Covert 19 the official numbers just dont add up bellow ruses state of denial on the coronavirus and the bloggers to change the narrative and freedom of the press in the philippines hits a new low with the conviction of rattlers maria ressa and the subtle ways in which socalled non racists let racism thrive its food for thought no thanks russia is currently in 3rd place on the list of countries with the most confirmed coronavirus case the official figure there exceeds half a 1000000 but that is in dispute as is the countrys fatality rate which last month was 7 times below the global average according to journalists and scientists who have studied the way russia tabulates cases those rates should be significantly higher truth is a casualty of the coronavirus war and the kremlin itself is trying to get a grip on a glut of conspiracy theories and fake news about covert 19 that get shared online and then seek into mainstream reporting on the 1st of april the government equipped itself for the job president Vladimir Putin hastily signed off on legal changes that enable the authorities to go after those they accuse of spreading fake news which when you examine some of the sketchy covert related data being produced by the russian government is a little rich our starting point this week is. On patrol with russias Misinformation Police and their job getting those accused of breaking the new fake news law to sign confessions. Cleese tools of peace in the middle east that are my east will be. The woman he posted about a covert 1000 deaths in a region where officials report there are no cases in the frontlines crimes proceeding about. The man who shared a story of a friend who was fined for not wearing a mask and she says slipstream kind of yours but the look of conduct to protect the faces are blurred but the message is clear deal in fake news and you will be fined or jailed under the terms of the new law and once those confessions are signed the videos end up online on the interior ministrys own you tube check. This law was fully drafted at phenomenal speed and signed off by the president in less than a week its a monstrosity why are they passing these loans and will they be applied to this information only about corona virus or other matters to there is an astonishing almost unbelievable number of cases brought against bloggers and social media users who have shared accurate or even legitimate information that should be eating with them since april of this year we have been running a project im betting big brother live to monitor all of their with rachel citizens right using water and because of knowledge of criminal cases and average to date more than 100 cases since last year for distribution of information a lie and. Their grief of the increase has a cure since the beginning protagonist pandemic. Most fake news prosecutions in russia target ordinary citizens sharing information over social media accounts and more and more journalists have been affected. Reporters questioned over articles on shortages of medical supplies established newspapers like novi have kids yet even this moscow based medical platform either questioned under the law or forced to delete articles the Authorities Say could cause public harm. Meanwhile the program and voice is free to go on a state funded Television Channel and spout conspiracy theories blaming americans for the pandemic and the authorities dont do with things going to so make love to someone like nikita. You have 3 days to talk about him. Because of the cocoa hes a celebrity in the Russian Federation having his own media shows on state funding Television Channels hes close to russia and need to go i can no make financial cultural Needs Company thats true that if he talked about the role of us corporations and the way they connected to cope which was a case of a Conspiracy Theory i would be out there to feel untrue you must know i didnt microsoft design. Would cost much the program like many other ones was not based on research but rather on this cold voice we hear again and again on social media is just another fantastic example to show how they were confusion about what ethical jonathan was about and was actually truthful reporting really means. It was in response to. All those. Now in person. I guess. In ways that may help. And this would increase. Our threats west and also mention. Us just. So next week not its not surprising that barry. 19 would appear. The russian lawyers very selective and if they were found primo kremlin blogger or joran others from the federal channels theyve never been prosecuted and when it comes to just local activity or journalists from the top of that media they face these problems. Administrative and criminal prosecution in them. The biggest source of covert 1000. 