Expert V. Denisenko about T. Carlson’s interview with V. Putin: it was quite sad to watch

And although a month has passed since the interview, the experts still have comments. This time we talked about him with the docent of the Journalism and Media Research Center, Dr Viktoru Denisenko.

– What were your first impressions after watching the interview between T. Carlson and V. Putin?

– Well, my impressions, probably – like many. It is quite sad to see when a person who positions himself as a journalist, when given the opportunity to interview such a person, does not use it for real journalism and, in essence, plays the role of a convenient listener.

Irmantos Gelūnos/BNS photo/Viktor Denisenko

– How would you rate the relationship between the journalist and the interviewer?

– Hard to say. When we have a politician and a journalist, we would like the journalist to actually ask relevant and sharp questions, to respond to certain controversial thoughts or rants of the interlocutor. A journalist, in my opinion, should be better prepared for this kind of conversation.

It is quite sad to see when a person who positions himself as a journalist does not take advantage of the opportunity to interview such a personality.

– According to political scientist Tatiana Stanovaya, T. Carlson’s interview with V. Putin is a provocative gesture that pleased T. Carlson’s audience, most of whom are Joe Biden’s opponents. How much truth is there in this statement?

– I would say that I agree with certain aspects that have been expressed. T.Carlson is a big supporter of Donald Trump, and considering the entire discourse, it can be said that this interview, as a gesture, can be interpreted in various ways.

As an attempt to perhaps show that Mr. Biden and the current US administration take a clear, hostile position towards Russia, and Mr. Trump and his entourage do not shy away from talking to everyone, and this can be used for the game of democracy.

I mean, it shows that they are ready to talk to everyone.

V. Putin likes to communicate with journalists, but that communication is usually favorable for V. Putin himself, because he gets the opportunity to express his visions and fantasies.

– T.Carlson has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy all sorts of swear words on his Twitter more than once. Can it be said that the journalist did not ask V.Putin sharp questions because he is a potential supporter of V.Putin?

– It is difficult to say, but it is obvious that this position is again close to the position of former US President Donald Trump. Basically, this journalist does not support Ukraine and does not understand what is happening both there and in our (Eastern European) region. His (T.Carlson’s) view does not coincide with the view of the current US political administration, and one can say that his position is more favorable to the Kremlin.

– After the interview, V. Putin stated that he expected more difficult questions. Do you think the issues were agreed upon before they met?

– We can only speculate. We do not know this, but I would not rule out such a possibility. V. Putin likes to communicate with journalists, but that communication is usually favorable for V. Putin himself, because he gets the opportunity to express his visions and fantasies.

If we are talking about V. Putin’s communication with those journalists who are in Russia (the same media outlets controlled directly or through intermediaries by the Kremlin), then those questions are quite convenient and coordinated in advance. How it was in this case, I cannot say, but I think that if V. Putin’s press service had made such a demand, then T. Carlson and his team could have agreed to it.

– This interview received a lot of criticism in the media and social media. Was it really that bad, or does it still contain important information and conclusions that are good to know?

– I would say that any unit of information is potentially useful or at least can be useful. When trying to analyze this interview, first of all it can be said that V. Putin did not say anything new. Many of those narratives, both historical and pseudo-historical considerations, have been voiced by the Kremlin’s propaganda before.

On the other hand, perhaps, there are several pluses to this interview: one “professional plus” for those trying to examine current Russian ideology and propaganda. Another thing, it seems that V. Putin believes what he is saying, which is also some information and some signal.

I take the position that there are no inappropriate interviewers.

– Do you think that V. Putin will “let in” more Western journalists after this interview?

– Hard to say. V. Putin communicates with those who are convenient to him. We can recall Oliver Stone’s infamous 4-hour film, which depicted a conversation between a US director and Putin, where Putin could actually appear as a leading actor.

From time to time, journalists or creators appear who are affected by a certain “charm” of V. Putin. It is necessary to understand that in the Western world – in the USA – some people take an “anti-USA” position: they believe that the USA dominates the world too much, takes a strict position and dictates everything to everyone. Accordingly, such people are looking for a counterweight and V. Putin is seen as an alternative to the hegemony of the USA, so the regime of V. Putin has a certain “charm” for them.

Photo by Imago/Scanpix/Tucker Carlson

– The fundamental job of journalists is to get information. But should journalists continue to interview people who might spread propaganda and lies?

– Romas Sakadolskis wrote that a journalist should strive to find out the truth. I would put that aspiration higher than the aspiration to get information. A journalist collects information in order to find out the truth and try to get closer to understanding the truth.

One can remember Steven Rosenberg’s interview with Aliaksandr Lukashenka, where the journalist actually caught A. Lukashenka lying several times and pinned him against the wall.

Another thing, I take the position that there are no inappropriate interviewers. We’re getting to what we have to do next, whether it’s real journalistic work or, again, just giving airwaves to a dictator.

One can remember Steven Rosenberg’s interview with Aliaksandr Lukashenka, where the journalist actually caught A. Lukashenka lying several times and pinned him against the wall. This is an example of very professional and interesting journalistic work.

Answering simply, is it possible to interview a dictator, I say that it is possible. The only question is how to do it.

Vilnius University Society of Young Journalists (VU JŽD) is an initiative uniting schoolchildren and students, the goal of which is to bring together young people with various journalistic interests from all over Lithuania and allow them to fulfill their creative potential in practice.