4 ms·

This was a very engaging, high effort piece of journalism from an org I've never heard of before. Content like this is not cheap to make which gave me the somet

This was a very engaging, high effort piece of journalism from an org I've never heard of before. Content like this is not cheap to make which gave me the something's not right here vibe, so I tried to find out who paid for this. Their about page says they received a grant from the The German Marshall Fund of the United States, which was founded during the Cold War as a way to promote ties between the US and West Germany. Some digging shows the org is funded by the German/US governments and has at least $200m in endowment. So be aware this journalism is funded by US interests.

hourislate 10y ago
Why should we be aware of journalism funded by the US or their interests. Where should I get my news from RT or Sputnik?
- toyg 10y ago
  In the same way as you shouldn't blindly consume RT, you shouldn't blindly consume stuff from Washington, London, Paris or anywhere else. There is precious little journalism that is not a front for someone's agenda, so it's important to know that agenda and "weight" content accordingly.
- finid 10y ago
  Because "journalism funded by the US or their interests" is most likely propaganda. Why do we not get similar long form articles about Saudi Arabia?
  - andres_kytt 10y ago
    Russian doctrine of information warfare seeks to create confusion, distrust and ambiguity about truth. Part of this ideology is to label everything as propaganda, to claim there is no objective truth, that everything is influenced by the funding agent. This allows to claim, that Russian-backed news sources that form an integral part of their information warfare machinery and spread blatant lies, are as legitimate as any other source of information. This allows the state to keep the monopoly of truth which allows for removal of any accountability from government actions. Which perpetuates status quo of power. There are in fact shades of grey. All journalists are biased by their world-view and of course backers at least fund the ones the views of whom they like. But there is such thing as journalist ethics and not all funders exercise the sort of control over the writers as the fsb does. Not all media is propaganda. We don't get such articles about Saudi Arabia because there is no war there.
    - finid 10y ago
      > We don't get such articles about Saudi Arabia because there is no war there. Yeah, but they're fighting in Yemen and have a heavy hand in Syria. A lot of long form articles from our main steam media can be written about Saudi Arabia if they really want to.
iamjeff 10y ago
Let me bring to your attention this [0]; there are very few places online (that I know of) that have the sort of analysis presented on this blog (granted, World Affairs is published by a USA-based company, but bear in mind that the journal is almost 200 years old, its editor is intimately familiar with Eastern Europe and its post-Soviet democratization, is a publication of a pacifist organization, and is a 501(c)3 organization; what I am trying to say is that there is some pedigree here and the quality of the comments is immensely refreshing). The bulk of this additional material reflects the OP’s submission [1], while [2] highlights the issue from a related angle. As for the organization that published this article (The Black Sea), I think that they do not deserve the pessimism [3]. They have a reputation for publishing high-quality, investigative pieces on topics that several major organizations would not touch. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs_Institute; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs_Institute; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_S._Denton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_S._Denton Tax returns: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271585143 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271... [1] (January 2014; about this time, talk of a civil war was already becoming heated) Standoff in Ukraine: Mafia Regime vs. Mobilized Citizens (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/standoff-ukraine-mafia-regime-vs-mobilized-citizens http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/st... (February 2014; in this article, the author concedes that war might break out due to the division between East and West Ukraine) Should There Be One Ukraine? (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/should-there-be-one-ukraine http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/sh...) (April 2014, predates Russia’s decisive intervention in the Donbass by a couple of days) Could Russia Occupy Ukraine? (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/could-russia-occupy-ukraine http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/co...) (June 2015; the comments are a gold mine) On Donbas Autonomy—Again (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/donbas-autonomy%E2%80%94again http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/do... (February 2016; Motyl formalizes his argument against re-integration) Why Reintegrating the Donbas Is Suicide for Ukraine (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/why-reintegrating-donbas-suicide-ukraine http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/wh...) (May 2016; a case for disengaging from the Donbass) Answering the Critics: Donbas Disengagement (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/answering-critics-donbas-disengagement http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/an...) (June 2016; even greater clarity) A Donbas Strategy Going Forward (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/donbas-strategy-going-forward http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/do...) [2] Does Anyone Want Ukraine’s Donbass? (http://imrussia.org/en/analysis/world/2406-does-anyone-want-ukraines-donbass http://imrussia.org/en/analysis/world/2406-does-anyone-want-... [published by the the New York-based Institute of Modern Russia, IMR, whose president is the son to the former Russian political prisoner and exile Mikhail Khodorkovsky and, by virtue of this association, would be despised by Russian authorities as “unpatriotic” and partisan; IMR’s tax returns are here (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/611612040) https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/611...] (2016 report; PDF at the bottom of the summary) Doing business in Donbas: what are the main obstacles? (http://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/presscenter/articles/2016/07/21/-.html http://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/presscenter/a...) [3] (Here, the organization is upfront about its manifesto; tellingly, the organizations was Wikileaks’ sole publishing partner in Europe; also they closely coordinate with the widely respected International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, invite journalists that have been censored by their employees to pitch them, and cover taboo and under-reported stories) Diving Deep Into Stories (http://theblacksea.eu/index.php?idT=88&idC=88&idRec=1105&recType=photo http://theblacksea.eu/index.php?idT=88&idC=88&idRec=1105&rec...) (They have won numerous awards; certainly that counts for something) Mission (http://theblacksea.eu/?idT=3&idC=3 http://theblacksea.eu/?idT=3&idC=3) (The organization is funded by Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation Initiatives as part of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, GMF. Firstly, there is a difference between the Marshall Plan and GMF; a quick Wikipedia search will suffice. The thing is GMF has funded 100s of projects since its formation, given 1000s of scholarships and grants, and is notable for its involvement in civil society i.e. soft power advocacy. A search of the term “grant” on its homepage <<http://www.gmfus.org/search/grant>> http://www.gmfus.org/search/grant>> brings up several of its other initiatives. The Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation is a multi-stakeholder initiative and funded TheBlackSea.eu as part of a cross-border project run by Journalismfund.eu to improve journalism quality. Frankly, these guys do not deserve the conspiratorial skepticism) Launch of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (http://trends.gmfus.org/doc/BST%20Launch%20Program.pdf http://trends.gmfus.org/doc/BST%20Launch%20Program.pdf) Working grant - Ghosts of Sochi (http://journalismfund.eu/ghostsofsochi http://journalismfund.eu/ghostsofsochi) Working grant - Land Grabbing in the EU: How Rabobank is profiting off theft and abuse in Romania (http://journalismfund.eu/landgrabbing http://journalismfund.eu/landgrabbing) Working grant - The Gold Trail (http://journalismfund.eu/gold-trail http://journalismfund.eu/gold-trail)

