Episode 263: Missing Context in a Complicated Story

Today on Polilogue, we note how American news organizations can miss the mark of foreign affairs stories. Usually these stories are not as giant as the Ukraine-Russia escalation, so we read a headline or two about a tanker stuck in the Suez Canal and leave it at that. But now, with over a hundred thousand Russian soldiers having invaded Ukraine, tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to border nations, and average citizens making Molotov cocktails in an attempt to defend their country, it’s become abundantly clear that the coverage we’re seeing now about Ukraine is just a sliver of the real story. In fact, the coverage we’ve been seeing for years has lacked details about the scope of the problem and all the players that could impact its resolution. Shows discussed State of the Union on CNNFox News Sunday on FOXThis Week on ABCFace the Nation on CBSMeet the Press on NBCResourcesIn Foreign Policy U-turn, Germany Ups Military Spending, Arms Ukraine (NYT)The U.S. has been rushing to arm Ukraine, but for years it stalled on providing weapons (WaPo)The war in Ukraine isn’t working out the way Russia intended (WaPo)The Roots of Ukraine’s War: How the Crisis Developed (NYT)Zelensky Steps Into a Role Few Expected: Ukraine’s Wartime President (NYT)Contact usEmail us at [email protected] or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.Support the show: We produce Polilogue out of our own pocket. If you’d like to support the show with a one-time or recurring donation, please visit our donate page here. Or leave a review on iTunes, Apple Music, or the Apple Podcast library. Thank you!Check out some of our other work: Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com  Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org