00 misinformation in russia may in fact be russian the way it compiles its statistics of Health Officials like to boast that the countrys coronavirus fatality rate is 7 times lower than the global average but i sense to me the best of them fancy what i see as they also i do miss some of these give me the journalists call those numbers a cause for investigation not celebration methodology is key here and russias has been to you because if a patient the cops to a preexisting condition then that is listed as the cause of death even if their passing is precipitated by the virus. There are some other telling numbers the state simply cannot explain the deaths above average figures for both moscow and St Petersburg month to month comparisons against previous years have shot up significantly in the midst of a pandemic yet the authorities insist the virus is not the costs. Some western Media Outlets have examined the official russian story and picked it apart program and media have the right at their work as politically motivated to do a year out of New York Times that not the New York Times the. Largest showed when the new book but much of the vast number crunching reporting on this story has come from russians like all of us working for medusa a new site safely based next door in latvia. There was a moment in mid april when journalists started noticing that official state they dont feel tallies wasnt matching the data from doctors but i see someone. Did. Some question. Thank you only if there was a. My research has shown that the federal statistics are constructed in such a way that entire cities have been admitted at some point they just stopped adding the number of infected and dead people from certain locations in one place 25 fatalities were found but werent counted. One mosco Government Official in charge of medical affairs told me in april that the bureaucracy was true noble like he said he was absolutely misinformed simply because his subordinates didnt want him to despair but eventually he was forced to face the facts even though parliament and the ministry of health are trying to conceal the truth. Anyone studying this pandemic and the 4 countries with the most infections will see a pattern. The leaders of those contracts in different ways and to differing extents have told their citizens to trust them and not journalists where has this manufactured mistrust of the media got them how many locks as a caucus. And all those numbers are just the official critics and the official casualties the ones theyre admitting what we can see through get them to make these a kind of after effect of it besides all the problems that those countries have become more visible because of the content and therefore were really looking at the situation of mistrust in brazil where people out in the streets protesting with the Russian Federation the kind of ongoing problem is mistrust in the date that is being released by the officials and fake news something that has been boiling up for some time now kind of a Natural Development of those processes. That are lots of questions raised about. So its not. A question number but in reality the most important thing. Right that you consider them and thats not applied. To date signs ever been to the west but the power of those weapons to be. Inconsistent the best game and now in russia the risk being that person or. Do you think and were also seeing more generally these long term trends interest in the future and to me yet. Were discussing other media stories that are on our radar now with one of our producers and an auction rocky. After years of legal hounding by the filipino government the journalist maria ressa the editor of the news site rappler now faces 6 years in prison how has it come to this because you didnt seem president or at regal to take he is obsessed with vesa and weve tracked multiple years of verbal abuse numerous investigations even the debunking of after his license back in 2018 reza herself has called this death by a 1000 cuts now she and a former colleague of hers have been convicted of cyber libel but an article published back in 2012 but heres the kicker this cyber crime we know under which this libel has been identified did not even exist when the octopus 1st published it was an active 4 months after publication but wrapper then updated that article and that created a technicality that prosecutors jumped on correct yes but the other did consisted of correcting a spelling mistake these are dark days for the filipino media to change just last month we to put it on a. B. S. E. B. M. The countrys biggest t. V. Network been taken off the air and now media this is sentencing is it in development another story that youve been following those border clashes between chinese and indian troops in the himalayas how was that story been covered on both sides of that border. Scuffles in the contested areas of the Sino Indian Border do break out from time to time which are but very do they get this violent at least 20 indian soldiers were killed in a battle with chinese troops in an area called the gul one value now the reason the even normal of these indian casualty figures is because the Indian Government eventually made these details public on the chinese side information is really sparse and it would seem that the significantly underpinning the story for instance soon after the incident the state broadcaster c. C. T. V. Van cleef military statement there have been some tweets for example this one from the editor of the nationalist global times but domestically at least Chinese Media seem to have buried the story india coverage has been characteristically on a spectrum on one side you have newspapers and respected online outlets probing the story and the government spin then you have predicted audience like this one from the times of india pushing forward an eye for an eye in effect on most t. V. Channels there has been a lot of jingoism and some misreporting see your bank paranoia dance very. Red. In this bulletin for instance to prime time anchors on the times now channel simply read out of forwarded Whatsapp Message supposedly listing out the names of 30 chinese soldiers killed by the indian army it was a fit there