Georgia Wags the Dog
Call it reckless and/or call it propaganda: A Georgian newscast used footage of Russian troops crossing Georgia's borders in 2008 to present a "simulation" of possible events, including Russian tanks en route to the capital and the killing of the nation's president.
Call it reckless and/or call it propaganda: A Georgian newscast used footage of Russian troops crossing Georgia’s borders in 2008 to present a “simulation” of possible events, including Russian tanks en route to the capital and the killing of the nation’s president.
The fake television report, although labeled a simulation at the outset, caused panic, sending Georgians into the streets and eliciting protest at the private television station that aired the broadcast. –JCL
Your support matters…Al-Jazeera English:
A fake television report of a Russian invasion in Georgia has caused panic, sending worried Georgians rushing into the streets.
The newscast, aired Saturday night on privately owned Imedi television, said Russian tanks were headed for the capital Tbilisi and that Mikheil Saakashvili, the president, had been killed.
Local news agencies said the programme provoked widespread alarm and a record number of calls to emergency services. Multiple incidents of heart attacks and fainting also occurred but officials said on Sunday that no deaths had been reported.
A brief notice before the report said it was a “simulation” of possible events but the report itself appeared genuine and carried no warning it was a fake.
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Environment
What record early voting in Georgia and North Carolina says about the storm and the stakes of the election.
Prison Reform
Many incarcerated women in the state are trapped in prison for crimes committed by men or abusive partners.
Editorial Cartoons
Ear to the Ground
After years of tarring the tactic with associations of fraud, Republicans are embracing early voting.
Environment
In the years before the BioLab chemical fire, industry lobbyists fought to ensure disaster-prevention rules didn’t cover such facilities.
Women
Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney struck down the LIFE Act, making abortion legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy in the state.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.