Page 26 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL 12

You have Hollywood,English language. Our entertainment is dominated by the US and UK, Information and knowledge about Russia comes from secondary sources produced by Western news agencies, for instance CNN, BBC and Reuterssoured and grew distant. Thailand’s alliance with the US during the Cold War of the 1950s deepened the negative stereotypes of Russia.“For Thais, Russians are the tourists who come to live in Pattaya, Krabi, or they’re KGB,” said Thanchanok Jongyotying, a guest speaker and news commentator from TNN 24. She visited Russia last year for a media workshop and exchange programme, and admitted being scared of Russia at first. But her visit was marked by “friendly lovely” Russian people and a “highly cultured city” with “the most beautiful subway stations”. The problem, she said, is how to let Thais see the beautiful side of Russia.Ambassador Barsky sees the negative stereotype of Russia as a product of bias manufactured by Western media. The perception of former communist countries such as Russia – the birthplace of Marxism – and China have been shaped by CNN, BBC or news syndicates such as the Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg. Most news is about violations of human rights and stifling of freedom of expression. Media from the US and UK use news content to export Western democratic values and protect their interests and free market ethos, he said. Although Russia and China have embraced full swing capitalism, they remain targets of Western media bias.“The media can turn Cinderella into a beautiful princess24 Elite+