Handling Harridans

The uncouth behavior of Samantha Power, Empire's envoy to the UN, confirms once more former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's assessment that America, like the Roman Empire, has no need for diplomacy. "Diplomacy is perceived by an imperial power as a waste of time and prestige and a sign of weakness," concluded Boutros-Ghali (p. 198 of his 1999 memoir Unvanquished)

I would argue the same applies to journalistic integrity. After all, if one believes one can just make up "reality" and impose it with lies or bombs, why bother dealing with the truth?

Empire's journalists are so used to getting their way, believing themselves to be the all-powerful shapers of reality, that they get outright bitchy when someone refuses to play along.

Enter Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN. A veteran diplomat, he first handled the hysterics of Ms. Power (who had zero diplomatic experience prior to being appointed to her post)
with a polite but firm request to get out of his face. Now he is refusing to bow before CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

Back in November last year, Churkin appeared on Amanpour's show, only to see his interview on Syria sliced and diced. CNN claimed it was "cut down for length and time on-air", but the Russian mission argued the alterations left out "crucial" bits of the interview. Feel free to compare what was shown with the original remarks, and decide for yourselves.

So when Amanpour wanted to repeat the experience, Churkin gave her a cold shoulder. Frustrated, the CNN anchor got personal:

“Churkin’s own daughter is the US-based reporter for ‘Russia Today’ in New York. She's shown here, quizzing US State Department spokesman, Jen Psaki, over this whole Ukraine crisis. And in the past, she's even reported on her own father.”

To which Churkin replied:

...I wouldn't be writing to you if you did not also choose to personally attack my daughter... a Russian TV journalist. I am very proud of her – not only is she a good journalist, but she strictly keeps her professional distance from me.

Incidentally, I recall you married the State Department Spokesman. How was your professional credibility in the course of your courtship?

Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor in chief, added this:

When you don’t know what to say, fall back on those [double] standards at the double, as it were. But it is getting tedious and hard to stomach anymore.

If this is beyond the pale in the hallowed halls of American journalism, Amanpour would do well to remember this charming little video where she interviews her husband, James Rubin (former aide to State Secretary Madeleine Albright).

The interview is conducted alongside Victoria Nuland’s husband, Robert Kagan, who sits on the board of directors of the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI). The FPI, incidentally, has been roundly implicated in the now well-worn story surrounding the dramatic on-air resignation of our anchor, Liz Wahl.

In fact, CNN hasn’t been bothered in the slightest by the fact that two relatives have hammed it up on opposite ends of the camera, on more than one occasion. For example, here is a video of another CNN anchor, Chris Cuomo, interviewing his brother, New York governor, Andrew Cuomo.

Now how do you like them apples?