Misplaced Pages

RT (TV network): Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 18:02, 31 October 2012 view sourceFestermunk (talk | contribs)830 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit Revision as of 20:40, 31 October 2012 view source Festermunk (talk | contribs)830 edits Programming and guestsNext edit →
Line 184: Line 184:


===Programming and guests=== ===Programming and guests===
An article in the ] RT has a penchant for, "for off-beat stories and conspiracy theories" and quoted journailst ] as saying that the core of RT was, "anti-Westernism."<ref>{{cite news|last=Sousa|first=Ann De|title=News channel or propaganda tool?|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2011/03/201132714649315858.html|newspaper=Al-Jazeera|date=26 Jan 2012}}</ref> Journalist ] described RT as being "provocative just for the sake of being provocative" in its choice of guests and issue topics, featuring a Russian historian who predicted the United States would soon be dissolved, showing speeches by ]n President ], reporting on homelessness in America, and interviewing the chairman of the ]. She wrote that in attempting to offer "an alternate point of view, it is forced to talk to marginal, offensive, and often irrelevant figures..."<ref name=Ioffee>],, ], September/October 2010.</ref>, remarks which echoed ] opinion of RT, saying that while the ] was earnest and well-produced, the rest of the network is farcically slanted and not worth engaging, saying “The news bit is psychopathic conspiracy mongering about Tower Seven, and the Russia coverage is absolutely appalling,”<ref name=Zwick/> Other sources have noted the anti-Western overtones of RT programming, with Julia Ioffe describing RT programming as "just a way to stick it to the U.S. from behind the façade of legitimate newsgathering".<ref>http://www.cjr.org/feature/what_is_russia_today.php?page=all&print=true</ref> and an editor for the '']'' has noted criticism towards RT and its perceived anti-Western and ] propaganda.<ref>. Kyivpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-07.</ref>, while others more have described some of RT's programming as theory conspiratorial, with the '']'' magazine noted that RT's programming, while sometimes interesting and unobjectionable, and sometimes “hard-edged”, also presents “wild conspiracy theories” that can be regarded as “kooky”<ref>, ], July 6, 2010</ref> and ] pointing out that it has a predilection for fringe guests and discredited conspiracy theorists, saying "For me it's a comedy channel. You watch it to see how badly mangled Russia's attempts at influencing foreign opinion are."<ref name="Guardian_Harding_RT"/> According to an article in the ] RT has a penchant for, "for off-beat stories and conspiracy theories" and quoted journailst ] as saying that the core of RT was, "anti-Westernism."<ref>{{cite news|last=Sousa|first=Ann De|title=News channel or propaganda tool?|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2011/03/201132714649315858.html|newspaper=Al-Jazeera|date=26 Jan 2012}}</ref> Journalist ] described RT as being "provocative just for the sake of being provocative" in its choice of guests and issue topics, featuring a Russian historian who predicted the United States would soon be dissolved, showing speeches by ]n President ], reporting on homelessness in America, and interviewing the chairman of the ]. She wrote that in attempting to offer "an alternate point of view, it is forced to talk to marginal, offensive, and often irrelevant figures..."<ref name=Ioffee>],, ], September/October 2010.</ref>, remarks which echoed ] opinion of RT, saying that while the ] was earnest and well-produced, the rest of the network is farcically slanted and not worth engaging, saying “The news bit is psychopathic conspiracy mongering about Tower Seven, and the Russia coverage is absolutely appalling,”<ref name=Zwick/> Other sources have noted the anti-Western overtones of RT programming, with Ioffe describing RT programming as "just a way to stick it to the U.S. from behind the façade of legitimate newsgathering".<ref>http://www.cjr.org/feature/what_is_russia_today.php?page=all&print=true</ref> and an editor for the '']'' has noted criticism towards RT and its perceived anti-Western and ] propaganda.<ref>. Kyivpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-07.</ref>, while others more have described some of RT's programming as theory conspiratorial, with the '']'' magazine noted that RT's programming, while sometimes interesting and unobjectionable, and sometimes “hard-edged”, also presents “wild conspiracy theories” that can be regarded as “kooky”<ref>, ], July 6, 2010</ref> and ] pointing out that it has a predilection for fringe guests and discredited conspiracy theorists, saying "For me it's a comedy channel. You watch it to see how badly mangled Russia's attempts at influencing foreign opinion are."<ref name="Guardian_Harding_RT"/>


