CBS upgrades ‘crisis’ to ‘war’ in Ukraine graphics

CBS News switched from using the title “Crisis in Ukraine” to “War in Ukraine” as of midday Feb. 24, 2022.

When the network joined President Joe Biden’s speech and press event under its special report graphics, it played an updated version of the “Crisis” open that was identical except that word had been swapped out in favor of “War.”

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CBS News is not the only news outlet framing the conflict as “war” — it’s also appeared on CNN and multiple other outlets.

How the U.S. networks covered start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine https://t.co/jb0shqHTZc #TVNews #BroadcastNews

— TVNewsMix (@TVNewsMix) February 25, 2022

Earlier in the day, CBS still used the term “Crisis” during its coverage on “CBS Mornings.”

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In terms of geopolitics, the actual definition of “war” various slightly, but tends to be defined using specific actions or characteristics such as “invasion,” “attack” or “fighting” between two or more foreign states or countries. Most definitions, including the one used by the United Nations, acknowledge that an official declaration of war does not need to be issued for something to be called such.

Biden himself also referred to the situation as “war” in his speech.

The 2022 invasion of Ukraine is also widely considered to be part of what historians have dubbed the “Russo-Ukrainian War” that dated back to 2014.