Canceling Russia and The Epoch Times

President Biden announced today that he is calling for the suspension of normal trade relations with Russia.  I read this news at the computer, and suddenly realized that I was grimacing at the screen.  Why?

Do I think it's a strategic mistake?  In other words, will it weaken the US position in relation to Russia?  Will it cause extra hardship for Ukrainians?  I don't know, but probably not.

Do I fear personal loss because of not having access to Russian goods?  No.  I'm surely overlooking something, but I can't think of anything I need that comes from Russia.  The only Vodka that I've ever used went into making a herbal tincture.  I still have plenty for the next round.

Do I lament the image of the US and its allies as the bad guys that will almost certainly be the only acceptable public narrative in Russia?  Yes.

Is the deprivation that might result for the Russian populace uppermost in my mind? Yes.  

Do I see these developments as further evidence that trying to solve problems by political means often necessitates compromise with basic Christian principles?  Absolutely.

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Yesterday I made a reference to the way appreciation for Russian culture and accomplishments is becoming a casualty of the recent war.  I had read this article, but did not reference it as I was writing, and did not provide a link to it.  Just now when I read it again, I saw that I could have used the term  "cancel all things Russian" and conveyed what I was referring to more concisely. 

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Some time ago an unsolicited copy of The Epoch Times appeared in our mailbox.  My only acquaintance with this publication before that had been annoying ads for the newspaper interrupting the occasional youtube video I wanted to watch. I could tell from those short exposures to its content that it had a far-right slant, although I don't remember the specific evidence that I saw.  I think I must have clicked a button that said "Don't show me any more ads like this" because I haven't seen it lately. A quick perusal of the print copy that showed up here confirmed my earlier impression about its content.  I could hardly wait to hide it at the bottom of the newspaper stack destined for use in the garden as a weed barrier under the straw mulch.  It was extra good for that--big and thick.  

I know now that The Epoch Times has showed up in the homes of other people who go to our church.  I don't know if these people actually have subscriptions or whether they got a random copy like I did.  Learning about this prompted me to do a little checking just now.  What kind of publication is The Epoch Times?  I set out to see where it was positioned in the media bias graphic that I have seen a number of times, but I have never examined it in relation to The Epoch Times.  

I got slightly sidetracked, and read a mainstream media article first.  To my surprise, I saw that it was founded by someone in the Falun Gong religious group.  One of the main purposes in the beginning was to tell others about this religion–which has been widely resisted by the government of China, where the religion originated.  The short lead-in for the article said this: “Since 2016, the Falun Gong-backed newspaper has used aggressive Facebook tactics and right-wing misinformation to create an anti-China, pro-Trump media empire.”  The article itself revealed many reasons for concern.  A related article appears in The Atlantic.  I didn't click on that link, but I'm sure that it's well-researched and well-written, based on the journalistic standards that publication is known for.

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The information below is copied from this site:

• Overall, we rate The Epoch Times Right Biased and Questionable based on the publication of pseudoscience and the promotion of propaganda and conspiracy theories, as well as numerous failed fact checks.

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Detailed Report

Questionable Reasoning: Conspiracy Theories, Pseudoscience, Propaganda, Fake News, Failed Fact Checks
Bias Rating: RIGHT
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Newspaper
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY

The above information seemed helpful, but was not the site I had in mind.

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The chart I was looking for initially can be found here.   On the scale that ranks "News Value and Reliability" The Epoch Times falls into the category with this label:  "Selective, Incomplete, Unfair Persuasion, Propaganda, or other issues."  On the scale that locates a media source on a left to right continuum, The Epoch Times falls into the category with this title:  "Hyper-Partisan Right."  

My advice?  If you have a subscription to The Epoch Times, cancel it immediately and recycle all existing copies in your possession (better yet, if you're local, give them to me to use in the garden).  If you're seeing ads from this publication or seeing content from it on Facebook or other online media, find and click whatever button you can find that ensures that you won't see any more ads or content like this. 

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I  used to read material that I was pretty sure I would find unbelievable or offensive in some other way--because I believe in listening to ideas other than what I have espoused so far.  I abandoned that approach on the internet because of how it influenced what I will see in the future.  What I am doing in an effort to be open-minded is seen in algorithm terms as "mind already made up." 

I think the idea goes something like this:  "She clicked on an article (or ad) from The Epoch Times.  That means that she's a Conservative, she's a Trump fan, she wants nothing to do with vaccines, and she might be open to joining Falun Gong.  We'll feed her all the information we can along these lines--because the more traffic we get on those sites, the more we can charge for ads that people want to have interspersed with content like this."

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I hope it's obvious that the word "cancel" has several meanings.  It seems like a bad idea if you're talking about a nation like Russia and its people.  It seems like a good idea if you're subscribing to a publication that peddles misinformation, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, fake news, and propaganda.  While you're checking out the above links, notice what else you might be able to learn.  Maybe you'll gain perspective on many news outlets other than the one I've focused on here.