Aside from outside observers, former employees have also noted the lack of impartiality in RT's programming, with one saying, "There is such a lack of objectivity. It's like North Korea TV."<ref name="Guardian_Harding_RT"/> though he did also say that generally, the employees were qualified. Similarly, John Kluver, a former CNN cameraman-turned-correspondent, described RT as an, "English or Russian as a propaganda tool for the Russian government"<ref name=CBS/> although he jumped at the job opening for RT because he wanted to show "the positive side of Russia."<ref name=CBS/> Aside from outside observers, former employees have also noted the lack of impartiality in RT's programming, with one saying, "There is such a lack of objectivity. It's like North Korea TV."<ref name="Guardian_Harding_RT"/> though he did also say that generally, the employees were qualified. Similarly, John Kluver, a former CNN cameraman-turned-correspondent, described RT as an, "English or Russian as a propaganda tool for the Russian government"<ref name=CBS/> although he jumped at the job opening for RT because he wanted to show "the positive side of Russia."<ref name=CBS/>

Revision as of 20:40, 31 October 2012

"Russia Today" redirects here. For other uses, see Russia Today (disambiguation).
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template.

(Learn how and when to remove this message)
Television channel
RT
CountryRussia
HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
Programming
Language(s)Arabic, English, Russian, Spanish
Ownership
OwnerRIA Novosti

RT, also known as Russia Today, is a state/government-funded multilingual Russian-based television channel. It describes itself as an "autonomous non-profit organization" which retains "complete legal, editorial and operational independence" although other sources have described it as pro-Kremlin. Founded by the state-ownedRIA Novosti in 2005, RT, according to its corporate profile, "covers the major issues of our time for viewers wishing to question more."

RT presents round-the-clock news bulletins, documentaries, talk shows, and debates, as well as sports news and cultural programs on Russia aimed at the overseas news market. These programs have earned RT awards, but have also drawn criticisms and controversies.

RT broadcast through 22 satellite and 230 cable operators to 430 million people in over 100 countries, 22 percent of all cable subscribers worldwide. According to Pew Research, RT is the number one source for the most popular news videos on YouTube. and some notable guests RT has interviewed include Vladimir Putin and Nouri Al-Maliki.

History

Creation of Russia Today was a part of a larger effort by the Kremlin intended to improve the image of Russia abroad. RT started broadcasting as "Russia Today" on 10 December 2005, initially with 300 journalists, including approximately 70 from outside Russia. Russia Today’s editor-in-chief position was filled by Margarita Simonyan who said that said the channel’s intent was to have a "professional format" like the BBC, CNN and Euronews that would "reflect Russia's opinion of the world" and present a "more balanced picture" of Russia. Shortly after the channel was launched, several sources noted that Russia Today and similar stations like France 24 and TeleSUR saw themselves as “counter-hegemonic”, offering a differing vision and news content from that of Western media like CNN and the BBC which had previously dominated global news coverage. The validity of these remarks were further undergirded by remarks by Walter Isaacson who said that, "We can't allow ourselves to be out-communicated by our enemies," mentioning specifically Russia Today, Iran's Press TV and China's China Central Television (“CCTV”) (although he later explained he actually was referring to “enemies” in Afghanistan, not the nations he mentioned), and Hillary Clinton who stated that the United States was “losing the information war” abroad to foreign channels like Russia Today, Al Jazeera, and China Central Television

RT launched several new channels in ensuing years: the Arabic language channel Rusiya Al-Yaum in 2007, the Spanish language channel RT Actualidad in 2009, RT America which focuses on the United States in 2010, and the RT Documentary channel in 2011. By 2010 RT had grown to a staff of 2000.

In August 2007, RT had television's first ever live report from the North Pole, which lasted 5 minutes, 41 seconds. An RT crew participated in the Arktika 2007 Russian polar expedition, led by Artur Chilingarov on the Akademik Fyodorov icebreaker.

In 2009 Russia Today rebranded itself to the more neutral "RT." Margarita Simonyan denied it was an attempt to hide its Russian origin, saying the corporate logo was changed to attract more viewers and commenting "Who is interested in watching news from Russia all day long?”

The early 2010 “Question More” advertising campaign created for RT in Britain by McCann Erickson was highly controversial, with an article in the Digital Journal calling themas part of an "open propaganda war" and journalist Luke Harding describing the advertisement campaign as, "the latest step in an ambitious attempt to create a new post-Soviet global propaganda empire."; in particular one advertisement showed American President Barack Obama “morphing” into Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and asked: "Who poses the greatest nuclear threat?"

