Shockingly Biased News Reporting About Russian Election

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Skeptik

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Reading the story below, I couldn't help thinking how biased the AP reporters were. It's all conjecture and speculation. Even the headline is unproven.

Any journos online? Thought there were some ethics in journalism.:sick:

Russian workers told where, how to vote

By LYNN BERRY, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 9 minutes ago

MOSCOW - With the Kremlin determined to see a high turnout in Sunday's election, many Russians say they are being pressured to vote at work under the watchful eyes of their bosses or risk losing their jobs.
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They say they also are being told to provide lists of relatives and friends who will vote for United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin.

United Russia is expected to win handily. But Putin has turned the parliamentary elections into a plebiscite on his rule, and the Kremlin appears to be pushing for nothing short of a landslide.

The constitution requires Putin to step down as president in May, but with the support of the majority of Russians he could claim a popular mandate to retain power.

"The plebiscite will become a mockery if only slightly more than half of the people vote and if only 60 percent of those vote for United Russia," as the latest opinion polls predict, political analyst Alexei Makarkin said.

In the push to get out the vote, the absentee ballot has become a popular new tool.

A teacher in St. Petersburg said the school administration told staff members to get absentee ballots from their neighborhood polling stations ahead of the election. They are to vote together Sunday at a polling station at the school.

"They didn't tell us necessarily to vote for United Russia, but you can read between the lines," said the teacher, who was willing to give only her first name, Yelena, out of fear of being fired.

Similar accounts have been given by teachers, doctors, factory workers and others around the country. Some have said they were warned they would lose their jobs if they did not comply.

Hundreds of people have called an election hot line to complain about the use of absentee ballots, the Central Elections Commission said in a summary of the complaints posted on its Web site.

Some complaints came from hospital patients, who said they had been threatened with early discharge if they did not produce absentee ballots.

The commission's head, Vladimir Churov, said Tuesday that every effort would be made to prevent voting violations through the use of absentee ballots, but election officials have not discouraged voters from using them.

Non-governmental organizations and opposition political parties also have reported receiving many complaints.

"It is unbelievable. The use of bureaucracy is on an unprecedented scale," said Marina Dashenkova of Golos, an election-monitoring group. "People are complaining that their bosses are forcing them to take absentee ballots and vote for whom they say."

The use of absentee ballots in this way is new, she said, and kills two birds with one stone for the Kremlin: By getting absentee ballots, people are registered as voting even if the votes are never cast, boosting turnout; and when they vote under the supervision of bosses they are likely to vote "correctly."

People also have complained of being required to round up a certain number of votes for United Russia. Yelena, the St. Petersburg teacher, said she was told to compile a list of five relatives or friends.

Vladimir Ryzhkov, a parliament member whose liberal party was barred from the election, said he has received reports from his home district in Siberia that government agencies have been told to make sure all employees and their family members vote.

"They want to be legitimate in the public eye and that's why they are pressuring everyone to vote," Ryzhkov said on Ekho Moskvy radio. "Even if people come and vote for parties that are opposed to the ruling party, their votes will still raise the legitimacy of the elections."

Much of the pressure appears to be on teachers, doctors and others on the government payroll. But some company owners also have shown an eagerness to get out the vote.

A 23-year-old manager at the Moscow grocery store chain Sedmoi ****inent said her company was putting strong pressure on her and colleagues to get absentee ballots and vote at company headquarters.

"It's pure pressure. They are saying, 'We are not forcing you, we are asking you, but if not, you will show your disloyalty to your company,'" said the woman, Anna, who declined to disclose her last name out of fear of being fired.

The pressure to get out the vote starts with Russia's more than 80 governors, most of whom are United Russia members. The orders, whether explicit or just implied, are then passed to government agencies, companies, hospitals and schools.

"For them to ensure a decent turnout and the necessary percentage of the right vote is not a referendum for or against the president but a question of either signing their own prison sentence or being able to continue to live peacefully and remain governor," the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta wrote.

___

Associated Press writers Maria Danilova and Bagila Bukharbayeva in Moscow and Irina Titova in St. Petersburg contributed to this report.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071127/ap_on_re_eu/russia_election
 
The article is absolutely true.

I have been corresponding with a Russian schoolteacher for several weeks, and she told me of her boss harassing her to vote more than a month ago.

BTW, I am a journalist.
 
I think someone needs an education about whats really happening in Russia at the moment. Skeptik, you do know Putin is very bad, and that Russia is not considered a free country?
 
btvols said:
The article is absolutely true.

I have been corresponding with a Russian schoolteacher for several weeks, and she told me of her boss harassing her to vote more than a month ago.

BTW, I am a journalist.
Click to expand...
Which part do you think is true? Sure, as you confirm, they are encouraging people to vote. The government doesn't want voter apathy. In some countries, most notably Australia - it is compulsory to vote, yet you don't criticise Australians for that do you :rolleyes: . Like many others, I think your mindset is still in the cold war.

icyrus said:
Skeptik, what is your connection to Russia?
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I studied and worked there for a short while, learnt the language (not fluent) and made friends. I returned several times and watched things improve each time. I'd love to go back.

alanf85 said:
:D:D

@Skeptic

Don'y expect anything but bias from AP
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Yep. They are the ones who doctored those pictures of Lebanon during the last Israeli conflict!:mad:

w1z4rd said:
I think someone needs an education about whats really happening in Russia at the moment. Skeptik, you do know Putin is very bad, and that Russia is not considered a free country?
Click to expand...
The country is thriving. It has a growth rate of nearly 8%, is awash with oil cash, and Putin is the most popular leader for a generation. Russia is the most democratic it has ever been. How are they "not considered free"??
 
