598 replies to this topic

[Mme. Hermine]

The Russian police plan to question people using a lie detector:

http://www.thenewage...oi_attack_probe

Russian police said on Monday they planned to use a lie detector to question witnesses about the vicious acid attack against the artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet.

"Investigators... plan to question several witnesses in the case of the attack on Sergei Filin with a lie detector," a spokesman with the Moscow police told Russian news agencies.

[Mme. Hermine]

Filin was interviewed on television yesterday:

http://www.ntv.ru/novosti/453119/

[Mme. Hermine]

The Telegraph has an article about the above video interview;

http://www.telegraph...d-attacker.html

Speaking to Russian television via video link from hospital, Sergei Filin said he suspected the assault was organised by people seeking to "satisfy their ambitions" or "to extinguish the pain of resentment".


"A priest came to visit me," said Mr Filin, who spoke with his eyes closed and his head and neck swathed in bandages. "I said to him, 'You know, I forgive them all, let God be their judge. Because man is weak.' I forgive all those people who were involved."

[Helene]

They either picked the wrong guy or knew the plan would have to have gone perfectly to succeed: this man is as strong and determined as Grigorovich. From his interview hours after his first surgery, I have been in awe of his strength.

Tsiskaridze talks a good game and, through the petition, has shown he's willing to play dirty, but I can't help thinking he'd have collapsed under such an attack, as would most others.

[Mashinka]

Tsiskaridze talks a good game and, through the petition, has shown he's willing to play dirty, but I can't help thinking he'd have collapsed under such an attack, as would most others.

Some years ago Tsiskaridze faced up to a devastating injury with amazing stoicism and fortitude, so no, I don't think he would have 'collapsed'.

And as for 'playing dirty', this is the world of Russian ballet we're talking about. They all play dirty.

[Helene]

I think there's a difference between an injury with a potential comeback to the stage and disfigurement and the threat of blindness.

[Natalia]

As widely reported on Russian media, Tsiskaridze already underwent his 'grilling' with Russian police last Thursday. He is fine (physical and mental-health wise). Of course, results of polygraph not known. Investigation still unfolding.

I agree with Helene -- Filin's strength and capacity for forgiveness are awe-inspiring.

[Mashinka]

Natalia, it seems to me that Tsiskaridze is paying a very high price for his previous outspokeness, with the media all but identifying him as prime suspect, whereas anyone with even a superficial knowledge of the Russian ballet scene would be aware there are far more 'interesting' avenues to explore.

[Natalia]

Absolutely, Mashinka. This investigation has many paths - many 'persons of interest.'

[sandik]

I think there's a difference between an injury with a potential comeback to the stage and disfigurement and the threat of blindness.

I have to say that it's the attack on his eyes that just turns my blood cold. Human beings have 5 senses, but I think that in the contemporary world we depend on our vision far more than anything else.

[ascballerina]

Particularly in that he works in a visual art. (then again, Beethoven went deaf, but still)

[solo]

Quote: “I can't help thinking he'd have collapsed under such an attack, as would most others.”

I agree about “most others” but will NOT make a baseless personal allegation about someone’s weakness in the face of disaster. People can be judged by what they have done and not by what we presume they would have done.

It doesn’t help that our discussions are usually based on reports in newspapers, which are often inaccurate, biased, irresponsible or superficial. One of the types of editorial bias is sensationalism aimed at the increase of readership. Unfortunately, it was very much in evidence when most of Russian papers reported the event we are discussing here.
Just one example: “Komsomolskaya Pravda” newspaper had a huge headline yesterday: ‘Nikolai Tsiskaridze will be tested on lie-detector in connection with the attack on Sergei Filin.’ Only much further down, in the middle of this article, one could read the police’s actual words : ‘We intend to test a number of witnesses on a lie-detector.’
For the paper’s journalists these words were not good enough. They were not interested in the witnesses’ list. They picked a household name in Russia, Tsiskaridze, threw it into the headline in huge script - and the sensation was born.

Unfortunately, similar presumptuous approach was taken by some British journalists too.

[sandik]

Oh ouch!

"It doesn’t help that our discussions are usually based on reports in newspapers, which are often inaccurate, biased, irresponsible or superficial."

As a journalist, I'm afraid that you're practicing a little of the sensationalism you are accusing my colleagues of. Some coverage of the attack on Filin and the subsequent events (his treatment, the official and unofficial investigations, etc) has been highly emotional and speculative -- some of it has been based on fact, and the analysis has been more thoughtful. The more sources you read, the more you can discern among them, and then you make choices.

I have to say that I appreciate the BA policy of only quoting from news reports and other 'official' sources -- there are certainly examples of selective reporting like that you highlight in your post, but in general I think this gives our conversations here a stronger basis in fact than otherwise.

[Birdsall]

I do think that regular journalism has become more biased in my lifetime. Even news anchors used to seem objective (trying mainly to report facts), but now they put in their opinions while reporting the news which is something they didn't do (I don't think....I don't remember that) when I was a child. I think they found that sensation and opinions sell (more people watch and more people read).

With that said I have to admit that I read Perez Hilton but I take it with a grain of salt, and if his site makes a mistake it corrects it later or gives an update for more info, so as sensationalistic as it is, it doesn't mislead as much as you would think.

I have also noticed that Huffington Post is much more sensationalistic than it used to be. Now some of the headlines are silly and when you read the actual news item, you see how the headline was really blown out of proportion.

I guess this is the way of the world....

[Helene]

There are very good reasons besides sensationalism for making Tsiskaridze a headliner: besides his performing career, he is a TV personality, and he is also the most well-known outspoken critic of the current (and recent past) administrations, who was outed recently for manipulating other well-known artists to sign what was to be a secret petition to oust the current administration. It's pretty basic to review those who have shown a proclivity to act against someone who's been attacked, especially when their attacks are public, if only to eliminate them as suspects and remove them as a distraction from the investigation and counter any suggestion of a cover-up.

One thing reports have made clear is that there has been infighting for a number of years and no small number of enemies of the administrations past Grigorovich.

Much of what the majority of posters on this board have been reading has been reports from the British mainstream press or the New York Times, much written by respected dance critics, and some of us have followed the news on Al Jazeera.