I was amused to stumble across this Russia Today video report about the 70th anniversary of the battle of Khalkhin Gol.
Why amused?
Well, do you notice that the title of Russia Today’s report from August 2009 is almost exactly the same as the title of the article I wrote in January 2008 – an article called ‘Khalkhin Gol: The Forgotten Battle That Shaped WW2‘.
Sadly, I’m told that you can’t copyright blog titles. So, rather than being annoyed, I’m instead going to settle for being smug/amused that Russia Today reporters use Siberian Light for their research.
And for their copy writing.
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It happens. I have also seen where it seems that Wiki is being used as main source material without acknowledging such. In some related instances, it can be a matter of coincidence or subconscious oversight. There are also the somewhat two faced, who are more prone to giving credit to certain sources unlike some others.
Tom Friedman used the term “brewing backlash” regarding Russian sentiment towards the West at about the time of the end of the NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. That term and the main gist of that article of his matched an earlier NYT Op-Ed submission.
That term and the main gist of that article of his matched an earlier NYT Op-Ed submission.
Mike, are you suggesting that Friedman plagiarized you!? If so, man, he’s more of an intellectual midget than I thought. That, or your grandiose ego is at work again . . .
Andy, not surprising given the sheer amateurishness of RT. I understand that much of their staff are 20-something know-nothings. But swiping content from blogs is a new low. How much of the report matches your post?
Sean, you plagiarized my thoughts (both of them). You are an even bigger genius than I thought
@Sean (and @Tristan, who thought exactly the same thing) – the video report covers the same basic thesis, although with one spectacular error that I’ve only just noticed – apparently, Soviet victory in the battle, fought before the start of WW2 in Europe, “prevented the Japanese from linking up with Nazi troops”.
The research on the report is a bit rubbish, but the last interview is an interesting one.
Sean
It happened as stated.
Some people in the business know of how such material has been passed onto others.
So much for your phony suggestions of being above vitriol.
Have fun with your bitch troll, who has made an appearance at this thread.
RT has issues like others. At times, your lack of knowlege on certain topics and exhibited “intellect” serves as evidence.
Andy:
I used to have an intimate knowledge of what went on at RT. Due to the ignorance and inexperience of the staff, all kinds of historical howlers were committed on a regular basis.
One of my favorites occurred during a documentary on the Bolshevik Revolution. It showed the route of Lenin’s famous train journey, but it was superimposed on a map of TODAY’s Europe – with independent Ukraine, Baltics, etc., as if “Ilyich” were moving in two historical spaces at once.
My dear Bing,
Terms like “brewing backlash” are part of the general journalistic lexicon. One did not have to be a genius (and Friedman certainly isn’t one, though he does possess a sort of inadvertent comic genius) to come to that conclusion in regard to Russian sentiments re: the West at that time.
I would have credited Friedman with plagiarism if he had appropriated a less commonly used term (e.g., bashing “court appointed Russia friendlys”).
Contrary to what you say, “brewing backlash” isn’t so common in comparison to other terms like “reset button.” As noted, the timing is the issue on the former point.
Among others, I’ve had RT personnel privately thank me for bringing up points they utilized.
As for ego, I make it a point to give credit to what others have said. I also don’t go out of my way to boast about how authors have sent me their books for the purpose of having a review written about them.
So much for your hypocritically underhanded jibes, which can’t coverup your ignorance on the subject matters I cover.
BTW, I didn’t specifically say that TF plagiarized me.
Rather, I presented what had transpired.
“Among others, I’ve had RT personnel privately thank me for bringing up points they utilized.”
That may indeed be the case. However, it can’t compare with the repeated complaints from RT employees who were upset about you spamming their inboxes.
“Spamming” is a hypocritically applied term given what you’ve been involved with.
As for what you mention, people get taken off upon request.
Many appreciably stay on. They include academics and media people, who don’t troll like yourself.
Tristan de Cunha is not Doom. If Doom had participated heretofor in this thread, Doom would have already mocked you verily and forsooth.
Thus speaks Doom!
