Written by Matt Wickham, UCMC/HWAG Analyst
As the hype surrounding the Carlson interview orchestrated by Kremlin propagandists gradually subsides, Russian propaganda pivots to a new strategy, with persistent efforts to extend its significance beyond reality. is being transferred. It compares President Zelenskiy’s recent interview with Fox News to Mr. Karlsson’s and Mr. Putin’s interviews. The Kremlin is trying to frame Zelenskiy’s interview as a direct response to Putin, trying to draw false parallels between the two. Zelenskiy’s interview has been viewed about 160,000 times on YouTube, but the full interview has not been published on social media. Meanwhile, Carlson’s own interview with Putin, hosted on his YouTube channel, has racked up more than 18 million views and his It has amassed millions of views. However, this contrast highlights the fallacy of equating the two interviews.
This article explores the idea that people are “tired” of Zelensky, regardless of what the Kremlin’s propaganda armies would like us to believe, and that there is more to the interview than just a “count” of views. be easily dismantled. Therefore, to expose this story as another facet of the Kremlin’s agenda is to paint Zelenskiy as unfit, yesterday’s news, and an unpopular figure.
Interview frequency
Zelenskiy is a frequent interviewee, and just three months ago he gave a similar interview to Fox News, albeit with a different host. Therefore, this consistent statement to the press has a lower level of novelty and public interest than Putin’s one-off interview. Putin’s infrequent speaking with Western journalists, combined with his selective preference for journalists aligned with Russian propaganda, stands in sharp contrast to Zelensky’s accessibility. Karlsson’s selection as Putin’s “interviewer” follows two years of denial by the Kremlin from mainstream Western media, but Zelensky has given countless interviews since the start of the full-scale war. I have responded.
control the story
Putin has considerable control over the narrative in interviews, dictating the questions, locations, and trajectory of the narrative. To put it better, his “cooperation” with Karlsson allows Kremlin disinformation to spread freely with minimal opposition, obstruction, or professional diversion to the question at hand. Putin, a man with a luxury that he would not have been able to give in an interview with an objective journalist. Regardless of their position on the war.
By contrast, Mr. Zelensky’s involvement is less controlled and carried out by a wide range of foreign journalists, including both enemy and friendly media. Zelensky agreed to the interview, although Fox News is believed to be guided by a critical stance toward Ukraine, as many Fox viewers vote Republican and support Trump. . The demands of leading a country in the midst of an all-out war have limited Mr. Zelensky’s abilities, and unlike Mr. Putin, he also has a desire to impose strict conditions for interviews. The Ukrainian president’s message from his interview was not to manipulate, but to rally support. On the contrary, Putin uses them to spread propaganda, distort historical facts, and manipulate the narrative, as seen in Carlson’s interview.
carlson effect
Carlson’s large following, rooted in his controversial tenure at Fox News, has expanded his influence and influence globally. Many people watched the interview expecting something “big”. There was a lot of hype artificially created by propaganda before and after the interview. It is worth noting that compared to the FOX interview with Mr. Zelensky, this was not intended to be an “important” interview, but just “another interview” that was a means of communicating to the audience. Additionally, Bret Baier’s 1.5 million Twitter followers pale in comparison to Carlson’s 12.4 million, so reaching the masses was never a priority from the beginning. If so, Zelenksy would have chosen another, more “celebrity-level” journalist.
interview timing
The release of Mr. Zelensky’s interview on Fox News came two weeks after Mr. Carlson’s, weakening its influence amid competing news cycles. This coincides with the 10th anniversary of Euromaidan, the 10th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, the 2nd anniversary of total war, the Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka, and the downing of the second A-50. —That’s pretty big news if you ask me. This therefore highlighted the lack of attention and urgency surrounding Zelenskiy’s interview.
View comparison
The Kremlin’s emphasis on its views on X as a measure of success fails to capture the description it receives: “genuine interest.” If viewers of Shows little interest. That’s not to say people didn’t watch more than 30 seconds of him…but it’s unlikely. Many experts said they had a hard time enduring the rambling interviews. Additionally, Carlson’s introduction to the interview was long at 1.18 seconds, so many people may have lost interest in the interview even before Carlson asked Putin his first question, but they still “watched” it. It is no exaggeration to say that it would have been counted.
The attempt to equate Mr. Zelenskyy’s interview with Mr. Putin’s interview with Mr. Karlsson is also a misguided effort by the Kremlin to manipulate public perception. This comes amid continued hype surrounding Karlsson and escalating attacks on Zelensky in an effort to sow public distrust and discontent against him, especially in the run-up to the Russian presidential election and months before the end of Zelenskiy’s formal presidential term. The story is expected to continue. As the situation escalates, the Kremlin could escalate its efforts to dehumanize and discredit President Zelenskiy, further shaking the psyche of the Ukrainian people, especially amid an expected Russian counterattack in the east. Russia is therefore poised to use upcoming political and battlefield events to portray Zelenskiy as incompetent, fuel calls for his removal, and push for new Ukrainian presidential elections. .