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Posted by on Mar 5, 2022 in Blog, Politics | 0 comments

Russia-Ukraine Through a Much Closer Lens (Moldova)

 

 

Moldovan Television, the Chisinau-based network is basically on the *front lines* of a bloody war and quite possibly battling for its own survival.

I doubt many of you know much about Moldova, nor have even heard of it. I’d like to tell you more about Moldova, because it’s important and timely.

I’ve always been a news junkie, addicted to reading newspapers, absorbed by current events. But nothing quite prepared me for the stark contrast in the way international crises are reported than the previous few weeks of media coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The differences are jaw-dropping.

The dwindling number of Americans who care about and keep up with global events do so mostly through mainstream news sources, some better than others. Regardless of inherent biases, all American-based outlets share a common flaw, which is exaggerating U.S. importance in any international matter. Everything gets filtered through an American-centric prism. Unfortunately, this warped worldview is both misleading and dangerous. Seeing the Russia-Ukraine war from American shores is sorta’ like standing on the earth, gazing up at the sky, and concluding that we’re the center of the universe. One can easily see the scientific and geopolitical folly of such suppositions. Frankly, it’s arrogant. And, it’s wrong.

Nowhere is this revelation more obvious than in watching *other* news sources, particularly those networks located in countries very near Ukraine and thus very much threatened by Russian expansionism at the moment.

My wife is Romanian, as is my mother-in-law who has lived with us for 25 years. When “mom” came to the U.S. and moved in with us, we installed an international satellite dish. That way, she could watch Romanian television. Ever since then, the Romanian network stays on in her room most hours of the day. Even though I don’t watch the network very often, over time, I’ve come to know every Romanian television show and news anchor. On a more personal note — Mom has advanced Alzheimer’s now, which has progressed. But we still like for her to be able to hear her native language. So, the TV is a constant companion. It’s on ALL THE TIME.

A few years ago, the Bucharest-based network began having transmission problems with the satellite provider. So, Mom’s TV was changed to Moldovan state television, based in Chisinau. And here’s where a little history lesson is probably in order.

Moldova is now an independent country (let’s hope it stays that way for a long time). However, it was part of the USSR after World War II (many forget that Romania was an axis power, allied with Germany and Italy). A Romanian-speaking population living under the control of mostly Russian dominance was a peculiar outlier. It’s an odd quilt of ancient hatreds that go back for centuries. The Russians think of themselves as superior. Romanians think of Russians (and most slavs) as uncivilized beasts. Even Marieta admits to some of these old tribal prejudices. It’s hard to fight one’s upbringing and a lifetime of old attitudes.

Then, there’s the bias of Bucharest people against Moldova. People of Marieta’s generation who grew up in the largest city and capital pretty much look at everyone else in Romania as farmers. Imagine a New York view of the world — on steroids. Transylvania might as well be West Virginia. And Moldova to the northeast might as well be rural Alabama. The Moldova network, now blasting all day long in mom’s room, has been a constant source of laughter, comedic relief only someone like Marieta would understand, such as the “mispronunciation” or words, or pro-Moldovan historical perspectives, and other subtle differences that outsiders would fail to comprehend.

That’s the backstory leading up to last Wednesday when Russia suddenly invaded Ukraine. Note Moldova is right next to Ukraine on its western border.

Now, the Chisinau-based network is basically on the *front lines* of a bloody war and quite possibly battling for its own survival. On the same satellite dish, we also noted Ukrainian-based networks were knocked off the air. So, the only real firsthand accounts which are trustworthy are (mostly) western networks with reporters in Ukraine on the ground. CNN has done some good work, so far. However, I think they (and others) could do much better. All one must do is watch Moldovan television for a few minutes to understand the vast differences and what it means to “go after the story.” Even though the Moldovan Channel has far fewer resources, the news reporting and coverage of war zones is like something out of a Spielberg movie. It’s in your face, it’s awful, it’s been something you can’t watch but also can’t take your eyes off of. Reporters literally risking their lives with bombs flying over their heads and buildings collapsing around them. Most international networks are covering the war as a lead story, from remote studios, but no one is putting it on the line like Moldova 1, Moldova 2, and TVR.

Last night (here), while it was daytime (there), another young correspondent was out in the streets of Kyiv. The camera work was shakey. The sound quality was poor. He may have even mispronounced some words. But Marieta said to me — this is amazing coverage. She admitted Moldovan TV is good, and they just rose to the occasion.

And while Moldovan TV and other networks do cover what the USA and NATO and the EU are doing vis-a-vis this horrific war, it’s gone way, way past that point now. Your living room, Washington, Geneva are not the global epicenters. No. The most important things happening in the world at the moment are taking place in bloody, body-strewn streets and remote villages with strange names held by brave and fragile people with names most of us can’t pronounce.

Lesson learned. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two ourselves from the sources we least expect.

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