In 2012 Pew Research found RT to be the most popular news channel on YouTube, with Fox News coming in second.

In August of 2012 RT suffered a denial of service attack by a group calling itself “Antileaks” which was protesting the jailing of members of the Pussy Riot group. A few weeks later the site was down intermittently for two days for unspecified reasons.

Budget

RT cost $30 million to establish in 2005 and $30 million for its first year of operation. About half of the network's budget came from the state and the other half from banks and companies friendly to the government. Its budget in dollars was approximately $80 million in 2007, $120 million in 2008, $380 million in 2011 and $300 million in 2012.

Network

Former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev visits RT offices with Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan.

RT broadcast through 22 satellite and 230 cable operators to 430 million people in over 100 countries, 22 percent of all cable subscribers worldwide. In addition to its English-language broadcast, RT also runs Rusiya Al-Yaum, an Arabic language channel, and Actualidad RT, a Spanish-language channel, as well as a documentary channel, RTDoc. RT has 21 bureaus in 16 countries, including Washington, D.C., New York, London, Paris, Delhi, Cairo, Baghdad, Kiev. It employs over 2,000 media professionals worldwide.

RT consists of its main RT International English-language channel, RT America, RT Arabic, Actualidad RT in Spanish, and RT Documentary.

Channel Description Language Launched Website
RT International The flagship news channel of the RT network, it covers international and regional headlines from a Russian perspective. Based in Moscow with a presence in Washington, New York, London, Paris, Delhi, Cairo, Baghdad, Kiev and other cities. English 2005 rt.com
Rusiya Al-Yaum Based in Moscow and broadcast 24/7. Programs include news, feature programming and documentaries. Arabic 2007 arabic.rt.com
RT Actualidad Based in Moscow with bureaus in Miami, Los Angeles, Havana and Buenos Aires. Covers headline news, politics, sports, and broadcast specials. Spanish 2009 actualidad.rt.com
RT America It focuses on covering the Americas from an international and Russian perspective. Based in RT's Washington, DC Bureau. English 2010 rt.com/usa
RT Documentary 24-hour documentary channel. The bulk of its programming is RT-produced documentaries related to Russia. English 2011 rtd.rt.com

The RT website offers a live stream available online to computer or mobile devices. It provides many of its news casts and featured shows via YouTube. RT is transmitted on 22 satellites, covering much of Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Australia on a variety of carriers listed at its website. In September 2012 RT signed a contract with the Israeli company RRSat to distribute high definition channels to the United States, Latin America and Asia.

RT cooperates with a number of media sources in Russia and abroad, including private media like Izvestia, Kommersant, Trud, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Vedomosti, Argumenty i Fakty and the non-Russian Association for International Broadcasting, Huffington Post, News.com.au and WhatReallyHappened.com. In October 2012 RT's Rusiya Al-Yaum and Russia Today joined the High Definition network Al Yah Satellite Communications (“YahLive’).

Programming

RT America broadcast with anchor Liz Wahl

RT International English-language channel and RT America have similar programming with the latter covering more news from the United States. RT Arabic and Actualidad RT in Spanish feature their own news presenters, as well as translated versions of RT's English programming. RT's generous financing has allowed it to attract experienced journalists and use the latest technology.

RT reporters tend to concentrate on controversial world issues such as the financial instability and fiscal crises, financial and banking scandals, corporate impact on the global economy, and demonstrations of protesters. News from Russia is of secondary importance and such reports emphasize Russian modernisation and economic achievements, as well as Russian culture and natural landscapes, while downplaying Russia's social problems or corruption. In 2008 Stephen Heyman wrote in the New York Times that in RT’s Russia, “corruption is not quite a scourge but a symptom of a developing economy.”

RT’s current feature programs include:

Current feature programs:Breaking the set (Abby Martin); Capital Account (Lauren Lyster); CrossTalk and On the Money (Peter Lavelle); Interview with Sophie (Sophie Shevardnadze ); Keiser Report (Max Keiser with Stacy Herbert); Prime Time Russia News; Spotlight (Al Gurnov); Technology Update (Brandon Rice); The Big Picture (Thom Hartmann); Why You Should Care

On April 17, 2012 RT broadcast the first of twelve episodes of World Tomorrow, a news interview program hosted by Julian Assange. The first guest was Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Viewership

RT has over 2 million viewers in the United Kingdom and has rivaled Al Jazeera as the most popular English-speaking foreign channel in Britain. RT America is available to 50 million people in the United States and is the second most-watched foreign news channel after BBC News. It is the number one foreign station in five U.S. urban areas. According to Pew Research, RT is the number one source for the most popular news videos on YouTube.

