An Example of when Information Control and censorship Hasn’t Worked:
Russia is a prime example of how manipulation and repression through the use of national media and propaganda can dictate public response, and reduce threats to executive office and the elite group. Of course this is significantly aided by a violent national security force, than manages to convince potential political opposition to disappear. However, where Russia had the ability to show the efficacy of this manipulation and repression, but didn’t, is throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
An effective Covid-19 response within Russia could be expected, because they were already well practiced at the distribution of propaganda, and manipulating the public to behave in accordance with the will of the elite. Where they failed is in being either unable or unwilling to gather accurate information of the state of the pandemic within Russian communities, throughout the pandemic, therefore distributing statistics which were inaccurate, and painted a picture that the pandemic was not having a significant impact.
Whilst this strategy may have been beneficial in regards to the international community, which, for some time was unaware of the extent of covid-19’s damage in Russia, it created domestic tension, where is some places it was clear that covid was having a larger impact on their community that what the government was advertising or admitting. However in other communities the public believed the statistics put out by central government, and acting accordingly, in a manner that increased exposure to the virus, therefore increases covid cases and deaths.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/why-russia-hasnt-cracked-down-on-covid-19
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