MINSK, 5 October (BelTA) - CNN is not ready to convey information objectively. It is more important for the company to manipulate its own audience, political scientist Vadim Borovik told the Belarus Segodnya newspaper following the interview of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to CNN, BelTA has learned.
"Belarusians can be proud of their country and the president. We always voice our position openly and candidly. On behalf of the Belarusian people, the head of state defends the national interests of our country. Frankly, the CNN journalist looked pale when compared to the president and was untactful, to put it mildly. He did not take into account that he was interviewing the head of state. He started with attacks, unfounded accusations. He provided no facts, only banal clichés. His professional standards failed him,” the expert believes. “Why did we set a pre-condition that CNN should show a full interview, not cliffsnotes? Because our task is to communicate Belarus' unedited position to a wider audience. We speak openly, honestly, sincerely. We cite specific arguments to back up our position. When the president's speech is given in full, when his words are not taken out of context, then the audience gets an objective picture,” he said.
Vadim Borovik noted that unfortunately CNN abridged the interview to include only some words of the president. "This shows that they felt the strength of his interview. They are not ready to convey information objectively. It's more important for them to manipulate their own audience. It's dishonest. When the CNN journalist asked questions, he did not want to hear answers. The TV channel wanted to voice its point of view, to impose it on the audience, to lay accusations against Lukashenko of some, from their point of view, illegal actions, to accuse Belarus of something, including of the situation with migrants. When they heard the president, his reasoned arguments, they naturally understood that they would look pale in the eyes of their audience. They would just embarrass themselves," the political scientist is sure.
He also noted that the president was compelling. He made no attacks. "He convincingly defended our point of view. Thus, he demonstrated the friendly position of Belarus, willingness to engage in a dialogue with our partners in the West. The only condition is not to put pressure on us, to conduct a mutually respectful dialogue. Hear us. We, in turn, are ready to hear them and in the process of negotiations to develop mutually beneficial solutions,” Vadim Borovik emphasized. “We are interested in both political, and also trade and economic relations with the West. We don't need problems at the border. We don't want to fight with our neighbors. We don't want any points of tension. Naturally, it is beneficial for us to build normal relations with our Western partners. Belarus is located in the center of Europe. It's very expensive to have tensions at the border. It is unprofitable to fly around Belarus from the point of view of logistics, energy supplies.”
