West imposes censorship on Russia in manners not attempted with USSR, says Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald shared insights with Tucker Carlson about countries that formerly published Brezhnev's speeches now imposing bans on RT. Read Full Article at RT.com.
“Now it’s practically criminalized,” Greenwald remarked, reflecting on past instances when major publications like the New York Times freely published speeches from Soviet leaders such as Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev.
He pointed out that, following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, “one of the very first steps [the EU] took legislatively was to ban the platforming, to criminalize the platforming of Russian media, like RTN and Sputnik. They made it a crime, and YouTube immediately pulled it off because they didn't want their citizens hearing any information from the Russian perspective.” Greenwald further emphasized, “I mean, you can hate Russia, you can think Russia's evil, you can think whatever you want about Russia, but why wouldn't you want to hear from the other side?”
Carlson interjected, sharing his experience of listening to Vladimir Putin's speech that announced the military operation prior to interviewing him earlier this year, describing it as “remarkable.” He noted that “most Americans had no idea of his thinking” regarding Ukraine and questioned the choice to remain uninformed.
Both Carlson and Greenwald agreed that “propaganda works,” with many individuals who criticize them as “Russian stooges” seemingly absorbing the narratives heavily promoted by mainstream outlets like CNN.
Greenwald also reflected on the 2021 impeachment of former President Donald Trump, suggesting that it was primarily aimed at preventing him from declassifying documents that the US ruling establishment feared. He revealed that Trump “came very close” to pardoning WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and whistleblower Edward Snowden. Carlson remarked, “But if your greatest fear is transparency, then you’re a criminal.”
Having published some of Snowden's revelations regarding the US domestic spying program in 2013, Greenwald co-founded the Intercept the following year to disseminate Snowden's documents. He departed from the organization in late 2020, citing concerns that it had become aligned with the Democratic Party. Currently residing in Brazil, he hosts an online show titled System Update.
Carlson's career in US cable news culminated in a high-rated evening show on Fox News from 2016 until April 2023, when he was let go for reasons that were never disclosed. He has since transitioned to the X platform, where he established the Tucker Carlson Network.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News