My comment on their previous diavlog on Georgia applies here once again: Goldberg should not discourse on a subject he clearly knows nothing about. E.g., "ethnic Russians" were not fleeing South Ossetia when the conflict erupted, as there were not (and never were) more than a few ethnic Russians there in the first place. The population of South Ossetia was mixed Ossete and Georgian. Most ethnic-Ossetian residents of Tskhinvali-controlled South Ossetia have been given Russian passports in the last few years, which gave Russia an ostensible pretext to the come to the aid of its citizens. (Perhaps the US should grant passports to everyone in Cuba...) As to Lee's question, as it happens I have watched all the coverage on Russia Today and Al Jazeera...and Sky TV, France 24, and euronews, as well as CNN and BBC (Fox wasn't here, which didn't stop some of their anchorbots from prattling on about the war). It's the least-rewarding part of my job. Russia Today makes Fox News look like the News Hour; they recently featured an interview with Lyndon Larouche, and another(!) with his pissboy Jeffrey Steinberg. Slightly less illuminating than Goldberg's trenchant analysis. As for the others, they generally

Quoting Jonathan Kulick: As for the others, they generally favor the Georgian version of events in their coverage for two reasons. (A) The facts are generally consistent with the Georgian side (discounting for the gross hyperbole from both sides). (B) The Georgian government makes itself available to the press, and journalists can travel freely throughout areas under Georgian control; the Russian government does not, and journalists cannot. Once the press was given (limited and controlled) access to Tskhinvali, they didn't come around to the Russian position.

There's another reason beyond these two: not only Fox, but CNN and the American networks adopted the U.S. view of the conflict, that Russia invaded Georgia (only) because Russia hates freedom -- and Olympic size pools and rock music and freedom's other attributes mentioned in Saakashvili's post truce rant with Condi Rice as side kick / dish. And that Russia should be expected to, and even had somewhere agreed to, pull its forces entirely out of Georgia, including South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Of course, Russia never agreed to that, and Sarkozy in his visit to Moscow didn't ask for it. Condi Rice stood by as even Sarkozy's gloss in his Moscow agreement allowed and allows

Write on... write on. I don't believe that journalistic objectivity is absolute. But your approach is much appreciated and respected.

I applaud UN Dispatch's decision not to take a Manichean position on Georgia and Russia. it seems Abkhazia would prefer independence to autonomy within Georgia. I'm not sure about South Ossetia, but both situations are not similar. So, again, how simplistic the Kosovo decision now seems, because every case, from Abkhazia to Mindanao to Taiwan to Xinjiang, is different.

Just wanted to thank you guys for the excellent series. I recently described it to a friend as "the news, but for grown-ups." ("the news" not meaning fox news, or olberbmann/kos/huffnpuff/etc., or other infotainment, i was actually specifically referring to the BBC). I'd be best described as a paleo-conservative, i.e. a ron paul wierdo, so obviously I'm not praising you because I agree with your political philosophy (but doesn't that make my praise that much more sincere?). Keep up the good work!

Quoting klaosoldanburg: Just wanted to thank you guys for the excellent series. I recently described it to a friend as "the news, but for grown-ups." ("the news" not meaning fox news, or olberbmann/kos/huffnpuff/etc., or other infotainment, i was actually specifically referring to the BBC).

I quite agree. I'd add that this was an especially good episode of UN Plaza, even by the high bar that Mark and Matthew have already established.