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 14, 2023, 30 tweets

CCTV FOLLIES 2.14 US has a bad news day

China and Iran embrace, pledge closer ties

-US sanctions are worse than the earthquake
-US is a pit of fire, smoke and toxic chemicals
-US gun violence runs amok
-US is a terrorist nation and should pay reparations

No matter what CCTV's talented news team finds in the field, the earthquake coverage is rewritten in Beijing to conclude that US sanctions are the real cause of suffering.

This is especially true in Syria where the government handlers helpfully find people in distress who also say the root cause of suffering is sanctions.

Iran weighs in, saying the same thing.
It's all the fault of the US which puts politics above humanitarian concerns.

China, on the other hand, is nothing short of selfless in delivering its carefully marked bilingual aid packages.

In other news, the Seymour Hersh self-published article blaming US for the bombing Nord Stream gets a major air time in Beijing for the sixth day in a row.
(but not in the US, where the media covers up and toes government line)
In China, Hersh's revelations are prime time news.

An audio interview with Hersh, voiced in Chinese, expands the coverage:
He says American companies in the pipeline business know very well what went down with the Nord Stream
"As someone who's been doing investigative reporting for over fifty years it's my job to get it right."

"The US government has deliberately created this conflict to serve its own agenda. The US destruction of Nord Stream was an extremely stupid move."

"If you destroy a pipeline, compensation should be paid. The US has to take responsibility for this."
(translated from the Chinese)

CCTV locates other experts who agree, including a professor in Norway and an "Independent International Affairs Analyst" who is quoted from a clip conducted by Iran's Press TV.

In other news with a decidedly anti-US slant, CCTV airs the Kremlin shock and awe version of what's happening in Ukraine.

Russian guns blazing as usual

Russia's airborne attacks make for nice visuals.

CCTV never once questions Russia's motives or the incendiary narrative that suggests might is right.

CCTV has yet to acknowledge the Russian invasion, let alone describe it as a war, but it has been under pressure to do a better job of feigning neutrality, so now and then it includes a few subpar clips from Ukraine.

But the punchline remains the same:
The US and the West are fanning the flames, stoking the fire, providing weapons to extend suffering of Ukraine which should instead be suing for peace.
(The foreign ministries of Hungary and Belarus couldn't agree more) Make peace with Russia!

The Chairman of the Socialist Party of Zambia concurs.

In other news with deeply negative consequences for the US, that awful train wreck in Ohio continues to get lavish, detailed and repetitive coverage.

CCTV can't get enough of this story.
(Of course, it's hardly in the US news because of the capitalist-controlled media)

It is a serious news by any reckoning, but CCTV's outsized interest in it has a whiff of settling scores.

The chemicals are toxic and enduring, the area is a wasteland, the streams and water table polluted.

(CCTV has yet to mention the balloon incident, though the "innocent weather balloon" story has dribbled out in controlled doses to lesser media)

In other US news, a mass shooting at Michigan State

Other US colleges and high schools have seen similar shooting incidents

China's domestic news, in contrast to chaotic Western world, is all pomp, circumstance and dignity.

Iran president Ebrahim Raisi is heralded at the entrance of the Great Hall where he comes to pay his respects to Xi.
They hold hands for a long time.

The full protocol, with a 21-gun salute and Xi's solicitous presence, shows a greater respect for Raisi than that accorded to Cambodia's Hun Sen who visited the week before and got handed off to lesser officials after the Xi meet and greet.

Two men of like mind.

Did Iran hardliner Raisi flinch for a second when he came face-to-face with female soldiers armed with bayonet-tipped rifles?

Xi gets does most of the talking, getting the first and last word, but he does consult with notes often, unlike some of his more spontaneous meetings.

In science news, China unveils its "Second Eye."

(Don't worry Biden, we know you are scared of our weather balloons, but this device looks strictly into outer space)

Elsewhere in China, a nation blooming with prosperity and happiness. There are short news bits about China's remarkable strides in agriculture and industry.

Our broadcast is now over...
Zai jian!

Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.

A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.

Keep scrolling