Phil Cunningham Profile picture
金培力 CCTV FOLLIES at https://t.co/Ytx660bYM5 Fulbright, Knight, Nieman Fellow. @jinpeili.bsky.social @jinpeili@ieji.de

Feb 9, 2023, 38 tweets

"An American journalist published an article..."
is one of the top stories on CCTV today, highlighted at the opening of the news.

Here's looking at you, Sy Hersh!

CCTV's biggest single story of the evening news is an article that was first posted on the self-publishing newsletter app known as Substack

(The story got more coverage than Xi Jinping which is a really big deal)

"On September 26, 2022 two Nord Stream pipelines were blown up"

"American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published an article saying it was the US that planned and carried out the bombing of the pipelines."

"According to someone with direct knowledge of the operational planning, the US government deliberated for nine months, seeking involvement of the CIA..."

"US divers rigged the bombs under the cover of a NATO exercise..."

"On September 26, a Norwegian plane flying overhead triggered the signal to explode the bomb..."

Nordstream had been subjected to threats...

"...from the US and NATO for a long time."

"The White House said the contents of the article are false..."
"The CIA denies it, too."

"...but President Biden and Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland long had stated plans to terminate the pipeline if Russia were to initiate military action..."

(Danish footage of the underwater explosion site)

"An American media person has stated that the denial is convenient and unconvincing."

US journalist Chris Hedges:
"The response didn't surprise any of us, that the US would deny this investigative report..."

"...Following the breaking of this story, more information will float to the surface..."

"...the findings of this article will be confirmed with facts..."

"...and in the end, it will be hard for the US to deny the facts."

(underwater image of broken pipeline)

Chris Hedges concludes:
"The US created the conditions for confrontation with Russia."

Head of State Duma Volodin says Russia wants to open an international investigation of the US...

and to demand reparations for affected countries...

"Russian FM spokesperson Maria Zakharova has asked the US to comment on the facts that had been presented" (in the article)

Zakharova: "The US has questions to answer about the destruction of the pipeline."

The domestic news segment featured the usual sightings and sayings of Xi, short and snappy for a change, and all stock footage.

And it reviewed, with the usual file clips, China's leaps and gains in space, rail, digital and city building under Xi.
On this day, though, international news dominated.

The earthquake coverage was mostly devoted to Chinese search and rescue workers on the scene.
"Three Chinese citizens have been rescued..."

And then the usual pyrotechnics and big guns pounding Ukraine (courtesy of Russia's Ministry of Defense)

The Kremlin is keeping the world safe for dictatorship.

-Ukraine fights back.
-The UK is training Ukraine soldiers.

(Russian soldiers are almost never shown, just the tanks, guns and bombs)

CCTV illustrates Russia's litany of complaints about British interference with overhead shots of the Russian embassy in London and the Foreign Ministry building in Moscow.

Russia is indignant about US support to Ukraine.
it's stoking the fires and fanning the flames...

Turns out the US is not really helping Ukraine.
The US covets the titanium ore and other natural resources, that's why it's meddling in Ukraine.

The fault lies at the door of the Pentagon, River Entrance.

-Titanium is important for military industry
-The US doesn't support so-called "democracy and freedom" rather it covets control of the resources

This war has made it possible for some Americans

to make tons of money...

The Sy Hersh expose on the pipeline is bookended by the above story on US military greed and this glorious celebration in Pyongyang.

North Korea doesn't get much coverage in China, but when it does it's positive, if not glowing.

The money wasted on pomp and circumstance rivals that of China, but it's a much poorer nation.

After showing NK at its sparkling best, CCTV turns to a seedy part of Japan, the red-light bar district near a big US base in Okinawa...

Okinawa Governor Danny Tamaki opposes US bases.

I wonder what CCTV's position is on this?

The world round-up concludes with a regular feature on US violence: The family of a 12-year old who was treated with undue roughness by police in a Wisconsin school last year are now suing for abuse, injury and damages.
And that's the news!
Zai jian!

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