I really have to admit that at the beginning, the intention and goal of alternative media were very positive, sincere, and pure. Later, however, it all changed to the exact opposite of what they initially preached.
In the past, I was a fan of alternative media because it was a completely different time. The media was perhaps unfairly too critical of Russia, although at that time Putin still wanted to be friends with the West. That's what I appreciated about alternative media back then. Today, the situation is different. Russian politicians make no secret of the fact that they have designated and declared the West as their enemy.
In the past, the mainstream media was too uncritical of US policy and was unable to criticize various unethical military interventions in Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Libya. I appreciated that at the time, and indeed, in that initial period, alternative media were on the side of good and truth. Today, however, the situation has changed; pro-American sentiments in society have shifted excessively towards Russia, with a very aggressive ideological tone. Today in Slovakia, it seems that nothing else is discussed except how bad Americans are and what military interventions they have had. The pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. It is tragicomic that people who believe in pro-Kremlin propaganda, if they want to defend their position that Putin is a great politician, will not praise Putin, but instead start talking about the military interventions of the US army. I hear this primitive argumentation far too often, and I am tired of hearing it so many times over, what has already been repeated a million times.
Alternative media claim to balance the one-sidedness of mainstream media, which was true at the beginning. Today, they no longer fulfill this function and have become systematic producers of fake news. At first, it was not really about fake news, although it did occur from time to time.
Alternative media claim that they will give space to people who would not get it in the mainstream media and claimed that they would give space to everyone. At first, this was really true, but nowadays it means that fools and half-fools, psychologically complexed and frustrated people will get space in alternative media.
Circumstances that greatly helped alternative media become popular and influential
2014 and 2015: The rocket launch and rise of alternative mediaUndoubtedly, 2014 was a turning point, the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The whole world was still very unprepared for Russia at that time, and society viewed Russia very uncritically. No one yet suspected that in 2014, Russia would completely change its policy from the ground up and declare the West an enemy, which was a reaction to sanctions. At this time, even huge media agencies like Reuters and AP fell for several fake news reports from the Russian side. Some fake news is still strongly fixed in the minds of Europeans today, e.g., that Russian soldiers were never in the east of the country, even though the commander Igor Girkin Strelkov himself stated in several press reports that he was not the commander of military vacationers but the commander of the regular Russian army.
In 2014, society had not yet managed to build resilience against the hoaxes of Kremlin propaganda. Today, it is different. At that time, it was not yet known that fake news had become the most important and main strategy of the Russian government.
Alternative media took over and spread the Russian side's hoaxes even more aggressively than the mainstream media.
Since 2014, the Russian government has begun to cooperate very intensively with alternative media, offering them financial support for spreading Kremlin lies.
In 2015, the migration crisis peaked. At this point, alternative media should be praised for not being afraid and having the courage to criticize the fact that illegal and mass migration are very negative trends. Alternative media really told the truth in this matter and also became more watched because of this topic. Unfortunately, people are too stupid to distinguish mixed truth from lies. People did not understand that just because alternative media were right about migration, they do not have to be right about everything else. It remained strongly rooted in people that alternative media are on the side of truth and fight for it, even if it is not popular. Most people still do not understand that truth and lies can be mixed together and that it is very difficult to distinguish them. In the meantime, even mainstream media have stopped supporting mass migration and the situation is completely different. Today, there is not a single positive thing that alternative media bring to society. They systematically fill people with false news and hatred against opinion opponents.
The topic of the 2015 migration crisis was cynically misused to break up the EU and to stir up anti-European sentiments, which is in complete contradiction with the economic and national interests of Slovakia. True patriots and nationalists should be the first to shout how much we need the EU, because it has helped us a lot economically.
Internet radio project Slobodný vysielač
Slobodný vysielač, abbreviated as SV, was founded at the beginning on very noble and sincere principles. Today, the SV management does exactly the opposite of the foundations on which it was founded.SV was founded in 2012.
SV was created in protest of the fact that the mainstream media was unbalanced and gave space to only one side of the opinion. Indeed, in 2012, the mainstream media made this mistake. Today, however, the situation is completely different. The media today is much more balanced, and sometimes even gives significantly more space to Kremlin analysts than to the other opinion camp. For example, various Chmelárs, Zábojníks, Blahs, and the like appear on TA3 television disproportionately often.
At the beginning of its operation, the Free Radio sincerely tried to invite both sides of the opinion to the show if there was any political issue. However, it abandoned this quite quickly. Today, the Free Radio does the exact opposite of the foundations on which it was founded, and it doesn't even occur to them to invite people with different opinions to the show. The Free Radio has turned into a fanatical closed sect that hates people with different opinions.
The head of SV Koroni hypocritically says that if anyone asks him to appear on SV, he will allow it, but it's easy for him to say when he knows very well that no normal, decent person will come to such a fanatical and hateful sect as Slobodný vysielač.
