On May 29, 2018 I submitted the following text in both Russian and
English for Putin’s June 7, 2018 call-in program. Unfortunately, it did
not get through but before the July 2018 Helsinki summit I tried
to get through to the two presidents on this issue, alas to no effect. In
many respects the reporting on the US in the Russian media is as
skewed as our own on Russia as Professor Paul Robinson of Ottawa
University has pointed out. If we are to improve relations between both
countries, this problem seriously needs to be addressed. If elected to
the office of US Senator from Michigan, I would make it a high priority
to try to use that position to do something about this.
From: John Howard Wilhelm
Date: Tue, May 29, 2018 at 12:38 PM
Subject: On the US Media and Russophobia–A Request for Help
To: Dmitry Peskov
Dmitry Peskov, Today I submitted online the following for President
Putin’s forthcoming (June 7, 2018) Pryamaya liniya. Unless something
is done about media coverage of Russia in the US, it simply is not going
to be possible for President Trump to effectively change the direction
of US policy towards your country. Those of us trying to do something
about this here need the type of help I am asking for in the following.
After you have looked at this, would it be possible to arrange to talk
with you about this matter by phone? Thank you for your attention.
John Howard Wilhelm, Ann Arbor,MI, USA Tel. 1-734-477-9942
Владимир Владимирович,
У меня веду два проекта в Анн-Арборе, Мичиган:
1) «Россия с любовью» (http://www.russiawithloveaa.org/);
2) Избирательная реформа в целях совершенствования американской политической
жизни (http://www.nationalrenewal.org/).
В 2016 году я с интересом узнал, что «Единая Россия» в ходе двух последних
предварительных выборов применяла в одномандатных округах одобрительное
голосование – принцип, который я пытался продвигать у нас в стране.
Тем не менее, 16 сентября 2016 года я с изумлением прочел в New York Times, что
«оппозиционные кандидаты не допускались на телевидение» во время последних
выборов в Думу. Я пытался сообщить New York Times, что это совершенно не
соответствует действительности, как я своими глазами видел по российскому
телевидению, и как указано в статье Johnson’s Russia List.
Я также пытался поставить вопрос о совершенно превратном освещении Times
убийств на Майдане 20 февраля 2014 года.
Кроме того, я пытался объяснить уважаемому колумнисту New York Times,
выражавшему озабоченность относительно влияния Соловьева, Бердяева и Ильина,
труды которых, как он писал, Вы цитируете и рекомендуете прочесть, что у него
неверное понимание этих русских интеллектуалов.
Ответа не последовало.
Мой вопрос: Не хотите ли Вы написать издателю New York Times и спросить, почему
его газета не может исправить свое освещение этих событий, и чем продиктован такой
взгляд, явно подогревающий русофобскую истерию в нашей стране?
Vladimir Vladimirovich, Here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I have two projects:
1) Our Russia With Love Project (http://www.russiawithloveaa.org/) and
2) Voting reform to improve American politics (http://www.nationalrenewal.org/).
It was interesting to learn in 2016 that United Russia used in its last two
primary elections for single member districts approval voting, a system which
I have tried to promote in my country.
But I was astonished when the New York Times wrote in a September 16, 2016
article that “Opposition candidates are also barred from appearing on television”
in the last Duma election. I have tried to tell the New York Times based on my
own watching of Russian TV and an item from Johnson’s Russia List that this
was totally false.
I have also tried to raise the issue of the Times very skewed coverage of the
February 20, 2014 Maidan killings.
In addition, I have tried to tell a generally respected New York Times columnist
who expressed alarm about the influence of Solovyov, Berdyaev and Il’in whom
he wrote you quote and have suggested others read, that his understanding of
these Russian intellectuals was also wrong.
All to no avail.
My question to you is: Would you be willing to write the Publisher of The
New York Times and ask him why his newspaper cannot correct its coverage
in such areas and why such coverage, which is clearly contributing to the
Russophobic hysteria in my country, is occurring?