Watching western mainstream media

Guardian Watch

Seemorerocks

It’s an old habit that is difficult to throw off.

I have been accustomed, during my life (or at least for the last quarter-centrury) to rely on that solid, reliable representative of serious journalism, the Guardian.

So as part of this ritual I checked the Guardian for signs of the stories that interest me, or concern me

• The invasion of Iraq by Turkey and the further developments
• The alleged bombing by NATO/US of Syrian army forces
• The emergency meeting of Kerry with Lavrov and Putin in Moscow
• Revelations by a Turkish MP of sarin gas being supplied to al-Qaeda through Turkey from Europe and the threats of arrest of the MP

I might expect a different slant on this from the Russian, Middle Eastern and alternative media.

But my search was in vain.

On looking through the Guardian’s website this is what I found today:

First there was this very serious piece from Barnaul in western Siberia (which they managed to misspell in the sub -headline)

And that other august British institution, the British Medical Journal, it seems, has been doing groundbreaking research into Vladimir Putin’s ‘peculiar walk’

Putin’s ‘peculiar walk’ linked to KGB weapons training, report claims

Study published in the British Medical Journal links Russian president’s ‘gunslinger gait’ with his time in the Soviet security agency. RFE/RL reports

A team of European neurologists says in a new study that Russian president Vladimir Putin walks with a peculiar “gunslinger’s gait”.

The study, published on Tuesday by the British Medical Journal, notes that Putin has shown a “clearly reduced right-sided arm swing”, possibly related to weapons training he received when he was part of the Soviet KGB.

Citing a KGB training manual they obtained, the researchers suggest that his style of walking is linked to training he underwent in the feared security agency, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring at the twilight of the Soviet Union....


Oh, well, as far as the Guardian is concerned I needn't worry about World War 111, at least until the Evildoer commits his next misdeed.

While things are going his way we are spared any discussion.