Presenters

RT's current listing of “On Air Talent” includes:

News anchors: Bill Dod, Marina Dzhashi, Andrew Farmer, Kristine Frazao (Washington, DC), Cary Johnston, Abby Martin (Washington DC), Dmitry Medvedenko (Business), Anissa Naouai, Eunan O'Neill (Sports), Kevin Owen, Kate Partridge (Sports), Yulia Shapovalova, Rory Suchet, Sean Thomas, Matt Trezza, Liz Wahl (Washington DC)

Sean Thomas reporting from Antarctica, 2009.

Correspondents: Tesa Arcilla, Tom Barton, Denis Bolotsky, Oksana Boyko, Anastasia Churkina, Gayane Chichakyan], Anya Fedorova, Maria Finoshina, Sara Firth, Lindsay France, Ramon Galindo (Los Angeles), Irina Galushko, Jacob Greaves (Primetime Russia), Lori Harfenist (New York), Meghan Lopez, Thabang Motsei, Natalia Novikova, Pete Oliver, Darya Pushkova, Egor Piskunov, Marina Portnaya] (New York), Paula Slier (Middle East), Laura Smith (London), Priya Sridhar (South Asia), Natalia Shanetskaya

Business presenters: Marina Kosareva, Madina Kochenova

Documentary presenters: Martyn Andrews (entertainment, cookery and travel, formerly of Wayfarer/Moscow Out/Venice of the North), James Brown (travel through Russia, formerly of Close-Up Russia)

Sport presenters: Andrew Farmer, Michael Kravchenko, Roman Kosarev, Richard Van Poortvliet, Robert Vardanian

Notable past presenters:Adam Kokesh (Adam vs. the Man), Neave Barker, Jason de la Pêna, Alyona Minkovski (The Alyona Show), Maryam Nemazee, Karen Roberts, Dmitry Glukhovsky

Notable guests

Among the notable guests who have appeared on RT frequently include heads of state (Vladimir Putin and Nouri Al-Maliki), politicians (Nigel Farage,Marine Le Pen, Avraham Burg, Ron Paul and Henry Kissinger), academics and think tank intellectuals (John Feffer, Lawrence Korb, Craig Calhoun and Norman Finkelstein), and journalists and writers (Jacob Sullum, Pepe Escobar, Chris Hedges, Naomi Wolf, Danny Schechter and Glenn Greenwald).

Criticism and Controversies

Allegations of bias

Pro-State Bias - Shortly after RT's inception in 2005, the U.S. government-operated VOA interviewed Anton Nosik, chief editor of MosNews.com, who said the creation of Russia Today "smacks of Soviet-style propaganda campaigns" and that "that the channel was not created as a response to any existing demand." as did a representative of Reporters Without Borders, who called the newly announced network “another step of the state to control information.” Thereafter, an article in 2007 Der Spiegel criticized Russia Today for running an advertising campaign "peddling the softer side" of former Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin, opining that the message was about as subtle as a "scenario in which German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle were to advertise with Hitler and the question: "Did you know that Adolf Hilter also painted?" Later critical opinions on RT have included Luke Harding who described Russia Today's advertising campaign in the United Kingdom as an "ambitious attempt to create a new post-Soviet global propaganda empire", James Kirchick who he criticized the network as presenting " often virulent anti-Americanism, worshipful portrayal of Russian", a piece in CBS remarking that the new channel may, "remind people of Soviet television, where reports were designed to put a shiny veneer on the hardships of life," Glenn Beck who referred to RT as, "'state-run' and the 'Pravda of today.'", John Laughland who said of the RT that its, "double remit of reporting and representation is a handicap for that organization," and Bob Garfield who said of RT, "Though they have the look and the feel of maybe BBC or CNN International, just 'cause it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck doesn't make it a duck."

