Putin Remains The King Of Media… And Of Russia

While the world waits to see if an actual war will erupt between Russia and Ukraine, the communications battle continues. As one who owns a PR agency, and is married to a Ukrainian born, Russian-speaking wife who watches Russian TV daily, I have unique insight in this arena.

Ukrainians watch Russian TV - which is very pro-Putin and it makes it much harder to win the hearts and minds of Russian-speakers anywhere in the world. While Pro-Russian forces, over the past 10 days, have taken over more than a dozen government offices in 10 Ukraine cities, the story being told to the Russian people is completely different than that which we see in the West. Russian media speaks of being "on the verge of a civil war", and continually shows images of so-called Ukrainian acts of aggression. Anti-American messages are heard and the word of Putin is regarded as gospel.

As I said in The Huffington Post some months ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin is a Public Relations genius.  His domestic popularity is through the roof – and the Russian Premier pays considerable attention to the foreign media (perhaps more than to foreign government officials.)

As  Putin said this week during a call with President Obama "Russia retained the right to protect its interests and Russian speakers living in Ukraine if violence spread to eastern Ukrainian regions and the Crimea." He pointed to "real threats to life and health of Russian citizens and numerous compatriots living in that country."  He knows to speak that way to appear as a strong man to his audience.

A poll conducted by the Public Relations arm of the Euromaidan - together with the Agency for Social Research - of 4200 people found that 56.8% of Russians "support the introduction of troops into Ukraine." 52% of Russians answered in the affirmative in response to the question "Are you ready to be drafted into the army to carry out such a mission or send your child to war?"  The people support Putin – who carries on with his comments of 2005 that the collapse of the Soviet empire "was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century." Putin  continues to enjoy ample support from his people - and for a powerful leader most concerned with domestic affairs, that matters. 

Putin has shown himself to understand media - who can forget the September 2013 op-ed in the New York Times, which urged the American people to oppose a U.S. initiative for military strikes in Syria? He continues the theme of being a strong voice against America - protecting Russian honor.

Putin continues to march forward - This week alone, he threatened to start charging Ukraine in advance for natural gas supplies, and continued to justify Russia's military action to foreign media - as his troops move forward in Ukraine.  Yet, he continues to manipulate the media, and he is not likely to give up on Ukraine so quickly.

Putin is winning the media war in Ukraine and Russian hands-down, and he is scoring points internationally. His mastery of the media is sure to make it that much harder for America and the European Union to oppose him. Meanwhile, American PR firm Ketchum continues its contract with the Russian government, which has earned the firm over $55 million since 2006.

Ronn Torossian does not speak Russian – he does however love the spy TV show about Russians, The Americans.

Media Double Standards Against Israel

OpEd by: Ronn Torossian

Israel is so constantly subject to obscene double standards by the media, it reminds me of a touching scene from the movie Defiance, about Jewish partisans during the Holocaust where the prayer leader begs of G-d “Please, choose another people! We’ve run out of blood, so please choose another people.” When incidents which portray the truth about Israel – as the victim – they are often ignored by the media.  Two incidents this week which occurred in Jerusalem received zero mainstream media coverage, outside of the Israel/Jewish related media. If the shoe had been on the other foot there would have been wall-to-wall media coverage, United Nations condemnations, and who knows what else:

At the holiest Jewish site in the world, Jews dared to sing Hanukkah songs and pray – and for this were attacked by Muslim worshipers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sunday.  In Israel, which is often falsely condemned for “oppressing” Arabs, Jews were banned from praying at the site after the Muslims attacked them.  No media coverage surrounding any of this. (No calls from world leaders about this Palestinian Arab action creating a crisis for peace talks, or as an obstacle to peace.)  Imagine if Jews attacked Arabs while they were praying?

A two year old toddler, Avigail Ben-Zion, sustained serious head as the result of Arab terrorists throwing a three-pound rock through the window of the car her mother was driving in Jerusalem Thursday night.   A complete black wall of silence. Both of these incidents occurred in Jerusalem – and there was literally not one foreign or International news organization which covered either of these stories. Imagine if Jewish teenagers threw rocks at Arab toddlers?

Jews pray and Jews drive cars – and are attacked and the media ignores it. Media ignoring these incidents is simply insane. 

Bob Dylan wrote a song in 1983 called “Neighborhood Bully” which is a perfect description of today: “He's criticized and condemned for being alive. We are supposed to turn a blind eye while millions of Israeli citizens are in danger .He's not supposed to fight back, he's supposed to have thick skin, He's supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.” “The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land - He’s wandered the earth an exiled man - Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn -  He’s always on trial for just being born - He’s the neighborhood bully.”

Everything in Israel attracts undue media attention – except when Jews are harmed. A Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky had the answer when he wrote “Instead of Excessive Apology” in 1911: “We constantly and very loudly apologize…. Instead of turning our backs to the accusers, as there is nothing to apologize for, and nobody to apologize to, we swear again and again that it is not our fault… Isn’t it long overdue to respond to all these and all future accusations, reproaches, suspicions, slanders and denunciations by simply folding our arms and loudly, clearly and calmly answer with the only argument that is understandable and accessible to this public: ‘Go to Hell’?”  

This PR Agency owner says Israel needs to act in its best interest always and regularly – and sometimes forget about negative PR.

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, a leading independent PR Firm.