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As Putin Paves Way for Land War in Europe US Cable News Covers Basketball Brawl, Trucker Protest in Canada

Vladimir Putin just concluded a lengthy speech all but declaring war on Ukraine. While the Russian President was announcing he considers two regions of Ukraine are Russian colonies, MSNBC was covering a Michigan college basketball brawl, Fox News was covering its own ginned-up trucker protest in Canada, and CNN (at least) was covering the Ahmaud Arbery case.
Putin’s remarks were dangerous and telegraphed violence, as the Financial Times’ Moscow bureau chief Max Seddon notes:
They cut to the signing ceremony so fast I didn’t have time to tweet Putin’s final message – that Ukraine was behind the violence in the Donbas and would be held responsible for “ensuing bloodshed.”
This is only the beginning. The speech made it clear: war’s on the table.
— max seddon (@maxseddon) February 21, 2022
Meanwhile, most U.S. online media took its time to report the earth-shattering developments.
According to a Google News search, The Irish Times was first to report Putin’s remarks in an updated report: “Putin recognises two breakaway Ukraine regions as independent.”
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was the second, with an Associated Press report: “Putin recognizes independence of Russian-backed separatist regions in East Ukraine.”
USA Today was third with “Putin recognizes Ukrainian separatist regions Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.”
At least ABC News offered a special report:
.@ABC NEWS SPECIAL REPORT: Vladimir Putin intends to recognize two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
"It was a move leaders in the West had been most concerned about," @DavidMuir reports. https://t.co/0sKqrtYUPC pic.twitter.com/2RORZkR3Aw
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 21, 2022
International relations professor, political scientist, and CEO of the Rothkopf group, David Rothkopf commented:
Why did TV coverage cut away from the news (Putin talking) for the commentary? Were they worried Putin was too boring? But it’s the news.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) February 21, 2022
Attorney Luppe B. Lupen:
CNN cut away from Putin’s maximalist ‘we’re ready to reassemble the Russian empire’ speech because he’s taking too long to make Donbas news I guess.
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) February 21, 2022
Politico Defense Editor with a bit of a note of sarcasm on Putin’s remarks:
CNN, Fox and MSNBC have all cut away from Putin’s history lesson
— Dave Brown (@dave_brown24) February 21, 2022
Here’s an important short explainer from CNN’s Senior Global Affairs analyst Bianna Golodryga:
20+ min in, Putin makes his thesis clear: Ukraine was historically part of Russia, we share a bond. But today, due to consecutive interference from the West, intended to threaten Russia, Ukraine is governed from abroad. This can’t be allowed given the threat of nuclear weapons.
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) February 21, 2022
Disinformation, and Russian and Eastern European affairs expert Nina Jankowicz, who has “advised the Ukrainian government on strategic communications” according to her bio at The Wilson Center:
And from The Washington Post’s foreign correspondent in Moscow, Isabelle Khurshudyan:
And after everything, this Putin speech has nothing to do with NATO and everything to do with challenging Ukraine’s legitimacy as a state.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 21, 2022
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