Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe that borders Poland, Russia, Belarus and Romania. Ukraine used to be apart of the Soviet Union, so it has very strong ties to Russia. The eastern and western sections of Ukraine have people with very different points of view, with those in the west wanting to join the European Union while most people in the East do not. The former president of Ukraine promised to sign the country onto the European Union in November when suddenly he refused to sign making many Ukrainians outraged. The conflict has just recently gotten coverage because of the violence going on presently in Ukraine. People in the East of Ukraine called the Russian army to come and protect them from the radicals in the west who have beaten and killed many people who want closer ties to Russia and vice versa. American News channels portray the current Russian armies presence in the Ukranian province of Crimea as breaking international law on Russias behalf. The U.S. is siding with the radicals in Ukraine who want to join the European Union while Russia is on the opposing side. Is the U.S. news truly showing all sides of the current conflict though?
The Japan Times is similar to U.S. news because it depicts the Russians as bad and that the Ukranians need the support of Japan in their conflict with Russia. It was different from American news because Japan cannot militarily aide the Ukranians against Russia because they are not allowed to have a standing army since World War 2. The Japan Times covers more of the economic downsides to the conflict and how Japan should economically support the Ukranians and place a sanction on Russia.
In the Moscow Times a whole different picture of the conflict was portrayed because it is a Russian newspaper. The Moscow Times was similar to our news coverage of the conflict because it depicted the situation as being very serious and how the eastern part of Ukraine wants to be protected by Russia. This newspaper was different from American coverage on Ukraine because it covered more of Eastern Ukraine and views the western part of Ukraine for being radical and at fault for the current situation. The Russian army is being viewed as the true police force in Ukraine that is trying to keep the peace.
The Kyiv Post, which is a Ukranian newspaper from Western Ukraine depicts the Ukranian people as fighting a revolution for their rights. It describes how the Ukranian people are facing oppression and it is similar to American news because it puts the blame on Russia. The newspaper calls out Russia and says that they are trying to intimidate the people of Ukraine by using military presence. In American news we are not calling the current crisis as being a revolution, but rather a national wave of protests. This newspaper makes the crisis seem to be more of a national war and a strong divide between east and west Ukraine. It also said that the revolution started in November which is a lot different from U.S. news because we just started coverage of the crisis in late February
In conclusion the crisis in Ukraine is not only a national crisis for the people of Ukraine but a global crisis that can have far reaching affects on other countries. Not only is the safety of the world at risk but also the world economy. There is a big difference when you look at the news in America and the news in Russia. Which story is truly right if each side is calling the other side at fault? Is Russia really planning on using force in Ukraine like many western papers think or is Russia just trying to protect Russian citizens that live in Ukraine?
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