hourislate 10y ago

Why should we be aware of journalism funded by the US or their interests. Where should I get my news from RT or Sputnik?

toyg 10y ago
In the same way as you shouldn't blindly consume RT, you shouldn't blindly consume stuff from Washington, London, Paris or anywhere else. There is precious little journalism that is not a front for someone's agenda, so it's important to know that agenda and "weight" content accordingly.
finid 10y ago
Because "journalism funded by the US or their interests" is most likely propaganda. Why do we not get similar long form articles about Saudi Arabia?
- andres_kytt 10y ago
  Russian doctrine of information warfare seeks to create confusion, distrust and ambiguity about truth. Part of this ideology is to label everything as propaganda, to claim there is no objective truth, that everything is influenced by the funding agent. This allows to claim, that Russian-backed news sources that form an integral part of their information warfare machinery and spread blatant lies, are as legitimate as any other source of information. This allows the state to keep the monopoly of truth which allows for removal of any accountability from government actions. Which perpetuates status quo of power. There are in fact shades of grey. All journalists are biased by their world-view and of course backers at least fund the ones the views of whom they like. But there is such thing as journalist ethics and not all funders exercise the sort of control over the writers as the fsb does. Not all media is propaganda. We don't get such articles about Saudi Arabia because there is no war there.
  - finid 10y ago
    > We don't get such articles about Saudi Arabia because there is no war there. Yeah, but they're fighting in Yemen and have a heavy hand in Syria. A lot of long form articles from our main steam media can be written about Saudi Arabia if they really want to.

