PUTIN’S SINISTER ASSAULT ON TRUTH

TRUTH, as ever, is the first casualty of war. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his lackeys have passed new legislation that will mean journalists face prison terms of up to 15 years for spreading ‘fake news’. The ‘fake news’ in question is the brutal war on Ukraine, which the Kremlin has decreed must be referred to only as ‘a military operation’.

When former US president Donald Trump called legitimate reporting of his actions ‘fake news’, his bluster was treated by all but his most devoted supporters as almost comedic, because it could easily be refuted by a free media. Putin’s latest move is far more sinister because no such pushback is possible. It highlights once again the vital role that free, fair and accurate reporting plays in a democracy, because it is so feared by those who reject democracy itself.