Tucker Carlson’s Interview with Putin: A Quest for Ratings or Journalistic Duty?
On 8 February, Tucker Carlson, an American journalist, published on his platform the first interview with a Western journalist that Vladimir Putin has agreed to since the start of the war in Ukraine. In a clip added as an introduction to the interview he claims that Putin “seemed sincere” and in a video posted on the platform X he says he decided to interview the president because “We’re in journalism. Our duty is to inform people.” Many are wondering now whether that aim was achieved, or whether Vladimir Putin used the American platform to spread his propaganda.
Tucker Carlson is an American journalist and conservative political commentator, known for hosting a talk show on the conservative channel Fox News. His strong pro-Trump views, conspiracy theories and racist and sexist remarks have gained him popularity amongst far-right conspiracy theorists. He has built an independent platform, Tucker Carlson Network, after his show was terminated by Fox News in 2023.
The interview started with Putin giving a ‘short’ 30 minute history lesson justifying his invasion of Ukraine by recalling events as far back as 862. As an article by Adam Gabbatt in the Guardian says, “It was not the veil-lifting insight into the region that Carlson had promised.” In short, he believes that Ukraine should be part of Russia by claiming that the creation of the USSR was the point of the establishment of Ukraine. When Carlson asks him why he hadn’t invaded earlier, he claims it was because of the expansion of NATO and Zelensky’s supposed Nazi ties. Putin also claimed that the war could have ended months prior with a deal, had Boris Johnson not intervened. This comes minutes after he claimed that Zelensky has had a sworn deal not to negotiate with Russia. This is one of the many spinned truths Putin presented; Ukraine has signed a deal not to negotiate with Vladimir Putin, not with Russia, according to Zelensky’s website. Clearly, Putin believes he is the whole of Russia and won’t let anyone believe otherwise.
Tucker Carlson has claimed that he was the first journalist to bother to interview the Russian president. The truth is that many networks have tried to get interviews, but were rejected by the Kremlin for various reasons. Tucker Carlson proved himself to be the perfect choice through a combination of conservative views, lack of viewership after being let go by Fox News and the fact that “he has a position that differs from the rest [of Western media],” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Many have criticised Carlson for his clear lack of knowledge of Russian history and his gullibility. It’s clear that Carlson’s motives were purely self-centered – he needed the audience and Putin needed the platform. No legitimate reporters were allowed to interview him for fear they might actually question his propaganda.
Many journalists have been accused of being biased when reporting on wars. Famously, Christiane Amanpour was accused of favouring Bosnian Muslims during the Bosnian War when she interviewed Ratko Mladic, a Serb general who has since been convicted of genocide. An article from The Spectator talks about William Randolph Hearst’s interview with Hitler in the 1930s. Hearst has since been rightfully criticised for admiring the Nazis, however no one at the time would have criticised his journalistic integrity because of his choice to interview Hitler. As the article says, “Unlike Hearst, Carlson does not think that his job is to talk to world leaders away from the cameras in order to decide what’s best for democracy.”
Among the things not covered by Carlson is the treatment of journalists and critics of the regime in Russia. One of Putin’s biggest critics, Alexei Navalny, who claims he was poisoned by the Kremlin in 2021, was imprisoned in the same year for charges widely considered to be politically motivated. He died in prison under questionable circumstances on February 16th, a week after Putin’s interview. The interview glosses over the harsh realities faced by journalists in Russia. According to Reporters Without Borders, Russia ranks low on the World Press Freedom Index, reflecting the dangers and restrictions journalists face in the country. This avoidance is particularly glaring, given the context of at least 1,000 independent Russian journalists having fled the country by February 2023 as Russia tightened its control on independent wartime reporting, according to The Moscow Times.
Talking on propaganda specifically, Putin says “In the war of propaganda, it is very difficult to defeat the United States because the United States controls all the world’s media and many European media. The ultimate beneficiaries of the biggest European media are American financial institutions.” While it is true that most of the US’s media is owned by billionaires with their own financial motivations, two of the three main television channels in Russia are majority-owned by the state. The BBC showed the stark difference between Western reporting and Russian news by analysing news coverage on 1 March 2022: “As BBC World TV opened its bulletin with reports of a Russian attack on a TV tower in the capital Kyiv, Russian TV was announcing that Ukraine was responsible for strikes on its own cities.” Not only is Russia a world leader in propaganda, Putin is constantly trying to accuse other countries of using the same tactics he does.
Tucker Carlson’s interview with Putin was a glaring attempt at gaining personal growth rather than a journalistic attempt at confronting some of Putin’s narratives. As many point out, fair reporting from both sides of a conflict is the duty of journalism, but how can one provide fair reporting on someone who has imprisoned, poisoned and killed his opposition? If Putin doesn’t allow his country’s journalists their opinions, why does the West have to allow him to speak his mind?
