Kimberley Bond
A British newsreader faced criticism from the Russian government after her line of questioning was regarded as ‘too emotional’.
Journalist Cathy Newman interviewed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Channel 4 News earlier this week, where she quizzed him on how the Russian offensive on Ukraine was killing children.
You can watch the powerful video below.
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Newman focused on Polina Zapadynskaya, a primary school child shot dead by the Russians in her family car in Kyiv.
However, Lavrov’s response was curt, and quick to accuse western media of shaping an ‘emotional narrative’.
“I understand your desire to ask such heated questions,” he replied. “As you want to emotionally charge your audience.”
Lavrov also accused Newman as being an “instrument for hammering into people’s heads” a western narrative, as well as referring to the collateral damage the West has inflicted on places such as Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan.
When Newman pushed the question further, Lavrov then said: “You are now playing a game and acting like a talk show host.
“I’ll understand you’ll be covering this the way you’re required to,” he said. “I hope that a journalist that is fulfilling a brief has a conscience.”
Newman has since retorted, giving a response in The Independent after her questions were branded as “emotional”.
“Call me emotional if you like,” she said. “Ask us to ‘learn more facts’, but questions like this need answering.”
Ukrainian people have been widely praised and applauded for their bravery against advancing Russian forces during the ongoing assault.
Earlier this week, a Ukrainian grandmother explained how she was preparing to battle against the Russian army by making her own bombs.
Raisa, who previously worked as an economist, revealed she had been making Molotov cocktails to fight Russians should she find herself pushed to.
When quizzed on how she made the bombs, which are made up of glass bottles with a flammable liquid inside, Raisa replied: “Google helped.”
You can read more about that here.