Robert Amsterdam

A while back during Vladimir Putin's visit with George Bush at the family home in Kennebunkport, Maine, I recall reading an odd story on Siberian Light about an alleged member of the Russian president's entourage trying to pass a counterfeit $100 bill at nearby liquor store. An amusing story, but not much more to it. Then today I came across the attached clip of "The Real Story" with Glenn Beck on CNN, where they have spun the counterfeit $100 bill story into an elaborate paranoid exposé - the reporter then says he has "a sneaking suspicion" that there is a counterfeit ring leading all the way up to President Putin aimed at destabilizing the United States.

It is precisely this kind of sensationalist coverage of Russia in the United States that inspires so many people to harp on and on that they are the victims of some sort of malicious and coordinated media bias - including the Kremlin itself. With so many vitally important and legitimate issues for the media to address on Russia and its relations with the rest of the world, I can't understand why CNN would want to waste their efforts on such a ridiculous accusation. During the first few minutes watching this clip, I actually thought it was a spoof. It's important to let everyone know the good and the bad of what's happening in Russia, but simply scaring people without much information is not constructive. (To her credit, Sarah Mendelson of CSIS gets the discussion back to the facts).
- James