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[Guardian G.I.]

Meanwhile, Ukraine parliament has outlawed Ukrainian Communist party.
"They came first for Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist...".

Also, apparently this is how democracy works. Beating and removing people for voicing different opinion is okay, it seems.

Before democratically-minded people tear you apart, I'll clarify: so far, the Ukrainian parliament has only banned the Communists from appearing in the parliament - they banned the parliamentary fraction of the Communist Party. The legal process of outlawing the Communist Party itself is still in the works.

In other democratic news, RT has got into trouble with the British media watchdog agency Ofcom, which has started an inquiry about the channel not being objective and impartial enough. It may (and probably will) result in RT being officially banned from the airwaves in the United Kingdom.

[Dutchling]

Dutch FM statement to United Nations on plane crash (SoundCloud)

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Meanwhile, Ukraine parliament has outlawed Ukrainian Communist party.
"They came first for Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist...".

Also, apparently this is how democracy works. Beating and removing people for voicing different opinion is okay, it seems.

Their ideology has nothing to do with the ban (of cause Sovietism should be banned, Stalin's portrait in Ukraine is like Hitler's portraits in Israel. Communism can stay. It's just an economic theory. Stupid one, but that is a matter of opinion unlike glorifying Soviet criminals)

The party will be banned soon for direct support of intervention. Kicking them out of parliament is only the first step

[palsch]

In other democratic news, RT has got into trouble with the British media watchdog agency Ofcom, which has started an inquiry about the channel not being objective and impartial enough. It may (and probably will) result in RT being officially banned from the airwaves in the United Kingdom.

It's far more likely they will just be fined. In 2013 they were hit for bias over broadcasts relating the Syrian conflict. You can read the complete report here (starts page 6, goes on for a while). It boils down to them showing a propaganda video from Rossiya 24 about how horrific the Syrian opposition is and then trying (unsuccessfully) to argue it didn't need to be unbiased.

British journalism tends towards the confrontational and aggressive. Interviewers are expected to challenge the statements of the interviewees and bring forwards opposition views, even when those views are objectionable or marginal. Every report is expected to contain some due representation of opposing arguments or at least representation and comment from other policy views. That includes documentary or commentary pieces in nearly all cases; hell, most effective persuasive documentaries start with the opposition position and then deconstruct it throughout the program. RT seemed to believe this doesn't apply to them. Note that despite this not being their first offence they were only called to a meeting and didn't immediately face any sanction.

The only way I can think of them completely losing their license would be if it went the Press TV route. They lost their license because, despite their license being for operations in the UK, their editorial decisions were made directly from Tehran. Even their ignoring a previous fine wasn't enough for them to be removed.

[XXSockXX]

I think at this point we have all seen that Russian and Western media seem to exist in alternative realities. That's a huge problem, not only in the discussions here, but generally because it feeds paranoia and distrust.

[Sergarr]

It's refreshing to know that no matter who's the president, the Rada still has fist fights.

[Dutchling]

Naughty Svobodovtsy

[mainiac]

I think at this point we have all seen that Russian and Western media seem to exist in alternative realities. That's a huge problem, not only in the discussions here, but generally because it feeds paranoia and distrust.

Although there is great humor in seeing Russians say that elections aren't fair and media isn't free.

[Sergarr]

I personally think that humor, irony and sarcasm should be banned in politics.

[XXSockXX]

I think at this point we have all seen that Russian and Western media seem to exist in alternative realities. That's a huge problem, not only in the discussions here, but generally because it feeds paranoia and distrust.

Although there is great humor in seeing Russians say that elections aren't fair and media isn't free.

It would all be a lot funnier if the people who believe all that crap were as politically powerless as the average citizen in Best Korea, which they are not.
I understand that they think our governments and media are essentially the same as what they know and see at home, but that seems to rather enforce the whole block thinking and it complicates any sort of mutual understanding.

[martinuzz]

I think at this point we have all seen that Russian and Western media seem to exist in alternative realities. That's a huge problem, not only in the discussions here, but generally because it feeds paranoia and distrust.

The media has a large responsability. But as long as a majority of journalists are recruited based on their loyalty to socio-economical structures, as is in both West and East, rather than based on their observing and writing skills, I fear not much will change there.