Some have described RT's reportage of Russia itself as tendentious: Masha Karp wrote in Standpoint magazine that contemporary Russian issues "such as the suppression of free speech and peaceful demonstrations, or the economic inefficiency and corrupt judiciary, are either ignored or their significance played down". Similarly, Marcin Mączka writes that where stories of Russia appear at all, "it is usually related to the progress of Russia’s “modernisation”, economic achievements and the growth of foreign investment" and, "embarrassing information about Russia is usually omitted and RT never broadcasts programmes showing Russia’s social problems, condemning corruption or administrative incompetence." A 2008 the New York Times article wrote that in RT’s Russia, “corruption is not quite a scourge but a symptom of a developing economy. And concerns about street thugs, poverty and Ukraine’s aspirations for European Union membership trump fears over Vladimir V. Putin’s grip on power” while a June 2009 by Freedom House wrote that Russia Today "mixes sophisticated production with a resolutely upbeat tone on Russia’s image and an invariably pro-Kremlin take on political events."

In addition to Western commentators, some notable Russians have also been critical of RT: a 2011 article by Accuracy in Media quoted former KGB officer Konstantin Preobrazhensky criticized RT as "a part of the Russian industry of misinformation and manipulation" while Andrey Illarionov, former advisor to Vladimir Putin, has labelled the channel as “the best Russian propaganda machine targeted at the outside world.” Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger who has exposed crooked schemes in companies close to the Kremlin, was reported in an article in The Independent as having "come in for particular disdain from the state-funded broadcaster."

Pro-Kremlin Bias - Multiple sources have variously described RT as: "built on Kremlin Ties", the "brainchild of former Information Minister Mikhail Lesin and Putin's press spokesman, Aleksei Gromov""launched to further Kremlin goals" and beamed by the Kremlin. AFP has described RT as pro-Kremlin as did Reuters which described RT as a, "Kremlin-funded English language channel.". Luke Harding has described RT as "the Kremlin’s English-language propaganda channel, whose mission is to accuse the west of hypocrisy while staying mute about Russia’s own failings" and that the channel had an "unashamedly pro-Vladimir Putin view of the world." In 2010 an article in The Independent reported that RT journalists had revealed that coverage of sensitive issues in Russia was allowed but direct criticism of Vladimir Putin or then President Dmitry Medvedev is not while a 2011 article in The Daily Telegraph by Andrew Osborn in the London Daily Telegraph described RT as "the Kremlin's slavishly loyal English-language propaganda channel".

Response to allegations - Russian studies professor Stephen F. Cohen stated in 2012 that RT does a lot of stories that “reflect badly” on the United States and that they are “particularly aggrieved by American sermonizing abroad.” In June 2011 RT responded to the criticisms it is "state-run" by noting the official mission statements and funding of other well-known "state-run" television networks like the British Broadcasting Corporation ("BBC"), France 24, Germany's Deutsche Welle and the United States' Corporation for Public Broadcasting though the article does go on to say, "So call RT “state-funded” if you must." Margarita Simonyan, the channel's editor-in-chief, told a reporter that the government would not dictate content and "Censorship by government in this country is prohibited by the constitution." She explained her job was "to bring the western image of Russia closer to what Russia really is." John Feffer, codirector of Foreign Policy in Focus (a project of the controversial Institute for Policy Studies) says he appears on RT as well as the U.S.-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, commenting “You’re going to find blind spots in the coverage for any news organization.” Liberal American journalist Glenn Greenwald listed the corporate and government owners of prominent western media like NBC, BBC, Voice of America, Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Politico and The Washington Post and asked why it was “an intrinsic violation of journalistic integrity to work for a media outlet owned by the Russian government."

Programming and guests

According to an article in the Al Jazeera RT has a penchant for, "for off-beat stories and conspiracy theories" and quoted journailst Ed Lucas as saying that the core of RT was, "anti-Westernism." Journalist Julia Ioffe described RT as being "provocative just for the sake of being provocative" in its choice of guests and issue topics, featuring a Russian historian who predicted the United States would soon be dissolved, showing speeches by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, reporting on homelessness in America, and interviewing the chairman of the New Black Panther Party. She wrote that in attempting to offer "an alternate point of view, it is forced to talk to marginal, offensive, and often irrelevant figures...", remarks which echoed Michael Moynihan's opinion of RT, saying that while the now defunct Alyon Show was earnest and well-produced, the rest of the network is farcically slanted and not worth engaging, saying “The news bit is psychopathic conspiracy mongering about Tower Seven, and the Russia coverage is absolutely appalling,” Other sources have noted the anti-Western overtones of RT programming, with Ioffe describing RT programming as "just a way to stick it to the U.S. from behind the façade of legitimate newsgathering". and an editor for the Kyiv Post has noted criticism towards RT and its perceived anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian propaganda., while others more have described some of RT's programming as theory conspiratorial, with the The Economist magazine noted that RT's programming, while sometimes interesting and unobjectionable, and sometimes “hard-edged”, also presents “wild conspiracy theories” that can be regarded as “kooky” and Evgeny Morozov pointing out that it has a predilection for fringe guests and discredited conspiracy theorists, saying "For me it's a comedy channel. You watch it to see how badly mangled Russia's attempts at influencing foreign opinion are."

