CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR MEMO FROM: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TO: FRED WEIR
Dear Fred,
Just saw your piece in In These Times, Ethnic Cleansing in Russia, and I've got some concerns. I know what you write for other people is on their dollar, but your reputation rubs off on us. Sooo...
Hate to say this, Fred, but we had our fact-checkers have a go at your article. It turns out that _no one_ died during those riots in Kondopoga -- the people who died were all ethnic Russians who were killed by Chechen gangbangers in a restaurant, which _started the riots_. This is sloppy work. What's happened to your sense of cause and effect? Is this the quantum mechanical theory of journalism? I know, images of hordes of unprovoked barbarian Slavs and all, a good seller and all that, but your supposed to be a journalist, man!
Second, what's with the scare quotes around "illegal immigrants"? WTF? What are you trying to pull? We gave a call to the labor experts over at the UN -- what's happening to your calling skills anyway? -- and they assured us that 80-90% of immigrants in Russia are working in something they called the "shadow economy" (not sure what that is) and are in fact illegal. Seems to me that if they deport a few hundred out of the 800,000 or so they are legally entitled to, they are probably not going after just anybody. And CUT IT with this "ethnic cleansing" stuff. The CSM does NOT want to go down that road. Do you know how many Arabs and Africans and whatever get deported from the US and EU? Yes you do. We do NOT want the outraged letters saying that we are implying that Washington and Brussels are guilty of ethnic cleansing.
Also, I realize your work is your work and all that, but when trying to link Putin and these anti-immigration guys, don't you think you should have mentioned that he BANNED THEIR MARCH?!?!?
In short, we're really worried about you over here. We have a reputation to think about. Shape up, Fred.
Best to the wife and kids!
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