WASHINGTON

- While Russia lacks media freedom and is under direct government control, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has used the opportunities that freedom presents in the United States to promote his country's position in the war and to pressure the administration of US President Joe Biden to adopt more pro-Kiev policies.

Ukraine has received a lot of US military, intelligence and economic support, and its support has become one of the few issues of consensus between Republicans and Democrats, thanks to several factors, including Zelensky's early and effective approach to the American media.

It has become a common practice among American journalists to joke with each other by saying that I had or will be conducting an interview with the Ukrainian president.

Despite the theoretical difficulty of conducting a dialogue with the head of a country under massive military invasion by a major military power, all major US news networks and major newspapers have had one or more interviews with the Ukrainian president.


dialogues

Over the past seven weeks, Zelensky gave interviews to prominent American newspapers, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post, but he was more interested in television interviews and conducted one or more interviews. With many famous news networks such as "ABC", "NBC", "CBS", "Fox News" and "CNN" (CNN).

Janet Steele, a professor of media at George Washington University, spoke to Al Jazeera Net, and stated that "the American media is fascinated by Ukrainian President Zelensky and with his life story, behavior and sincerity, and the media believes that Zelensky's apparent personal courage and physical courage in the face of enormous threats are legendary."

A few days ago, the Ukrainian president held a lengthy interview with the most important program among hundreds and perhaps thousands of American programs, and when speaking on television, no one competes with the “Sixty Minutes” program, which is broadcast every Sunday evening for more than half a century on CBS. .

The interview was conducted by "60 Minutes" reporter Scott Bailey, who asked Zelensky, "What should the world understand?" He replied, "We defend a person's ability to live in the modern world. "Western? Someone who lives in the United States or Europe, doesn't they like children too? Don't they want their kids to go to college, don't they want their grandfather to live for 100 years? We have the same values, we stand up for the right to live."

"I never thought that this right would be so expensive. Russia should not choose for us what we should do or how to use my rights. These rights were given to us by God and our children," he added.

When Billy asked him if he had made a decision to sacrifice his life for his country if it came to that, Zelensky replied, "I don't want to be a hero, I love my family, I want to live for many more years, but to choose between escaping or being with my people, of course I am." I am ready to sacrifice my life for my country."

Zelensky realized that he was talking to the influential American elite, and from here he did not hesitate to stress his country's demands from the administration of President Joe Biden, and made millions of Americans sympathizers, mostly with Ukraine, witnesses to this.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Olga Lotman, an expert on Russian and Ukrainian affairs and the presenter of a podcast entitled "The Kremlin File", pointed to Zelensky's wide success in dealing with American and international media, saying, "Zelensky is doing a good job in conveying the message directly to the American people instead of the traditional way that The leaders of other countries deal only with their counterparts.”

media battle

In turn, Professor Alexander Stella, professor of international media at Columbia University, indicated in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that "it is somewhat natural that Zelensky will have to fight a media battle in order to support Ukraine, popular support has transformed the debate in many countries, not just the United States." European countries - such as Germany particularly dependent on Russian oil - have changed their attitudes dramatically since the Russian invasion, partly due to the horrific images of devastation they saw, but part of it is also Zelensky's very public attitude to the idea of ​​resistance, remember that many People expected him to flee the country in the early days of the invasion."

But Zelensky's efforts to demand direct intervention and the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine or to supply it with fighter jets have failed, despite the demands of many American media professionals who were influenced by the Ukrainian president's vision and demanded that Biden meet his demands.


Comedian Experience

In the wake of Zelensky's sudden rise to become one of the world's most famous people, many who aren't particularly familiar with Ukrainian culture were surprised to learn how ubiquitous he was as an actor and comedian before his career in politics. A number of reality shows and comedy series.

Professor Stella noted that “it is clear that Zelensky’s background as an actor and comedian helped him in his battle to communicate Ukraine’s message clearly, in a simplified and direct manner. And acting, Zelensky and the millions of Ukrainians who resist the Russian invasion are risking their lives to defend their country, you can't fake it."

For her part, Professor Janet believes that Zelensky's background played a prominent role in contributing to the delivery of his messages to Americans, and stated that "Zelensky is also a skilled actor and uses his ability to communicate with the masses to speak directly to the American people, and in this way he certainly managed to put pressure on the American administration, and no doubt Zelensky benefits from his background as a professional actor with a wealth of experience in public speaking and mobilizing support for Ukraine, he knows how to use language, his voice and the rhythm of his words to move an audience.”

Janet recalled the role of Zelensky in the series “Servant of the People”, as he was “an ordinary human being like others, an ordinary history teacher who became president, and his life illustrates what the great Indonesian poet and editor Gunawan Muhammad meant when he said: There are no heroes, there are only heroic deeds, Zelensky impresses us. Precisely because he is so ordinary, and at the same time capable of such heroic deeds, yes, his dark olive clothing and bodily demeanor may be a universal symbol now but it essentially reflects an act of heroism.”

On the other hand, expert Olga Lotman added that she believes that "Zelensky's experience as a media personality helps him to be connected to the public when asking for help, it has contributed to the manifestation of the atrocities and kept Ukraine on top of the news."

Lotman emphasized that Zelensky's success in "capturing people around the world and drawing their attention to the atrocities taking place in Ukraine has greatly contributed to shaping public opinion pro- and sympathetic to Ukrainian rights and against the Russian invasion."