro-Ukraine Twitter account, using the opposite narrative. What matters most is that CNN, New York Post, Daily Mail, to name but a few, do not apologize and clarify the reported content. Apparently, that violates media ethics. Why does the western world seldom criticize this kind of misbehavior?

In fact, the manipulation of public opinions using misleading information is not bounded to media partners, but also frequently applied by western administrations. On one hand, as reported by Politico, EU leaders claimed that they possessed very reliable evidence that China was considering military assistance to Russia. On the other hand, several US politicians, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki, have repeatedly warned Beijing of avoiding military aid to Russia. Their accusations are further elaborated by President Biden during his talk with President Xi Jinping. Yet, after their phone call, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that US has seen no recent evidence about China's military aid to Russia. That is to say, they help China to clarify what they previously accused. Is this storyline awful enough?

Basically, we can see how Ukraine and its western alliance become a one-stop fake news factory in line with their geopolitical correctness. No one knows how the war will end. The US, however, considers the military conflict as a precious chance to take down Putin administration. Its hidden agenda, together with media companies offering justifications, may not be conducive to peace talks. The more US gains from the war, the more Ukrainian lives have been killed. Again, standing with Ukraine does not equal aligning with the US agenda. The world has to realize the differences behind.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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