I had something like this happen several years ago with a piece called “Russia will kick your ass” and finding an article with the same headline in AlterNet a few weeks later. I jokingly accused the guy of plagiarism and he FLIPPED OUT and made me take it back so it didn’t ruin his career as a journalist. I genuinely never thought he copied it. It’s quite conceivable that 2 human beings reporting on the same story could fashion the same headline. Or that KGB mind-control was at work. So, I think these things happen. However, it’s also quite conceivable that the kids at RT read your site and subliminally copied your headline, which remains up there in the right hand corner of your site. They may never have read that article, been aware of its existence, but have those exact words in their head because they lurk quietly in the corner of the screen. Well, it’s also quite conceivable they stole it outright.
Tristan,
Screwing up maps is quite common across all TV stations, as are historical howlers that would make real historians cringe up. But the question is – are they more common at RT than at other popular news stations?
Perhaps someone with too much time on their hands could one day make a comparative and objective study on reliability.
I haven’t been plagiarized by any VIP to the best of my knowledge, but I have had a bad experience with Al-Jazeera which asked me irrelevant questions in order to pretend it is “balanced” and mendaciously edited my words out of context.
“But the question is – are they more common at RT than at other popular news stations?”
Based on my experience (and only that), I would say yes. And indeed, I’ve seen some great howlers on other channels, like CNN (I think) labelling the Czech Republic as “Switzerland” on a map. I cited that one example just to cite an example, out of many possible.
Actually, I’d 7 NYT letters published within a 2 year span in the pre-internet era. That JRL posted LR’s interview and not mine is proof positive of JRL’s bias. TTT is telling it like it is on Trans-Dniester. Again, their portrayal of the overall situation there appears considerably less biased than Socor’s. My last Serbianna column might just have the most detailed interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. White Russians are generally well respected among other Russians, including the mainstream ones born and bred during the Soviet era. Points which David Johnson and some others don’t like discussing. At a slighlty higher level of intelligence, that kind of thinking no doubt exists among some of the high priced policy wonks and media hacks. That report is bogus in relation to the detailed material I’d posted.
Besides, language proficiency doesn’t necessarily equate into a great knowledge of the involved country’s history, politics, foreign policy, etc. If you were on my open list and read QT on a regular basis, you would know. But you prefer the ignorant route. In its bracket, TTT is a success. as a respected analyst among many of my peers. My TT articles are among the most viewed at that cite. I didn’t plagiarize anything and the followup points to my recent TT comments didn’t prove anything to the contrary. On works of genius, you show me some better commentary on the Captive Nations Committee, UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Trans-Dniester’s case for independence Andrei Vlasov and Russia’s performance in the last Winter Olympics. All this relates to the faulty manner of JRL, with Chris Doss as cheerleader for the applicably applied court appointed Russia friendlys
The Russian natural resources minister bases government policy on my blog posts.
Maybe.
Such situations appear to have an advanced agenda.
There’re some radio talk shows which contact and screen prospective callers hours or days in advance of a show. This procedure is done without any open acknowledgement of it. Instead, on the day of the show’s airing, a contact number is given, with the impression of a more spontaneous process.
It’s one thing if this situation exhibits a diverse range of intelligent callers. On the other hand, there’s a “propaganda” (general modern day Western definition of that word) aspect when most or all of the calls are slanted in one direction.
There’ve also been situations where aired panels can be tilted in a way favoring one set of views over the other. Sometimes, it can be tougher to find an advocate for a pertinent position on a subject. In such an instance, a 3 against 1 panel should’ve the moderator considering a proportionate amount of time to the given 1. To the credit of the good media people out there, this has periodically happened.
Another issue pertains to the sarcasm expressed in this cartoon:
http://www.synd.org/political-cartoons-luque/_images/hannity-colmes.jpg
Have fun with your bitch troll, who has made an appearance at this thread.
