Phil Cunningham Profile picture
Feb 11 18 tweets 13 min read
CCTV FOLLIES 2.11 News Flash from Syria!

The earthquake has left hundreds of thousands homeless. The CCTV stringer sadly notes they have no home, nowhere to go, nothing to their name.

But what really hurts is sanctions...
This insightful point is driven home on a street where Russia Today has a crew in place

The camera zooms in on a face in the crowd, focusing on a tall, soft-spoken man, a man named Bashar.

"The West, they put politics above humanitarianism! For them, all politics! Not humane"
Thank you.

And now we turn to Turkey where orange-suited Chinese rescue crews wearing easy-to-identify Chinese caps and jackets with Chinese flags and logos have been busy in front of our cameras...

@Nrg8000 @Dimi @polijunkie_aus @StephenMcDonell
Feb 11
Some highlights from the last few days of China's publicity-shy search-and-rescue squad...
The rescuers don't speak the language, so there's lots of pointing and hand gestures.
Everything depends on the cooperation of local authorities, even photo ops.
The Turkish hosts gently applaud the arrival of the Chinese rescuers...
Feb 11 (con't)
China has been very generous with its time and material donations.
Feb 10
The CCTV stand-ups lend a certain CNN-style gloss to the coverage, in Turkey and Syria respectively
Feb 10
Rescuers get flown on a smaller plane to the earthquake zone.
Feb 9
The moment of arrival in Turkey on a special Air China jet is recorded for posterity
Feb 7
Back in China, getting ready...
Don't ask...
CCTV included close-ups of the insignia of the
"Chinasearchandrescue Team"
Feb 7 (con't)
Marching in formation in a parking lot
packing...
Airport!
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More from @jinpeili

Feb 12
Xi's Tibet
A big propaganda film on Tibet is about to drop on CCTV. Here's a sneak preview. The pictures are pretty, the production values good, but the truth value is surely open to question. ImageImageImageImage
Happy people dancing all the time. ImageImageImageImage
In other news, China is making great strides in energy production.. ImageImageImageImage
Read 29 tweets
Feb 10
The balloon incident is still taboo on CCTV's evening news, but lesser outlets that produce English content for an outside audience such as Global Times, are having fun with it.

Presenting US expert (and amateur Freudian)
SCOTT RITTER:
"It's a physical manifestation of US fear!"
"How do we tell the American people...that the greatest capitalist nation...is getting trounced by communists?"

You just told them, Scott!
By the way, who is "we"?
Nice touch: The innocent balloon was labeled "weather balloon" in a previous cartoon. Now it's upgraded to a 'meteorological balloon.'

That should settle the argument.
Read 7 tweets
Feb 9
"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."
Read 38 tweets
Feb 8
CCTV FOLLIES 2.8 Xi rejects Westernization!

-To be replaced with Xi Jinping thought!
-In keeping with spirit of the 20th and Xi's wisdom!
-Ukraine update from Kremlin war room
-Update on China aid to quake
-No news of US today (balloon still taboo)
Xi's propagandists, still bristling from historic "desecration" of Tiananmen Square by those allegedly pro-Western demonstrators, uses the Square, Great Hall, and Xinhua Gate as unassailable icons of CCP power, erasing inconvenient memories that challenge the sanctity of his rule
"We have established Comrade Xi Jinping as the core of our party" -Party School cadre
Read 20 tweets
Feb 7
CCTV FOLLIES 2.7 All calm under Xi's control

-Xi gives a speech about his accomplishments
-Applause and plaudits massive
-Dairy and farm sectors good
-Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
-China ready to provide aid
-US fans flames in Ukraine
-US in flames in Ohio ImageImageImageImage
CCTV provides multiple angles on the sustained applause. ImageImageImageImage
Giant dairy farm in Gansu is the lead domestic feature, followed by one of CCTV's favorite tractor shots. ImageImageImageImage
Read 20 tweets
Feb 6
CCTV GALA 2.5 Yuan Xiao Festival

Yuan Xiao, or Lantern Festival, marks the end of New Year Festivities. It dates back to the Han Dynasty, but its cultural manifestation in today's China is decidedly modern: lots of digital magic and resourceful illumination
And since CCTV is quite good at putting on galas, it's nice to see familiar old faces on the stage singing soothing, anodyne songs.
But wait, what's this? Did the TV suddenly switch channels?
No, this is the first big act of CCTV's night celebrating an ancient hallowed holiday is staged PLA footage of a stunt in which they struggle to plant a red flag on a windy mountaintop.
Pointless, but nice composition.
Read 15 tweets

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