[GrizzlyAdamz]

In other democratic news, RT has got into trouble with the British media watchdog agency Ofcom, which has started an inquiry about the channel not being objective and impartial enough. It may (and probably will) result in RT being officially banned from the airwaves in the United Kingdom.

Did they have any proof? None that they have presented, beyond references to social media chatter.

>Confession = 'social media chatter'
Right-o RT.
Y'know, I would have asked what exactly they were getting in trouble for, but I think I can guess.

British journalism tends towards the confrontational and aggressive. Interviewers are expected to challenge the statements of the interviewees and bring forwards opposition views, even when those views are objectionable or marginal. Every report is expected to contain some due representation of opposing arguments or at least representation and comment from other policy views. That includes documentary or commentary pieces in nearly all cases; hell, most effective persuasive documentaries start with the opposition position and then deconstruct it throughout the program.

This OFcom sounds like something we don't have in America and suffer for want of. (grammar?)

Meanwhile, Ukraine parliament has outlawed Ukrainian Communist party.
"They came first for Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist...".

Also, apparently this is how democracy works. Beating and removing people for voicing different opinion is okay, it seems.

Their ideology has nothing to do with the ban (of cause Sovietism should be banned, Stalin's portrait in Ukraine is like Hitler's portraits in Israel. Communism can stay. It's just an economic theory. Stupid one, but that is a matter of opinion unlike glorifying Soviet criminals)

The party will be banned soon for direct support of intervention. Kicking them out of parliament is only the first step

Lovely, sounds like a witch-hunt. Was it anything in particular that set the rada off?

[XXSockXX]

Meanwhile, Ukraine parliament has outlawed Ukrainian Communist party.
"They came first for Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist...".

Also, apparently this is how democracy works. Beating and removing people for voicing different opinion is okay, it seems.

Their ideology has nothing to do with the ban (of cause Sovietism should be banned, Stalin's portrait in Ukraine is like Hitler's portraits in Israel. Communism can stay. It's just an economic theory. Stupid one, but that is a matter of opinion unlike glorifying Soviet criminals)

The party will be banned soon for direct support of intervention. Kicking them out of parliament is only the first step

Lovely, sounds like a witch-hunt. Was it anything in particular that set the rada off?

Looks like this is over them supporting the rebels, which is deemed unconstitutional.

A party losing fraction status in parliament is not necessarily that unusual, don't know how it is in Ukraine, but around here fraction status (which brings certain privileges) can depend on the number of seats a party (or group of cooperating parties/MPs) has. Apparently some MPs left the Communist Party, but I don't know if that was the reason behind it.

[smjjames]

Meanwhile, Ukraine parliament has outlawed Ukrainian Communist party.
"They came first for Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist...".

Also, apparently this is how democracy works. Beating and removing people for voicing different opinion is okay, it seems.

Their ideology has nothing to do with the ban (of cause Sovietism should be banned, Stalin's portrait in Ukraine is like Hitler's portraits in Israel. Communism can stay. It's just an economic theory. Stupid one, but that is a matter of opinion unlike glorifying Soviet criminals)

The party will be banned soon for direct support of intervention. Kicking them out of parliament is only the first step

Lovely, sounds like a witch-hunt. Was it anything in particular that set the rada off?

They showed that on CNN yesterday, it was because the Donetsk region representative (they said Donetsk region MP) protested and called the Ukranians evil or something along the lines of that, I don't remember the exact words. Whatever the exact words were, it was enough to rile up the nationalists to go and shut him/her (think it was a guy) up.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be healthier to let congress go and brawl each other, might release some steam, but then again, we're supposed to be above that kind of behavior and it would be kind of embarrassing to have congress go and brawl.

[XXSockXX]

Sometimes I wonder if it would be healthier to let congress go and brawl each other, might release some steam, but then again, we're supposed to be above that kind of behavior and it would be kind of embarrassing to have congress go and brawl.

It's does not exactly look like a sign of a "grown up" democracy, but then it's not like these things don't happen elsewhere too. Seems to have happened a lot in Ukraine recently, but it's not surprising they're a bit stressed right now.