Aside from outside observers, former employees have also noted the lack of impartiality in RT's programming, with one saying, "There is such a lack of objectivity. It's like North Korea TV." though he did also say that generally, the employees were qualified. Similarly, John Kluver, a former CNN cameraman-turned-correspondent, described RT as an, "English or Russian as a propaganda tool for the Russian government" although he jumped at the job opening for RT because he wanted to show "the positive side of Russia."

In regards to specific guests, a 2010 Southern Poverty Law Center report alleged that RT extensively covered the "birther" and the "New World Order" conspiracy theories and interviewed militia organizer Jim Stachowiak and white nationalist Jared Taylor. while Jesse Zwick writes that RT has provided a “disproportionate amount of time to covering Ron Paul and the "obsession with the erosion of U.S. civil liberties."

Margarita Simonyan has said that "we don't give airtime to public figures who you call extremist any more than CNN and other channels give airtime to people who many in Russia consider extremists". She also told Nikolaus von Twickel of the Moscow Times that RT started to grow once it became provocative and that controversy was vital to the station. She said that RT's task was not to polish Moscow's reputation.

Journalist Danny Schechter has stated that having been part of the start-up team for CNN, he saw RT as another “channel of young people who are inexperienced, but very enthusiastic about what they are doing." However, Vyacheslav Nikonov, a longtime Kremlin advisor, called the channel as, "too amateurish."

News coverage of specific events

2008 South Ossetia War - During the 2008 South Ossetia War Russia Today correspondent William Dunbar resigned because he was not allowed to report on Russian airstrikes on civilian targets and stated “any issue where there is a Kremlin line, RT is sure to toe it.” Human Rights Watch said that the RT claim of 2,000 South Ossetian casualties was exaggerated. The Moscow correspondent for The Independent said that Russia Today's had "instructed reporters not to report from Georgian villages within South Ossetia that had been ethnically cleansed." Julia Ioffe wrote that an RT journalist whose reporting deviated from "the Kremlin line that Georgians were slaughtering unarmed Ossetians" was reprimanded. According to Variety magazine sources at RT confirmed that correspondent William Dunbar had resigned but rejected allegations of bias. One senior RT journalist told Variety “The Russian coverage I have seen has been much better than much of the Western coverage... When you look at the Western media, there is a lot of genuflection towards the powers that be. Russian news coverage is largely pro-Russia, but that is to be expected.”

Libyan civil war - In September 2012, United Kingdom broadcast regulator Ofcom found that two Libyan dispatches broadcast by Phelan on RT in August 2011 were in breach of its code on accuracy and impartiality. One stated that Libyan rebels had little popular support and another criticized Western media as lying about the NATO operations. It held that Broadcasters should note that "when items in their news programmes criticise the policies and actions of individuals, organisations, governments or states, they must not only be presented with due impartiality but also reported with due accuracy."

Syrian civil war - In 2012 Jesse Zwick in The New Republic criticized RT, alleging it held that “civilian casualties in Syria are minimal, foreign intervention would be disastrous, and any humanitarian appeals from Western nations are a thin veil for a NATO-backed move to isolate Iran, China, and Russia.” He wrote that RT wants to “make the United States look out of line for lecturing Russia.” Zwick also noted that Stephen F. Cohen has criticized western coverage of the Syrian conflict, saying he was suspicious of CNN coverage and that “It seems to be the flip side of RT. It’s too black and white, too virtuous and simple. Each side sounds like one hand clapping.”

RT staff

Adam Kokesh - RT cancelled Adam Kokesh’s show Adam vs. The Man soon after an FEC complaint was filed charging a political contribution had been made by a foreign corporation. Kokesh denies that was the reason his show was cancelled.

