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BILD Newspaper’s Image ‘Shows How German Propaganda Works’

Sputnik – October 25, 2017

Das BILD’s decision to release a controversial image of a suffering Syrian child is a “mean attempt” to manipulate the public opinion, German journalist Karin Leukefeld wrote for Sputnik, commenting on the newspaper’s recent publication that deeply shocked her.

The editor-in-chief of the German newspaper Das Bild, Julian Reichelt, published in his newsletter a photo that depicts a Syrian nurse with a seriously ill or possibly even dead child in her arms.

The picture is accompanied by text: “Assad the Dictator continues to wage war against his own people.”

German political observer Karin Leukefeld reacted to the publication by saying that this is an example of how the German propaganda machine works.

Bashar al-Assad, the ruler of power, is leading his inexorable war against his own people.

“Bashar al-Assad, the ruler of power, is leading his inexorable war against his own people.” © Photo: BILD

In fact, the image that was taken in the village of Hamuria located 17 kilometers from Damascus has little to do with the Syrian leader himself, but is rather associated with the hostilities of the terrorist groups that have the village under control, the lack of medical care and the passivity of the West, the journalist noted. Since 2012, Hamuria has been occupied by several radical armed groups. The settlement is currently under control of Islamist group Faylaq al-Rahman. The overwhelming majority of the civilian population fled the city and is now living in Damascus or its suburbs, but those who stayed have to live without proper medical care and in constant fear for their lives.

“There is no shortage of weapons, ammunition and insurgents in the besieged territories. But the situation with medicaments and food is the opposite. The fact is that countless children have died and are dying all over Syria…. People were and are starving in all parts of the country. And they can’t get help — not least because of Western sanctions, which become increasingly tough — and Germany is also responsible for this,” Leukefeld wrote.

Moreover, the analyst stressed that, according to international humanitarian law, this photo couldn’t be published at all as “distributing pictures of weak, defenseless, sick or dead people for the purpose of propaganda is forbidden.”In Leukefeld’s opinion, especially “disgusting” is the fact that the German newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief Julian Reichelt used an innocent child to impose his point of view.

“This child can’t prevent all this,” the journalist wrote, adding that readers who see the photo and read the short text won’t ask themselves whether the child is sick and how they might be able to help him, but rather they’ll put the blame for this child’s fate on the Syrian president.

Leukefeld noted that Reichelt’s main goal was to “evoke feelings of hatred and hostility,” adding that his message was a clear example of propaganda that “must be included into the curriculum for beginning journalists.”

October 25, 2017 Posted by | Deception, Mainstream Media, Warmongering, War Crimes | , | Leave a comment

‘Good’ vs ‘Bad’ Bombs: Shocking Commentary of German Newspaper on Middle East

Sputnik – 28.10.2016

One of the largest German newspapers, Das Bild, seriously claimed that there are “good” and “bad” bombs that are being dropped on Middle Eastern countries.

According to the newspaper, the first ones were used in Aleppo by “bad” Putin whose goal is “to level the city with 300,000 residents to the ground in order to increase his personal power and that of his regime.”

The good bombs, as the newspaper claims, are on the contrary used by the US and its allies in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Their motive, according to the article, is “to liberate the city of millions from the terrorist regime of Daesh.”

The author, Julian Reichelt, made every effort to draw things black and white: he repeatedly contrasted the Russians with the Americans and even wrote odd comments in brackets, apparently making sure that the reader is “on the right side.”

“Bombs are clearly better in the hands of those who respect elections, follow laws and are controlled by the free press (for example Obama), than in the hands of despots who react to criticism with violence and oppression and are not accountable to anyone (for example Putin),” the article said.

In his attempt to turn the situation upside down, the author went even further, saying that “American nuclear weapons have always been better than the Russian (Pakistani or Chinese) ones because they have been controlled by politicians who have much more respect for human life and the will of their voters.”

Apparently, the author seems to have forgotten that the US is the country that killed 450,000 innocent people by dropping nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In addition to his outstanding comment, the author also mentioned that Russian media, including Sputnik and RT, alongside with respected German experts like Jürgen Todenhöfer, Jakob Augstein and Gabor Steingart always distort reality and publicly spread lies.

Apparently, Mr. Reichelt seems to ignore the fact that his controversial attempts to “demonize” Russia and “idolize” the West do not resemble much of “the truth” either.

October 28, 2016 Posted by | Mainstream Media, Warmongering | , , | Leave a comment