are 2 Nuclear Armed powers which are in both of them are regional heavyweights and this is a story we will be watching carefully ok thanks man. What do you do if youre from bella ruse and want to learn about the viral pandemic to protect yourself you have a president Alexander Lukashenko who long refused to accept the existence of covert 19 let alone the idea that it was killing people saying things to reporters like there are no viruses here did you see any flying around your mainstream news outlets are of no use to you the president brought them to heel long ago and theyre telling people to get on with life as normal so you go online you tube telegraph where bloggers are doing the job of journalists in gauging Young Audiences giving them the data they need right now and making president lucas shimko nervous since he has an election coming up the listening posts johannah whos now on bella russas bloggers the kind of work they do and the impact of they are having in a country where political change has been a long time in coming. Meets the fund special low. As better russians know him next that hes better who says most prominent bloggers. And hes just 21 years old. His you tube videos and telegram post routinely generate more than a 1000000 viewers but given the entire population of belarus is 9000000 the most. To get my next the telegram and you tube channels are very important for the russians as they reveal what is actually happening in the country forget it but almost. Started to publicize a better push your new book. For us to belarus is one of the most sons of countries in europe if not the most sense that looks on the location because government is afraid of independent media as they show what is really going on in the press corps of that is the print out in the 1st on the way to pravda i cover crimes committed by officials in Civil Service i try to publish what isnt being printed by the state newspapers or aired by the state broadcasts but it makes me think that we present information that appeals to our younger audience direct information using simple language thats honest and reasonably objective people discuss these channels with their friends and this is how they become so popular obviously the authorities do not like it but they cannot do anything about it is a balance supplicate which. Has been ruled by Alexander Lukashenko since 994 this august he is running for a 6th term in office infamously dubbed europes gnostic tator the question does not go easy on its critics political opposition is virtually nonexistent independent journalism was squashed in years ago thats why next step currently lives in poland beyond the reach of a president known to side. Journalist and their sources oh thats interesting. What last year in new question cost 26 years in power we have only had t. V. Channels that broadcast the fischel state ideology bloggers are thriving as a result. Tossed out yourself up like you know it is a preacher but talks exclusively for months it must be because in london with. Our government inside this state officials who have inclination that they can all discuss publicly are much more willing to pass information to bloggers than to traditional journalists or shall i studiously new discovered genius rushing out by the merest operatives after what can i do assure you to when you see a lot of 2nd look this feel more free than traditional john lewis because the authorities cant touch telegram channels they can block theyre cowards and they have no way to stop the flow of information thats why the authorities consider them so dangerous since its an Economic Analysis almost next has become popular because it publishes previously undisclosed information on his you tube and telegram challoners this information usually comes from leaks and isnt covered by Mainstream Media but there are pros and cons to bits and sometimes false information is sent under the pretense of legitimate means so you have to be very careful you cant always trust what these bloggers publish because the information is not on was verified and citizen reporters bloggers dont adhere to the same standards or ethics as traditional journalists regardless of whether there is censorship in the country or not lying in sort of thing. That a couple of them want to focus on in sort of. Fake news is a problem sometimes it is even sent by the authorities themselves in order to discredit our channels however we do check all our information fairly using our Large Network of sources in various institutions in ministries thanks to this information on our. Channels more than 90 percent of it is confirmed and verified but this diet but its. The recently nextel has focused on the belarusian governments handling of covert 19 and it hasnt come out well theres going to cover a woman around this idea maybe its magic on exposure 3 tips came by the senate door schneck really struck by the princecraft of our. Fellow whos currently has more than 55000. 00 confirmed cases but only a few 100 officially reported deaths thats a death rate of about 0. 