“This is a madhouse”: the impressions of an American from participating in a talk show on Russian television

David Filippov.
Screenshot from video

Head of Moscow bureau of publication The Washington Post David Filippov participated in political talk shows on Russian television several times for the sake of experiment, realizing that the roles were defined there in advance, and the script was written down to the details.

Filippov shared his impressions of visiting political shows in Russia with the publication “Present Tense".

He said that he had visited the 5 show and concluded that “this is really a statement: there is a special“ applause ”button, the producer presses it, and the audience knows what to do.”

According to him, according to the scenario, a person’s speech from the West will be constantly interrupted.

“You don’t have time to explain yourself. You speak for a minute and a half, and then that’s it, they start interrupting you. Depends, of course, on the specific show, but in general, if you are an American or you are from the West, or you are an oppositionist, then 3-4 people will yell at you at the same time. This is such a madhouse,” said Filippov.

The journalist stressed that the rules of such American shows are: “do not leave the topic, do not swear, do not let go of your hands ”, which all participants observe; in Russia, these norms are not adhered to.

Filippov noted that the role of the host on political talk shows in Russia is very important and difficult - maintaining the necessary mood in the studio.

“There is a point, just below the boiling point, at which the presenter tries to maintain the temperature in the studio. People scream, someone makes a remark, and everyone screams again. This is a show, this is a production. This is a spectacle, like fights between gladiators or Christians with lions. Screams and scandals are necessary for the show, but they still try to contain the tension, to prevent the guests from rushing into a real fight,” explained the American.

In his opinion, people who disagree with the presenter on such shows are needed to ostensibly prove to the audience that they are wrong.

“Let’s take the talk show “60 Minutes” (a socio-political talk show aired on the Rossiya-1 TV channel, hosted by Evgeny Popov and Olga Skabeeva). They show the news there and then discuss it. And Russian patriots always win the dispute. What about the liberals? The presenters claim: “They were given their word, but they could not convince anyone that they were right. That is, we are right." Or “We have freedom of speech, we listen to alternative opinions, but it is our side that is right.” Or “State television is telling the truth. We discussed the problem, you saw everything, and we turned out to be much more rational than these losers,” explained the American journalist.

He explained that foreigners who understand the situation go to such shows in the hope of conveying their point of view to the Russians or simply because they want to see how such shows are made.

“The first time I went into the studio was because I wanted to write about it. Then I went a few more times, I was curious. There are interesting people behind the scenes and, by the way, they behave quite politely. They even apologize: “David, I hope you weren’t offended?” In addition, it was very interesting for me to look at this production from the inside. My friends also asked: “David, why are you getting into this propaganda?” But it's exciting! Technologies! The quality of work, impeccability even,” he explained.

Filippov suggested that not least, foreigners are attracted to the show with money, because he was also offered such a deal.

“One channel, when I said that I no longer wanted to appear with them, offered me money and a reward. That is, I admit that others may be paid to participate in the show, although I cannot confirm this,” the journalist said.

He suggested that such shows could continue on Russian television for a very long time, since they play into the hands of state propaganda: “I think this could go on forever. Every week they discuss a new topic. A theme that can be used to support the idea “Russia is surrounded, and only Putin can protect you. And here’s the proof: we brought the Americans, listen to what these idiots are saying.” How does it all look to the viewer? That some foreigners came who didn’t really understand Russian, barely spoke it. If you ask something like “Why are you driving Russia into a corner?”, I will answer: “I don’t do that, I’m not the American government.” And the answer will be: “Yeah, look!!! He refuses to take responsibility!”

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