iamjeff 10y ago

Let me bring to your attention this [0]; there are very few places online (that I know of) that have the sort of analysis presented on this blog (granted, World Affairs is published by a USA-based company, but bear in mind that the journal is almost 200 years old, its editor is intimately familiar with Eastern Europe and its post-Soviet democratization, is a publication of a pacifist organization, and is a 501(c)3 organization; what I am trying to say is that there is some pedigree here and the quality of the comments is immensely refreshing). The bulk of this additional material reflects the OP’s submission [1], while [2] highlights the issue from a related angle. As for the organization that published this article (The Black Sea), I think that they do not deserve the pessimism [3]. They have a reputation for publishing high-quality, investigative pieces on topics that several major organizations would not touch. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs_Institute; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs_Institute; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Affairs; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_S._Denton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_S._Denton Tax returns: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271585143 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271... [1] (January 2014; about this time, talk of a civil war was already becoming heated) Standoff in Ukraine: Mafia Regime vs. Mobilized Citizens (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/standoff-ukraine-mafia-regime-vs-mobilized-citizens http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/st... (February 2014; in this article, the author concedes that war might break out due to the division between East and West Ukraine) Should There Be One Ukraine? (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/should-there-be-one-ukraine http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/sh...) (April 2014, predates Russia’s decisive intervention in the Donbass by a couple of days) Could Russia Occupy Ukraine? (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/could-russia-occupy-ukraine http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/co...) (June 2015; the comments are a gold mine) On Donbas Autonomy—Again (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/donbas-autonomy%E2%80%94again http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/do... (February 2016; Motyl formalizes his argument against re-integration) Why Reintegrating the Donbas Is Suicide for Ukraine (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/why-reintegrating-donbas-suicide-ukraine http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/wh...) (May 2016; a case for disengaging from the Donbass) Answering the Critics: Donbas Disengagement (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/answering-critics-donbas-disengagement http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/an...) (June 2016; even greater clarity) A Donbas Strategy Going Forward (http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/donbas-strategy-going-forward http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/alexander-j-motyl/do...) [2] Does Anyone Want Ukraine’s Donbass? (http://imrussia.org/en/analysis/world/2406-does-anyone-want-ukraines-donbass http://imrussia.org/en/analysis/world/2406-does-anyone-want-... [published by the the New York-based Institute of Modern Russia, IMR, whose president is the son to the former Russian political prisoner and exile Mikhail Khodorkovsky and, by virtue of this association, would be despised by Russian authorities as “unpatriotic” and partisan; IMR’s tax returns are here (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/611612040) https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/611...] (2016 report; PDF at the bottom of the summary) Doing business in Donbas: what are the main obstacles? (http://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/presscenter/articles/2016/07/21/-.html http://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/presscenter/a...) [3] (Here, the organization is upfront about its manifesto; tellingly, the organizations was Wikileaks’ sole publishing partner in Europe; also they closely coordinate with the widely respected International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, invite journalists that have been censored by their employees to pitch them, and cover taboo and under-reported stories) Diving Deep Into Stories (http://theblacksea.eu/index.php?idT=88&idC=88&idRec=1105&recType=photo http://theblacksea.eu/index.php?idT=88&idC=88&idRec=1105&rec...) (They have won numerous awards; certainly that counts for something) Mission (http://theblacksea.eu/?idT=3&idC=3 http://theblacksea.eu/?idT=3&idC=3) (The organization is funded by Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation Initiatives as part of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, GMF. Firstly, there is a difference between the Marshall Plan and GMF; a quick Wikipedia search will suffice. The thing is GMF has funded 100s of projects since its formation, given 1000s of scholarships and grants, and is notable for its involvement in civil society i.e. soft power advocacy. A search of the term “grant” on its homepage <<http://www.gmfus.org/search/grant>> http://www.gmfus.org/search/grant>> brings up several of its other initiatives. The Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation is a multi-stakeholder initiative and funded TheBlackSea.eu as part of a cross-border project run by Journalismfund.eu to improve journalism quality. Frankly, these guys do not deserve the conspiratorial skepticism) Launch of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (http://trends.gmfus.org/doc/BST%20Launch%20Program.pdf http://trends.gmfus.org/doc/BST%20Launch%20Program.pdf) Working grant - Ghosts of Sochi (http://journalismfund.eu/ghostsofsochi http://journalismfund.eu/ghostsofsochi) Working grant - Land Grabbing in the EU: How Rabobank is profiting off theft and abuse in Romania (http://journalismfund.eu/landgrabbing http://journalismfund.eu/landgrabbing) Working grant - The Gold Trail (http://journalismfund.eu/gold-trail http://journalismfund.eu/gold-trail)