5 percent suspiciously low when compared to other countries around the world downplaying the risks of the virus in question goes ignored calls for lockdown measures to just involved or sauna treatments instead they need to know theres no its a little like you know little or no renewal movie or dont feel more than the good you hear when you want to just let little sonia go but as infection rates keep rising so to just describe them and of the president s approach in the deteriorating economy their party arent always to go out of here. Were caused by god by use them for strike. By the almost year for her list of gods not is a plus weve got to pull some god where are you im always to. See sarah gates he has been crossing the country for his you tube channel a country for life and you know various mike tube ordinary belarusian but she wont ever be adopt the lotto but im not crazy. Out granny with the election coming under skis videos are attracting viewers on the web and supporters on the streets was more. Critical for progress of the problem for. The government or for the loss of your brother might just what are your what or. Going to. Be tired of look i. Saw they are joining prove this movements at the moment the most vibrant active movement is around city. Subscribers a people who used to be a political some are even supporters of the current government but as their feelings of powerlessness have increased they have started moving to the opposite count this blog is videos have galvanized people inspiring Political Action which has obviously irritated the authorities and let the various acts of repression it was clear that. The main way theyre going after to one asking is through administrative arrests arresting him his supporters and those who appeared in his videos anyone who expressed their opinions on his you tube channel death or it is of come to understand that blogs like to her north korea country for life or step unscrupulous next dont just spread information but the bloggers themselves are becoming the center of attention and they can actually influence politics not just talk about it in the process when you talk about. The governments pressure doesnt seem to have deterred. If anything it has invigorated him. If you walk a pretty quiet. Korea where you want your afterward your figure out what you got here. In early may he announced his own bed for the presidency he says his subscribers request. To go down well with the authorities before he could file his candidacy he was thrown in jail and he has been in and out ever since his repeated arrests have only stoke the fire his wife who has no previous political experience. Has taken his place on the ballot and she was quickly browsing in the pool. Is very annoyed with the actions of bloggers we have become opinion leaders but dont have any ties to the state so hes trying to silence us in every possible way people are being fined arrested you name it. All the upcoming election and examination of power but he has already failed that test on Health Sports not to mention the economy and now all he has left is the oppressive machine the Security Forces and the police. He will hold on to his power to live very resorting to any means possible to do so. But it is our desire to change the country for the better this is what gives us Strength Energy and a desire to continue our one. And finally all those protests against Racial Injustice have triggered discussions in real life and online forcing people to consider things in ways they hadnt before such as the notion that not being racist is not good enough anymore real change means being Something Different it means being anti racist when you boil the following video down thats the message that turning a blind eye letting racism go on challenge simply contributes to the problem it was that idea that new zealands Human Rights Commission wanted to get out there through a clever subtle campaign that started a few years back and a video that actually feels more relevant today than when it 1st went online well see you next time here at the listening post. Braces. Needs your help to survive you may not be in a position to give much to races but whatever you feel comfortable giving will make a huge difference you dont have to be a full on racist just being a tiny bit racist is enough frequently asked questions about racism but im not a real racist can i still help of course even if you dont come from a racist background thats ok being a bit racist is super easy i dont want to show my support i might not want to wear a t. Shirt that says how much of a racist you know thinks im racist on the inside. But you can laugh at racist comments and does the same thing. If i only give a little bit late even make a difference not to you know but to the people receiving the racism theyll be getting hundreds of small bits every day so it will add up it will be noticed remember the only thing that can keep racism alive and help it grow is feeding and nurturing it and thats where you come in who you help it flourish canyon journalists in pursuit of press freedom and justice i have this thing esp a situation where someone says salute about that hope you can afford painkiller thats investigating government corruption and the National Health care system one of the transactions espionage and the killing. Of money that is one explained to africa on sunset its unpublishable things up people dont want to benefit doesnt mean that the us is truth is it anyway on aljazeera. Hello im daryn jordan in doha with a quick reminder of the top stories here on aljazeera the top u. S. Infectious diseases expert has warned the next few weeks will be critical in controlling a disturbing surge in coronavirus cases dr anthony felt she also testified in congress that he and others had not been told to slow down testing despite claims to the contrary but President Trump rolls in jordan reports. Saturday night in tulsa no mask