Slobodný vysielač has no interest in discussing with people of a different opinion, although this was its noble goal at the beginning. Instead of discussion, the basis of Slobodný vysielač's propaganda is to constantly stir up hatred towards opinion opponents, let alone invite them to the show. On the other hand, Boris Koroni contradicts himself when he says that everyone has an open door to the show and he will not refuse anyone who asks him to. However, he speaks of opinion opponents in SV as disgusting, vile enemies and traitors. Koroni regrets that no one with a different opinion wants to be on the show, but who would want to voluntarily go into such a hateful, hostile environment? Koroni outwardly pretends to be open, has strong words, but in practice he never invites an opinion opponent to the show. And what normal person would voluntarily sign up to have a show in a hostile, fanatical sect called Slobodný vysielač?
Today, after years, many hoaxes spread by SV seem ridiculous to us, such as juvenile justice and the case of selling water abroad. How could people have believed such crazy nonsense?
I can admit only one positive thing about the Free Radio: there are two expert shows. In other media, experts are not given so much space in the form of time. A show about housing and forestry.
Alternative media are a sect. … Concerns about Boris Koroni's mental health
https://youtu.be/Ksb-yLUbOJs?t=3785 Planning the future of Radio 46The Free Transmitter is starting to seriously resemble a cult. Koroni was very offended when a listener reminded him that his own colleague, Juraj Poláček, had said that Russian propaganda often spreads hoaxes. Furthermore, Koroni presented his insane opinion that Kremlin propaganda and serious mainstream media spread exactly the same number of hoaxes. Only a mentally ill person can produce such information. Koroni's reaction to this question surprised me immensely. I really thought he would have at least a shred of self-reflection and admit, even a little self-critically, that Russian information sources are not that great.
The community of people from alternative media is truly a sect. These are people who have deliberately isolated themselves from normal society and created their own world in which they live and in which they feel good. These people do not have a shred of healthy self-reflection. They are very far from reality.
Koroni refers to Free Radio as a free and independent medium. I would be interested to know if Koroni says this only because he is paid by the Russian secret service or if he is genuinely convinced of it. If he is genuinely convinced of it, then this person cannot be mentally healthy. An independent medium looks completely different. An independent medium does everything for objectivity and an even balance of opinions. Only people who idealize Putin, suck up to him, and passionately defend his policies appear in the programs. For four and a half years, they have not invited anyone with a different opinion to the program. The last time an independent, objective expert on Russia, Alexander Duleba, was invited to the program was on August 14, 2014. Koroni likes to make strong statements, saying that if someone wants to go on Free Radio, they should sign up themselves, but he himself does not actively invite a person with a different opinion to the program. Koroni is a coward who likes to talk tough, but independence must be proven by actions, not by tough talk. Koroni did not lift a finger to make his radio station not one-sided.
The TV show Reporters showed what cowards people from alternative media are, as they were pathologically paranoid and unwilling to do an interview for television. It was a great job by the presenter Laco Ďurkovič, who forced this closed sect to come out of their closed barricaded bunker, to come out of their own closed world.
Alternativists are a sect of paranoid madmen who are convinced that a person with a different opinion is automatically an enemy who hates us. They are people who cowardly isolate themselves and throw a grenade of an accusatory campaign at the enemy (=opinion opponent) from a barricaded trench, and then quickly hide back in their shelter. But they are afraid to come out into the light because they are cowards and have a guilty conscience. They are morbidly afraid of discussion. These madmen have not realized at all that there is no need to fight somewhere in the trenches, but it is enough to come out into the light and honestly discuss with people with different opinions. However, Alternativists reject any discussion; instead of discussion, they barricade themselves and fight.
Even people with different opinions can communicate peacefully without tension and mutual attacks. I could imagine such radio shows, and it's quite realistic. But paranoid lunatics from alternative media can't imagine it.
Comparison of objectivity: Denník N vs. Slobodný vysielač
In the sectarian community of alternative media, the liberal-oriented Denník N is hated and considered a symbol of lies and pro-American propaganda. The only thing that could really be objectively criticized about Denník N was its articles promoting migration quotas in 2015 during the migration crisis. But even during this period in 2015, Denník N gave considerable space to journalists who were strongly critical of uncontrolled mass migration. For comparison, Slobodný vysielač has not invited a single person with a non-critical opinion on Putin's policy to its show since 2014. However, the mentally disturbed community of people from alternative media sees who is objective and who is not completely differently.When Denník N published an article about the Russian spy Yevgeny Paltsev working for the disinformation website Hlavné správy, the journalist also gave space to the other side, actively trying to contact the spy Paltsev, and they also published an interview with Paltsev's close associate, who was willing to give an interview. Similarly, in a Slovak Television program, reporter Laco Ďurkovič, in a report on alternative media, did everything to give maximum space to conspiracy theorists as well. However, the Corona disinformation radio never gives any space to the other side and disgustingly slanders opinion opponents, but they are not given space to defend themselves.
