{"id":105117,"date":"2024-09-16T14:25:45","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T11:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/105117\/"},"modified":"2024-09-16T14:25:47","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T11:25:47","slug":"governments-struggling-info-projects","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/105117\/","title":{"rendered":"Government\u2019s struggling info projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After the 2020 postelection protests, which relied heavily on social networks, the Belarusian authorities have been busy trying to expand their dominance in the media. Propagandists experiment with alternatives to streaming services and social media and promote their influencers. But their end product always smacks of the Soviet Union.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Pozirk, ONT, sb.by, Roskosmos)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Substitution strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On September 12, the information ministry rolled out videobel.by<\/em>, a multimedia website touted as a Belarusian version of YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a pretty standard website that aggregates socio-political video content produced by the Belarusian state media with no user-generated content or comments allowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U\u0142adzimir Piarco\u016d, deputy head of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s administration, admitted on August 29 that videobel.by<\/em> was a poor imitation of YouTube but said it was just the first step in its creation. The website is part of a broader government policy of pushing state propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the aftermath of the 2020 unrest, the \u0141uka\u0161enka government shut down all critical media outlets in the country and stepped up pro-government propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Independent journalists have been either arrested or forced into exile. Generous funding for the state-controlled media has given rise to new projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big question is how effective these measures are and whether the regime can win over voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka dissatisfied with propaganda<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Information Minister Marat Marka\u016d claimed that the state media had resoundingly won the competition with their independent rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that videobel.by<\/em> was not created to replace YouTube, but as a precaution in case YouTube restricts access for the state-run media. \u201cThe main goal is not to be left without any information influence tools,\u201d he stressed a couple of times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government pursues a pro-active strategy to expand its \u201cinformation influence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It launches Pershy Infarmacyjny<\/em>, a new news television channel, on September 17. Discussions are underway on \u201csovereign\u201d equivalents of Telegram and Instagram and a media holding company in collaboration with Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The activity proves that \u0141uka\u0161enka is still dissatisfied with the propaganda impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marka\u016d claimed that public trust in state media had risen steeply, citing a survey by the National Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That claim is hardly credible. Although independent polls showed a paltry increase in trust for the state media, the pollster stressed that the results were unreliable because many respondents are afraid to give honest answers for fear of arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply put, the government\u2019s strategy is to criminalize critical voices and amplify propaganda. Independent media users are sent to jail for possessing content from outlawed media outlets, while propaganda is safe to consume, at least in terms of punishment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influencers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not only the state-media, but also officials and agencies engage in propaganda. Prosecutor General Andrej \u0160vied tours factories with lectures about World War II genocide against Belarusians, spinnig his story skillfully to present the political opposition as \u201cfascists.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee for State Security (KGB) operates as a production company for soap operas about opposition plots and Western spies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every means with propaganda value is used zealously, but the public seems unimpressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After brainwashing ex-journalist Raman Pratasievi\u010d, who was quick to admit his disillusionment with the opposition after his arrest in 2021, the regime had big plans for him. The former Nexta <\/em>editor was forced to set up a Telegram channel apparently for pro-government propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His blog caused barely a ripple. Pratasievi\u010d stopped showing off, got himself a job as a welder, while his rare appearances do not attract many views. For instance, a recent stream from Dubai garnered just 2,600 views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish defector Tomasz Szmydt has failed to make a big propaganda splash, despite his employment with the BelTA <\/em>news agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Telegram channel has only 3,500 followers. Expectations that he would reveal Polish state secrets have not materialized either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maryna Vasile\u016dskaja, the first Belarusian woman in space, has not been in the news for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After he Russian-funded trip to space, she was tasked with glorifying the authorities. She launched an Instagram account that features only three posts and just over 1k followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cult of personality<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The problem with government propaganda is that its diverse tools and multiple stories focus on singing the praises of Lukashenka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian leader does not have any big attractive ideas to rally the nation. He can only offer himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the 2025 presidential election draws closer, the state media credit \u0141uka\u0161enka for peaceful skies and food in household fridges, demonizing the West and the opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older people associate this information agenda with their youth in the Soviet Union. Whatever digital platforms are created to multiply content, the boring pages of the Soviet newspaper Pravda <\/em>shine through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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