Abstract

Foreigners' understanding of recent Soviet events is likely to be distorted. The Soviet media has earned credibility, and their reports may slip sensational headlines into Western papers, e.g., the news of the miraculous survival of six victims of the Armenian earthquake after thirty-five days under the rubble, which turned out to be a hoax. Even the simple fact that the Soviet media report certain events inspires astonishing statements in the West. While everything we think we know about recent changes in the Soviet Union is not an illusion created by the media, it would be imprudent to accept everything we are told at face value. The danger is not merely that our image of Soviet realities may be distorted.