PUTIN’S PROPAGANDA MACHINE STARS TUCKER CARLSON
Russian propaganda star, Tucker Carlson, and others have been spreading Putin’s disinformation for years.
QUICK READ: The fiction of the “US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine” reveals how Putin’s lies are promoted as fact by US conservatives. Tucker Carlson (whose show is pushed to Russian media by the Kremlin) touted this piece of Russian propaganda on Fox.. Even after the story was revealed as a hoax, Tucker declared the lie “totally and completely true.” Officials are now worried the lie was a pretext for Russia to launch its own chemical or biological attack on Ukraine.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
BACKGROUND
One of Russia’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine was to eliminate the supposed threat from “US-funded biological warfare labs” there.
Although fact-checkers quickly established its falsity, Fox News's Tucker Carlson declared the story “totally and completely true.” Then, Donald Trump, Jr., labeled it a proven “fact.”
This week, when former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard repeated the lie, Sen. Mitt Romney exploded that “(She) is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives.”
Russia is an accomplished manufacturer of disinformation, but Putin’s US allies also distribute propaganda about Antifa, Covid vaccines, and BLM.
Putin’s goals are to destroy our trust in the media and polarize Americans. He’s been remarkably successful.
The US is learning to fight back. Before the war began, Biden revealed Russian troop movements. He alerted the world that Russia was planning false-flag operations to justify invading Ukraine. The intelligence community established a system to rapidly declassify intelligence supporting all this.
This “prebuttal” approach likely undercut Putin’s disinformation. Photographs of Russia’s growing deployment gave Ukraine weeks more to prepare defenses, and the false-flag operation never happened.
More must be done to protect Americans from Putin’s treacherous propaganda machine.
ACTION One: Call the Senate.
Script for Oregon Senators
SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753
My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
SEN. WYDEN:
Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244
(Messages and calls are most effective if they are personal. Scripts are here to help.)
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
Script for Republican Senators
D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
ACTION TWO: Call the House.
Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)
Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)
Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
Script for Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
Script for Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].
Tucker Carlon’s lies about national security issues are often “word-for-word” recitations of Putin’s remarks. Carlson knowingly declared Putin’s propaganda about US-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine was true. FCC rules make it “illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news,” and the nominee to head the FCC has labeled Fox “state-sponsored propaganda.” Demand that the license be pulled and speak out about the propaganda tearing us apart.
ACTION 3: Join the fight
For Ukraine. Links from Ukraine historian and author “On Tyranny,” Timothy Snyder: Yet one thing is encouraging: whenever I speak to my colleagues in Ukraine, they are all doing something. The everyday courage is astonishing. We should help if we can. When I spoke to colleagues in Poland today, I was also astonished by the swift reaction of civil society to more than a million Ukrainians refugees. I think we should affirm that impulse when we can.
Here are a few ways to help. I have made donations today and I hope you will too.
1. Ukrainian reporters are, directly or indirectly, our main source of information about this war. Many of them are at work now at risk to themselves without salaries and proper protective gear. A fund that will direct support and equipment to journalists taking risks in Ukraine is 2402. Have a look.
2. For Americans who want a tax deduction, Razom remains a good bet. This is a volunteer organization that will make good judgements about partners for humanitarian assistance. Donate to Razom here.
3. Hundreds of small Polish NGOs are assisting Ukrainian refugees now. One of them that deserves support is Homo Faber in Lublin, near where many Ukrainian refugees cross. You can help them with a bank transfer:
Name of recipient: Stowarzyszenie Homo Faber; Purpose: Ukraina; IBAN: PL 93 1940 1076 3069 8598 0000 0000; SWIFT: AGRIPLPRXXX; Name of bank: Credit Agricole Bank Polska SA, ul. Legnicka 48, 54-202 Wrocław, Polska. If you are on PayPal you might also be able to reach them that way: PayPal Stowarzyszenie Homo Faber, ul. Chopina, 41, lok. 2, 20-023 Lublin, e-mail: info@hf.org.pl.
4. People have been using Airbnb as a way to transfer money to individual Ukrainians by booking rooms they do not intend to use. If you do this, make sure the phone number of your host has a 380 prefix (country code for Ukraine) and contact the host ahead of time. Airbnb as a a company also enables people to help in another way, by offering lodging to Ukrainian refugees.
5. Canada has a large and well-organized Ukrainian diaspora, and its organizations are raising money for assistance to Ukraine. Here is the the appeal of the Canadian Red Cross.
6. To provide assistance to civilians in need, you can now donate directly by credit card to the Ukrainian Red Cross.
7. The Russian press blackout is shocking. I urge you, if you want to support Russian reporters, to fund Meduza, working from Riga.
PS: The interest in supporting the Ukrainian armed forces is consistent, so I repeat that information here.
The organization Come Back Alive concentrates on protective gear and other equipment for soldiers. You can donate using the information here.
Army SOS supplies medical equipment but also everything a soldier might need. You can donate in cryptocurrency following this link or make a bank transfer in dollars via: IBAN: UA203052990000026003016809842; SWIFT: PBANUA2XXXX; Bank: JSC CB "PRIVATBANK
You can contribute directly to the Ukrainian armed forces via credit card. If you prefer a bank transfer that information is here.
GOOD TROUBLE: Below are opportunities to fight for our democracy. As John Lewis said, go make some “good trouble.”
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Join the campaign to hold the House and Senate at GiveNoGround.org
Work to protect democracy in the House by replacing retiring US Representative Peter DeFazio with another Democrat, replacing Democrat Kurt Schrader, the “Manchin of the House,” with a progressive, and electing a Democrat in Oregon’s new Congressional District 6.
Demand that your primary news source stop creating false equivalencies and just report the truth.
Check out the Poor People's Campaign Readies 'Massive, Nonviolent' Effort to Save Democracy
Outside of Portland? Check out COIN Oregon.
Rally inconsisent Democratic voters to vote in 2022 with Progressive Turnout Project | Feb, 2022 | Medium
FURTHER READING:
Russia’s bioweapon conspiracy theory finds support in US | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera
False Claims of U.S. Bioweapons in Ukraine Shared by Russians, Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald
Putin’s Propaganda Machine Is What America’s Far-Right Wants - Defense One
CIA director: U.S. information campaign ‘effective’ against Russia ahead of Ukraine invasion
PolitiFact | There are no US-run biolabs in Ukraine, contrary to social media posts
Russia's Information War Is Being Waged on Social Media Platforms - Scientific America
What are Russia’s goals with disinformation on social media? | Brandeis
Pillars of Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem - State Dept pdf
US tries to name and shame Russian disinformation on Ukraine | AP News
