OPINION: Russia faced a terrorist attack and the media failed to represent the stolen lives – The Cauldron
On March 22, ISIS claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall that killed 145 individuals.
Around 550 people had filled the large concert hall, eager to watch the live performance of the hit band, Picnic, with no idea of the horror to come.
Right before the concert began, four masked gunmen started shooting into the packed arena. The militant organization then set fire to the building—a senseless, inhumane act that took the lives of many and injured even more.
Why didn’t the media cover this sooner? As a student journalist who likes reading the news, I was surprised that I hadn’t seen anything related to the attack on any platform other than X/Twitter.
I heard about the news at 5 p.m. that day, despite the attack occurring before noon. When I checked online, AP News was the only media source covering the attack. Only a few other major outlets covered the attack hours after the event, while most didn’t cover the attack until midday on March 23. It begs the question, why didn’t Western media push such a tragic event to the forefront of headlines? In other ISIS attacks, the U.S. is incredibly quick to alert its readers, so why not now?
The Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova expressed her concern with Western media commentary during the terrorist attack:
“Why is the US so quick to identify ISIS as the perpetrators of the Moscow terrorist attack, when they still can’t figure out where all their weapons are in Ukraine, who blew up Nors Stream, or even who killed JFK?”
As of Monday, April 1, Russia has arrested four suspects and currently has eleven total suspects in custody. Notably, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda was captured and questioned by law enforcement within hours of the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement one day after the attack on March 23:
“We will assist all families who are faced with this tragedy, Russia stands with you, I announce Mar. 24 as a day of national mourning. Most importantly, we will not let the attackers get away with their actions. All four of the attackers are found and detained, they tried to escape in the direction of Ukraine, where they were to be met with assistance for them to pass the border freely.”
While some may not care much for the media’s portrayal or coverage, the media nonetheless possesses instrumental power in, not to mention, the responsibility of shaping the conversations and actions of the public. The media matters. And when I witness what I believe to be Russophobia in light of poor media coverage of a terrorist attack in Moscow, I can’t help but feel compelled to question the media’s performance.
A few hours after the egregious attack, a student organization at CSU hosted an event that was seen as Russophobic by many Russian students and local community members.
Cleveland State College Democrats is a registered political student organization that claims to “empower Cleveland State Students to actively participate in local, state, and federal electoral processes.”
But, as of late, the group has not been listening to its community that has voiced concerns, an action that has tarnished the student body’s views on the organization.
On Feb. 29, CSU College Democrats posted on its Instagram that it will be hosting an event highlighting former Russian presidential candidate, Alexei Navalny.
Navalny is hated by the Russian public because of his anti-immigration, pro-nationalistic views. He passed on February 16 from a blood clot that was a result of his pre-existing metabolic disease.
“What the West doesn’t understand is that Navalny wanted to sell Russian land to NATO, but the citizens did not support that, since they are known to have a lot of pride in their country,” shared one Russian local. “Russians are very strong, they will always defend their country and they have a lot of love for their history and culture.”
Navalny was also known to have a sincere hatred for immigrants, specifically Muslim immigrants, and openly called them “cockroaches.”
“What do we do when [Muslims] are too aggressive?” Navalny once said. “In such cases, I recommend a pistol.”
According to a majority of the media from NATO countries, Navalny had allegedly been poisoned by Putin himself, so there would be no interference with the election in March.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also commented on his death, stating, “Obviously, Vladimir Putin killed [Navalny].”
A little background information for context: I am very proudly Russian. I was born in the country, fluent in the language, and have been actively engaged with Russian culture and with Russian individuals around the Northeast Ohio area.
With this being said, Cael Shaw, president of the CSU College Democrats, reached out to me a week before the announcement of the event, asking, “How can I host that [Navalny] event without making it seem Russophobic?,” to which I strongly urged him not to host the event at all.
This question took me aback. If you need to ask that question in any capacity, intuitively, that should be a sign not to hold the event.
On March 22, hours after the terrorist attack in Moscow, CSU College Democrats still held the viewing event on Navalny.
One student who attended the event, but wishes to remain anonymous, shared, “[The] CSU Dems held a minute of silence for the lost lives in the attack but continued to criticize Russia and its government.”
There is such a lack of Russian cultural and historical awareness on our campus, with one or two Eastern European-centered events held every few years. When the opportunity arose to raise awareness, CSU College Democrats only spent one minute to highlight a national tragedy, and a few hours to highlight one of Russian citizens’ biggest antagonists.
To hear that the organization still hosted this Russophobic event in such a disrespectful manner on such a heavy day truly saddened me. My Russian community, too, felt hurt and unheard.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov
I think the smartest thing for the organization to do is to truly listen to the concerns that students bring up to their executive board. I also think rescheduling or even canceling the Navalny event would have been the most respectful direction they could have taken to honor the lives lost on March 22.
Regardless of partisan or personal views, the fundamental responsibility of the media is to inform and educate the population. To withhold information to prove a political point can harm and disrespect a large number of individuals.
I am so disappointed in what the Western media has become and I sincerely hope that more people speak up regarding this issue.
Disclaimer: This article in no way reflects the views of The Cauldron and its staff. It only reflects the views of the columnist.