The most read online daily Aktuality.sk is a pluralistic medium that also gives space to conspiracy journalists like Dag Daniš. But when did it invite a person with a different opinion than the pro-Kremlin one to the show of the disinformation radio Slobodný vysielač? Never. https://www.facebook.com/SlobodnyVysielac/posts/1963363993749747?__tn__=-R
A free broadcaster can only claim to be an independent medium if at least one regular show is created where people from both opinion camps will discuss. This is very far from the current reality. In order to ease the tension during discussions, it is possible to have a show with only one guest with a different opinion. Thus, each show will be specifically for a person from both opinion camps. However, the free broadcaster has chosen the exact opposite path – the path of aggressive attacks on opinion opponents, and even if there was a will to create something like this, it is now too late.
Lack of self-reflection: "we do not spread any hatred"
I would really like it if there was at least a small piece of healthy self-reflection and sincere humble self-criticism among the representatives of alternative media. But these people are a sect of schizophrenics who are unable to see any flaws in themselves. The basis of alternative media is attacks on opinion opponents. These people are so strongly blinded by their passion for ideology that they do not see the hatred in their own ranks. They consider Kremlin propaganda to be the best thing in the world and they adhere to the proverb "the end justifies the means", so they don't care at what cost they will impose Kremlin propaganda on society.Koroni defends his hateful community by saying that even the satirical Facebook page Zomri has a lot of indecent, "hateful" comments. But Koroni cynically misleads again when comparing the incomparable – a satirical page is a satirical page.
The strongest weapon against alternative media: humor and satire
Just a few years ago, it was a different time, and even a relatively normal person could fall for alternative media. Today, times are different. Times have changed, Putin's politics and Kremlin propaganda have been involved in so many scandals and cases that a normal person can no longer believe this propaganda. The community that believes in this hateful cesspool can no longer be taken seriously.We should not be passive and we should do something against these hateful media. The best solution is humor and satire. I am very glad that several such well-established Facebook websites already exist today.
The term extremist / extremists is misleading
This part of the article is off-topic, but I'll add it here. The term extremist/extremists is misleading, and the media, by using such an incorrect term, indirectly promotes radical nationalists. A much more accurate and correct term is to describe them as mentally unbalanced or mentally disturbed individuals. It is not right to condemn neo-Nazis with the term extremist, because these people cannot help it. These people should be pitied as poor souls. Just as a psychiatric patient is not responsible for their diagnosis, a sympathizer of neo-Nazism is not responsible for it either.The main arguments why alternative media are highly harmful to society. In brief.
If I were to briefly name the words that best describe alternative media, it would be propaganda that fills people with hatred, fear, and disinformation, and it is propaganda that tries to manipulate through emotions. Especially when a person is filled with fear, it is very paralyzing, not only from a psychological point of view but also from the point of view of shamanic philosophy. Through fear, a person creates a very negative reality; a person attracts very negative events into their destiny like a magnet, which cause great suffering.How wonderful it would be if people with different opinions could discuss things amicably. There is no reason why we should perceive a person with a different opinion as an enemy. Unfortunately, alternative media are fundamentally based on the philosophy that a person with a different opinion = enemy. Instead of discussion, they actively prevent and prohibit it. They artificially divide society, artificially declare war on people with different opinions.
Do alternative media produce only lies?
Certainly not. Most of the time, they copy regular agency reports. However, as soon as a political event occurs (e.g., the Skripal case, the Kerch Strait case), they immediately seize the opportunity to spread a series of disinformation.Likewise, as soon as there is an opportunity to compromise an opinion opponent, e.g. Kiska, Smatana, they immediately engage in disgusting slander.
Events of the last few days
I am very glad that several positive events have occurred recently: the expulsion of a Russian diplomat from Slovakia seemed completely unrealistic not long ago, and yet it happened. The publication of the annual report of the Czech Secret Service, which warns against disinformation websites, can also be seen as an absolute revolution. I also consider Laco Ďurkovič's report on disinformation media to be a great revolution. I see the satire of Czech humorists on the Czech priest Petr Piťha, who spread insane conspiracies, as a positive revolution – it is not a given that this happened.The Juraj Poláček Phenomenon
Unlike various dubious anonymous sources, e.g., from Hlavné Správy, who use either no or dubious sources of information when writing their own articles, Juraj Poláček had a certain respect from me, as he often tried to draw from reliable Western sources in his articles. Until recently, he was the only journalist from pro-Kremlin media whom I followed. Sometimes I even made the effort to look at the sources from which he drew his articles and uncovered his demagoguery and distortion of information. I always hoped that Poláček was the more intelligent of the disinformation websites and that over time, if he honestly sought the truth, he would realize that Kremlin propaganda is on the side of lies and evil. Instead, this man became even more radical, and over time, he started to lose his mind. After he wrote in his article that the media outlet Deutsche Welle and the disinformation cesspool Sputnik are equivalent in terms of information quality, and after he continued to insist in his podcast, after all the affairs of Russian agents who poisoned Skripal, on the insane conspiracy that it was staged by the British secret service, I didn't need anything more. This man (forgive me for the expression, when I say it more expressively) simply belongs in a madhouse and has lost even his last bit of respect and dignity, and this man is not worth my time.
I do not condemn Mr. Poláček and I have nothing against him. I simply feel sorry for him – I really do.