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Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

Jan 1, 2023 • 13 tweets • 8 min read • Read on X

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@TheGrayzoneNews

In today's #vatnik soup I'll introduce one of the biggest disinformation and propaganda blogs on the web: The Grayzone (@TheGrayzoneNews). It's best known for misleading reporting, disinformation and love of authoritarian regimes and dictators.

1/13

Basically, if somewhere around the world there is an authoritarian leadership, Grayzone boys and girls will be quickly licking their boots. Same goes for genocide: if one is happening somewhere around the world, these "journalists" will deny it.

2/13

@maxblumenthal

Grayzone was established by Max Blumenthal (@maxblumenthal) after his visit to RT's 10th anniversary party in Moscow. Allegedly the trip was paid for by the Kremlin.The main contributors of the site at the moment are Blumenthal, Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate), ...

3/13

@KitKlarenberg

... Kit Klarenberg (@KitKlarenberg), Max's partner Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) and Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi).

Most profilic Grayzone bloggers have either visited RT/Sputnik shows as a guest or worked for them in the past.

4/13

Incidentally, their narratives are often in line with Russia's disinformation campaigns. Regarding the war in Ukraine, they have falsely reported that Ukraine uses civilians as human shields & that Mariupol theater massacre was staged by the Azov Battalion to provoke NATO.

5/13

@NermaJelacic

Grayzone bloggers have been a target of harsh criticism in the past. For example, Nerma Jelacic (@NermaJelacic) described them as "a Kremlin-connected online outlet that pushes pro-Russian conspiracy theories and genocide denial."

6/13

Academic writer Gilbert Achcar described Grayzone beautifully by saying that it's "pro-Putin, pro-Assad 'left-wing' propaganda combined with gutter journalism".Grayzone's invitation to Web Summit 2022 held in Lisbon, Portugal, was cancelled which made the bloggers pretty mad.7/13

https://twitter.com/themattdimitri/status/1287355528205615106

The blog & especially Max has also taken a stance on Chinese abuse against the Uyghur Muslim minority:

https://twitter.com/themattdimitri/status/1287355528205615106

Between Dec 2019 & Feb 2021, CCP-controlled media cited Max's blog at least 313 times. Blumenthal has also appeared on China's TV news channel CGTN.
8/13

@RealAlexRubi

They've also attacked NAFO, Georgian Legion and their crowdfunding efforts, suggesting that the rapid growth of NAFO was not organic. People actually tend to side with the defending country whose civilians are being murdered, @RealAlexRubi! Alex also doxxed a NAFO key figure.9/13

@neil_abrams

Maté likes to talk write about the Minsk agreement and "CIA-funded Ukrainian neo-nazis"

For example political scientist Neil Abrams (@neil_abrams) has debunked many of Aaron Maté's claims on Twitter, you can see a comprehensive list of them here:

https://twitter.com/neil_abrams/status/1593604628603715587

10/13

The thing about all of these bloggers is that when you ask them about atrocities done by Russia, Nicaraguan government, al-Assad regime, China or other authoritarian regime, they fall silent.

11/13

They will not discuss these topics at all, and that's how you know that they're not journalists that study matters objectively, but rather propagandist bloggers who side with dictators and murderers.

12/13

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1587377072200208384

An organization funding Al-Assad apologists rewarded some Grayzone bloggers back in 2019: bellingcat.com/news/2019/09/3…

By the way Max, who funds your little blog?

Related soups:
Max Blumenthal:

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1587377072200208384

13/13

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