Growing up, I had the 3 US TV channels, of which everyone watched 2 for news: Cronkite on CBS and Huntley and Brinkley on NBC, so we always got the official US version of the news: the US was bringing Democracy to Vietnam, and the US had no choice but to go to war after the Vietcong attacked a US Navy ship in international waters, a travesty at least as bad as Pearl Harbor.
But in the late '60s, we had Cronkite admitting he'd been lying for years. He took the official US government lies and said they had been verified as TRVE. But now he had to say he'd learned the US government lied, and no, nothing they claimed had ever actually been validated, the news reporters knew which side their bread was buttered on, and knew that repeating the official US government lies was a safe way to keep their jobs without having to incur any danger by actually going to look. Those who did go and look, if they managed to make it back and file a report, would not get their reports into the establishment media, which, back then, was CBS, NBC, and the major newspapers.
When I got older, I read Graham Greene who complained that nothing of what he'd actually seen as a foreign correspondent ever made it into his news reports after the censors and editors got through with his filings, so he put it into his novels, which were not censored.
But times change even more than that.
When I was a young boy, I was taken by my mother to a Ham Radio Operator to call my grandmother for free. The Ham said that he'd been listening to the Soviet version of world news, and it was very different from the US version. 'What did they say?' I asked.
'We don't have time. Just make the phone call to my mother,' said my mother. So I never learned what the Soviets said.
Times change. The Russians now say the Soviet news was all lies, but so was the US news. And I can easily get the Russian version of the news thanks to the Internet and Satellite TV. Also the PRC version.
The PRC news say they are very happy about Biden, he'll be a big improvement on Trump. That's the diplomatic thing to say.
Russia is not saying that. Russia is very worried about Biden. St Joe never met a war he didn't love, and promised to punish Russia severely on Day 1. Also, all those warm-water Naval Ports in Syria where the Soviets and then Russia have been squatting for years will be returned to their rightful owners, NATO. The evil Syrian dictator and all his evil henchmen will be killed, and a new government of peaceful, pro-democracy activists put in, those beneficent people who call themselves al-Qaeda, which is Arabic for 'peaceful, pro-democracy activist'. The Syrian people will be eternally grateful to the US.
In 2009, Obama said he was going to overthrow the evil government of Libya, and both Russia and the PRC voted 'Yes' in the UN Security Council. In 2013, Obama said he was going to overthrow the evil government of Syria, and both Russia and the PRC didn't say anything. Russia and the PRC knew they could not stand up to the US (but the UK Parliament voted 'NO!' so the US did not send the USAF in to completely destroy Syria, there are still bits left).
But in 2015, things appeared to have changed. Putin said if the US tried to overthrow the legitimate government of Syria, Russia would fight to protect it.
So what happens?
Soon after 20 Jan, Biden has promised to send the USAF to kill the Syrian government. And Putin promised in 2015 to shoot down all those planes. I cannot see Biden getting cold feet. But what will Putin do? Will Putin back down, figuring he can't possibly stand up to a powerhouse like Biden?
Or will Putin realise he has nothing to gain by letting the US kick Russia out of Syria, and keep his promise to protect the Syrian government?
And if Putin keeps his promise to Syria, what will St Biden do?
The PRC are saying lots of nice things about Biden, but they also indicated (without actually saying it) that they intend to fight for their New Silk Road, which includes places like Venezuela and its current government.
As the PRC would say, we are in for some Interesting Times in less than one week!