Skeptik said:
I studied and worked there for a short while, learnt the language (not fluent) and made friends. I returned several times and watched things improve each time. I'd love to go back.
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How much, would you say, are your thoughts on Putin influenced by the friends you made while you were there?

Skeptik said:
Yep. They are the ones who doctored those pictures of Lebanon during the last Israeli conflict!:mad:
Click to expand...

As far as I know it was the photographer who took it upon himself to doctor the picture and he was promptly fired and the picture removed once it came to light.
 
Im not even going to enter a debate with you. I suggest you research a bit more before typing. I got tired of debating ignorance in the PD section, so here are some links I thought you might consider as interesting reading:

First a picture of Freedom in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Freedom_House_world_map_2007.png

And now the information to back up the picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_in_the_World

Notice the colors of Russia and Zimbabwe? Glad you think all is okay there. *cough*

Cause there are a lot of Russian journalists, agents and even master chess players who live there who would disagree with what you are saying.

China`s economy is also doing well.. guess thats a sure sign of a free people right?

Do you also know the history behind Gazprom and how Putin has used it to monopolize their industries? Of course you do.. you know so much :)
 
w1z4rd said:
Im not even going to enter a debate with you. I suggest you research a bit more before typing. I got tired of debating ignorance in the PD section, so here are some links I thought you might consider as interesting reading:

First a picture of Freedom in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Freedom_House_world_map_2007.png

And now the information to back up the picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_in_the_World

Notice the colors of Russia and Zimbabwe? Glad you think all is okay there. *cough*

Cause there are a lot of Russian journalists, agents and even master chess players who live there who would disagree with what you are saying.

China`s economy is also doing well.. guess thats a sure sign of a free people right?

Do you also know the history behind Gazprom and how Putin has used it to monopolize their industries? Of course you do.. you know so much :)
Click to expand...
From the link :

The neutrality of this article is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.
Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.
Click to expand...

Freedom in the World is a yearly report by US-based Freedom House that attempts to measure the degree of democracy and political freedom in every nation and significant disputed territories around the world,
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[snip]

Now while I am quite willing to entertain the fact that the Ruskies might be bogged down with restrictions to their freedom, I'm not going to believe it simply because a bunch of americans said so. If you want to quote a source, find one with less history of animosity.
 
Better find a link where glowing Ahemi says something similar w1z4rd or else you'll never convince Xarog :o

:D
 
Xarog said:
Shifting burden of proof fallacy.
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Dude, theres a lot of information on that first page of results, including comments from Putins own political advisor. Read the information (which has being supplied to you), or dont bother responding to me. You now have the information required to make an informed reasonable opinion.

Freeken racial and demographic stereotyping trolls. grr. I really should not feed them. The information is a *click* away Xarog. Use it.
 
w1z4rd said:
Dude, theres a lot of information on that first page of results, including comments from Putins own political advisor. Read the information (which has being supplied to you), or dont bother responding to me. You now have the information required to make an informed reasonable opinion.
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All of which is quite different from suggesting I google it.

But as far as backup proof goes, it's not very good. The first few links are from the same group that you linked to in wikipedia. There's another from another US mainstream media source, 1 about the russian politician saying things are constrained (and frankly, what he's bitching about is quite commonplace in the rest of the world, also here).

The rest are either debunking the claim that Russia is not free, or have nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Nice try, but no cigar.

Freeken racial and demographic stereotyping trolls. grr. I really should not feed them. The information is a *click* away Xarog. Use it.
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Err...

:confused:
 
I can not argue the ignorance out of you, as it was not argued into you.

Luckily the friends I have in Russia give me perspective.

Xarog dorak devushka :D
 
Yeah, exactly. You can't remove that which was never there. ;)
 
w1z4rd said:
Im not even going to enter a debate with you. I suggest you research a bit more before typing. I got tired of debating ignorance in the PD section, so here are some links I thought you might consider as interesting reading:

First a picture of Freedom in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Freedom_House_world_map_2007.png

And now the information to back up the picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_in_the_World

Notice the colors of Russia and Zimbabwe? Glad you think all is okay there. *cough*

Cause there are a lot of Russian journalists, agents and even master chess players who live there who would disagree with what you are saying.

China`s economy is also doing well.. guess thats a sure sign of a free people right?

Do you also know the history behind Gazprom and how Putin has used it to monopolize their industries? Of course you do.. you know so much :)
Click to expand...
Not sure if your comments were aimed at me :confused:

It's hard to 'debate' if I don't know what you do or don't agree with.

Gazprom was one of the big oil/gas companies that were liberalised during Yeltsin's era. Sadly the corrupt party officials got there first and became super rich overnight. Putin has spent a long time redressing the balance. One sees the remnants of these oligarchs throughout the world. Some even buy football clubs. As Putin once said "It's impossible for the oligarchs to have become so rich in such a short time without resorting to criminal means". (paraphrased).

==

"By LYNN BERRY, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 9 minutes ago"
 
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