Rick Sanchez
MINSK, 17 April (BelTA) – Rick Sanchez, the host of the Sanchez Effect program on the RT TV channel, answered questions from Belarusian journalists after his interview with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and shared his impressions of the conversation with the head of state, BelTA has learned.
Rick Sanchez said that at present he feels greater journalistic freedom and independence on the Russian TV channel than in the American mass media he had previously worked for.
In this regard the interview with the Belarusian head of state was very telling. Rick Sanchez emphasized that it had proceeded as a free conversation, an open exchange of views and ideas without any restrictions or predetermined topics and questions. “Therefore, if Lukashenko is a dictator, then I am the Queen of England,” the journalist said ironically, sharing his impressions of the interview with Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Rick Sanchez sincerely admitted that he had gone into the conversation with the Belarus president with a certain prejudice about him as a “dictator.” The prejudice had formed over years of living in the USA. He explained that while in that country, it is very difficult to avoid the stereotypes that are imposed from all sides.
“If you live in the USA, you are taught to think that only America matters and other countries have no significance,” the journalist explained. “You hear this day after day and you believe it (as I did). Until you travel to other countries around the world, and then your eyes are opened: it turns out there is an alternative reality. This does not mean that other countries, for example Belarus or Russia, are perfect. There are problems. But they – these countries – are not worse. They are just different. And we need to recognize and discuss these differences in order to make things better. This is exactly what journalists should be doing.”
He noted that information about Belarus and the Belarusian head of state in American mass media and in Western media as a whole can hardly be called objective either. This is why the journalist expects the interview with Aleksandr Lukashenko to help convey the real picture to the Western audience.
“Belarus is a country that has managed to get its life in order and avoid many of the problems that the neighbors have. My job as an American is to show the real Belarus. It is also very important to me that my audience sees that Belarus and President Lukashenko have managed to say no to the Western system and have refused to dance to the West’s tune,” the journalist emphasized.
Apart from that, Rick Sanchez added, the conversation with the head of state showed that Belarus is open to good relations with all the countries interested in it: “He [the Belarus president] emphasized that it is important to have good relations with Russia, China, the DPRK... Nevertheless, Belarus is open to friendly relations with absolutely everyone.”
During the interview the potential in relations between Minsk and Washington was also discussed. Rick Sanchez believes that Belarus could become kind of a bridge between the USA and Russia. In his opinion, the American leader Donald Trump is trying to establish good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but doing so directly is not so easy.
“Trump cannot plainly say that he wants to make peace with Putin. Many in America would be offended. They would not forgive him for that. Therefore, building a bridge from Washington to Moscow is not so easy. Belarus could become a pillar of support. If relations with Minsk are established first, it would give Trump an opportunity for a smoother approach to establishing relations with Russia,” Rick Sanchez said.
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