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THREAD: Carnegie Moscow Center digital director Gosha Birger discusses how #ChernobylHBO was received in Russia and how it accidentally exposed the mechanics of Russian propaganda. 1/ buzzfeednews.com/article/georgy…
You might have heard that Russians loved #ChernobylHBO. Or you might have heard that Russians hated #ChernobylHBO. You are probably confused, and you should be. 2/
The truth is that most Russian viewers praised the show, its accuracy, the way it honors the liquidators working at the site, and how well it captures nuanced details about the late Soviet period. 3/
But Russian state media are saying the show is a lie, that it is Western propaganda and a sign of "Russophobia." Why would they be so critical of a show that praises Russian people and only criticizes the Soviet government, which doesn't even exist anymore? 4/
The simplest answer is not the right one though. You might think that state media are on the authorities' side more than on the people's side, and that they protect the current regime as the direct inheritor of the Soviet one. It almost sounds logical, but that's not the case. 5/
The state media's urge to protect the Soviet regime against one of its worst crimes is merely an accidental side effect. The real answer lies in creator @clmazin's idea of the mini-series: the dangers of narratives based on lies. 6/
The regimes in Russia have changed, but false narratives remain. And this is what the state media are protecting when they bash the show. After all, they are the co-creators of those narratives. 7/
But why does state media only do that at home? Why does RT praise #ChernobylHBO? It's because Russian propaganda has two different narratives--one for local consumption, and one for external audiences. 8/
Birger explains how #ChernobylHBO exposes the contradictions of Russia's domestic and external narratives and the fragility of Russia's propaganda machine in @BuzzFeedNews. END buzzfeednews.com/article/georgy…
