Vladimir Pozner Interview on Frontline

There were a few points Pozner made in his PBS Frontline interview that I really liked. First of all, he pointed out the obvious fact that network television is a tool used by the government to promote what the government wants. Jeff Cohen, in Issues in the News class, mentioned Phil Donahue too. The United States really can't knock Putin for controlling network TV if Fox fired people who didn't agree with the Iraq War. Of course, from what it sounds like, Russians don't seem to care about other sides. They don't care about free press because they've never had it.

What I'd like to know is how much access to other sources of information do Russians actually have. Americans don't have to listen to Fox solely for information. We have billions of voices on the internet and other forms of media with different views. It sounds like whoever controls TV has the power; especially after hearing about the people who squashed the potential return of the Communist Party. That amazed me. But is this control because of media and press limitations in Russia, or is it only because the people don't try to find other answers? If they are happy with Putin, maybe they are not searching for someone saying he's wrong.

In a way, this isn't a terrible thing. In America, especially as a Journalism student, there's a lot of pressure to question, analyze, and always seek as many sides to one story as possible. We are supposed to be skeptical. I know that being educated grants us this freedom--the ability to be skeptical and try to make a difference--but just living happily might be okay too. I wouldn't mind a world where I wasn't required to read every page of the newspaper every single day and worry about what is going on in every corner of the planet. I won't take for granted that I have the ability to do so, but life was probably a lot simpler fifty years ago when the gatekeepers were less than ten.

Another thing I thought was interesting was when Pozner said, "I am not cynical, but I tend to have serious doubts that, deep down inside, they care about democracy in Russia; [they care] only in that they think a democratic country is easier to deal with than one that is not democratic."

I couldn't agree more. I've always wondered why the United States tries so hard to make everyone mimic their ways and their government. Clearly, we can't be these purely altruistic country who wants everyone to be as "happy" and "luxurious" as we are. We always have a motive. We are not perfect.