Comrades Troll, de Cunha, and I had drinks a week or so ago and it was a very fruitful meeting. Figuring out a way to spin your enigmatic personality into cash was the first item on our meeting protocol. We are now looking at a long term business proposition that includes marketing a word game called Averko’s Asinine Aphorisms, a spin-off of the famous Mad Libs. If you’re nice we’ll cut you in at a small percentage. Here’s the deal: We’ll match whatever you haul in from your monthly social security checks plus whatever you peddle off the generous denizens of Brighton Beach.
Let’s buy him a trip to Russia too. At least once in his life, he ought to visit the country he specializes in.
MIke, (or shall I refer to you as Mr. Bing?) Troll, de Cunha and I just finished a conference call with some potential Russian investors. Good news! They love the idea of Averko’s Asinine Aphorisms (TM) and are eager to start doing business with us. They told us that they have friends in “high places” who know of you, your work, and your aphorisms and feel that the Russian nation would greatly benefit from them. As one investor said, quoting a “higher up,” “Averko forward!”
One snag. Your aphorisms have, how should I say, a certain je ne sais quoi in English that can’t be easily rendered in Russian. So to make this project really special, and to capture your vise words in the exactitude they merit, we will need your expertise in Russian translation. You do know Russian, right?
De Cunha is correct. We need to fly you to Moscow. Our investors are very excited to meet you. However, we only have enough money for a ticket for the pet holding at the moment. We promise to foot the cost of knocking you out for the journey.
Guillory further reveals himself to be a fraud and an example of how paper credentials don’t always add up to a particularly great intellect.
An “asinine aphorism” can include this category of a dingbat left version of AA:
http://seansrussiablog.org/2009/12/14/from-the-komsomol-archive-3/comment-page-1/#comment-195886
Same ongoing mantra which ignores other factors.
Was there before you chump.
Perhaps like how a certain blowhard recently carried on about body odors in Russia – a theme earlier written about by Shaun Walker.
Come to think of it, that blowhard made a comment on a radio show about how people with KGB backgrounds weren’t all conniving killer spook types, but well educated folks, in need of a a job, in an organization that had varied job functions.
The blowhard saying this heard this on another radio show. The involved thought is by no means original. Said blowhard hasn’t been particularly original when commenting about FSU matters. This might explain his troll antics that he piously spoke out against at another venue.
Sean sez:
“As one investor said, quoting a “higher up,” “Averko forward!””
I assume you’re referencing this speech, by a certain highly placed propped individual:
“We really live in a unique time. We have a chance to build a new, free, prosperous and strong Averko. As President I am obliged to do everything in my power to make sure that we fully take advantage of this opportunity.”
Yet there is much to overcome. As the same specified aforementioned individual said in the same speech,
“Finished products produced by Averko are largely plagued by their extremely low competitiveness.”
So sez a failed editor, whose main claim to fame is posting nonsense in the comments sections of blogs.
Mr. Bing, I’ve forgotten how much fun you really are. You are a gem, in the rough, but a gem nonetheless. I always and forever will be your blowhard. *Kiss*
Averko, you imbecile, de Cunha is not me.
However, you have to admit that my re-working of Medvedev’s speech is much in the spirit of Doom. I think confusion is forgiveable
BTW editor dude, it’s “da Cunha,” not “de Cunha”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_da_Cunha
Different gems for different folks.
Like the one rebuking LR, while propping it at the top of one’s venue.
I’m not so rough. Play nice and there will be similar treatment. Get chippy and there will be a measured response.
Get help Chris.
The da Cunha grammar Nazi troll hypcritically trolls in his trolling troll like manner, trollishly trolling in a trollish way of not trolling well deserving others.
Makes this thread look better:
http://streetwiseprofessor.com/?p=3063#comments
I miss you Mike! Why don’t you ever write?
He’s in love with me.
I’m so jealous that it has twisted me into numerous personalities.
My zeal for comic books hasn’t helped this condition.
”Perhaps like how a certain blowhard recently carried on about body odors in Russia – a theme earlier written about by Shaun Walker.”
BO is a big problem in Russia among the men. The smell on the metro, or worse in niteclubs, is just atrocious. Its a good thing smoking is allowed in Russian clubs, otherwise you’d need a gas mask.
Happy New Year All:-)