Margarita Simonyan - RT's current editor-in-chief who has been described as a "Kremlin loyalist" who is close to the Putin regime. According to Professor Andrei Richter, Simonyan was appointed to that position because she was well-connected with the editor; she acknowledged that she once received flowers on her birthday from Mr. Putin. Similarly, an article in The Moscow Times reports that Simonyan was chosen by the Kremlin to be the channel's editor in chief, though the article also stated that such appointments weren't unsurprising in Russia. Moreover, in an interview with the Washington Times, Simonyan acknowledged that she was too young (25) to be given the reins of Russia Today.

Shortly after his appointment as the United States Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul challenged Margarita Simonyan over the Twitter in regards to allegations from RT that he sent Alexei Navalny to study at Yale, tweeting, ""@M_Simonyan when we met at White House you asked me tell you when RT ran something untrue. On RT today, @McFaul sent @Navalny to Yale. Lie."

Peter Lavelle - In a 2010 television episode of Crosstalk Lavelle was berated by the show’s guests after he stated that the people who perpetrated the September 11 attacks were not "fundamentalists." One guest, journalist Douglas Murray, wrote on his blog "I've never encountered a more incompetent presenter." Lavelle later said the show was a "fiasco" because he lacked a "balanced pair of experts."


Professional awards

  • September 2006 – The 10th "Golden Tambourine" International Festival for Television programs and films awarded RT's documentary People of the Bering Strait in the Ethnography and Travel category
  • June 2007 – The 11th "Save and Preserve" International Environmental Television Festival awarded its Grand Prix to RT's Meeting with Nature series.
  • September 2007 – Eurasian Academy of Television and Radio awarded RT with the Prize for Professional Skillfulness
  • November 2007 – RT's report on the anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe received a special prize from the international 2007 AIB Media Excellence Awards
  • September 2008 – Russia's most prestigious broadcasting award TEFI to Kevin Owen in Best News Anchor category
  • November 2008 – Special Jury Award in the Best Creative Feature category for a Russian Glamour feature story at Media Excellence Awards in London
  • January 2009 – Silver World Medal from the New York Festivals, for Best News Documentary “A city of desolate mothers”
  • November 2011 – Martyn Andrews and the weekly "Moscow Out" arts and entertainment show awarded the "ShereMedia Award" for Best Lifestyle Program
  • August 2012 - nomination for an International Emmy Award for its coverage of the international Occupy Wall Street movement.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Is RT state-run?". RT.com. 16 June, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. Walker, Shaun (January 26, 2012). "Assange takes chat-show job with state-funded Russian TV". The Independent.
  3. ^ James Painter, The boom in counter-hegemonic news channels: a case study of TeleSUR, (undated, circa 2006), Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University.
  4. Contact page, RT.com.
  5. ^ Nikolaus von Twickel. Russia Today courts viewers with controversy. The Moscow Times. March 23, 2010.
  6. ^ Harding, Luke (22 Aug 2012). "Let's not confuse the activities of WikiLeaks with those of Assange". The New Statesman. Cite error: The named reference "KremlinHarding" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ Kirchick, James (02-18-09). "Pravda on the Potomac (page 2)". The New Republic. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. Burton, C., Drake, A. Hitting the Headlines In Europe, A Country-By-Country Guide to Effective Media Relations. Kogan Page Ltd. 2004. p.163
  9. ^ RT corporate profile at Rt.com, accessed September 20, 2012.
  10. ^ Jennifer Martinez, Pew: Russia Today, The Hill, July 16, 2012 Cite error: The named reference "Martinez" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ Julian Evans, Spinning Russia, Foreign Policy, December 1, 2005.
  12. RIA Novosti launches a TV channel, Russia Today, RIA Novosti, June 7, 2005.
  13. Lawrence Pintak, America's media bubble, The Boston Globe, November 19, 2006.
  14. Josh Rogin, New BBG chief wants more money to combat “enemies” such as China and Russia, Foreign Policy, October 5, 2010.
  15. Kirit Radia, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton: Al Jazeera is ‘Real News’, U.S. Losing ‘Information War’, ABC, Mar 2, 2011.
  16. ^ Russia Today courts viewers with controversy. The Moscow Times. March 23, 2010.
  17. Russia Landmark Events of 2007, RT.com page.
  18. Douglas Lucas, Julian Assange prepares his next move, Salon, February 23, 2012.
  19. Camphausen, R. C. (Jan 20, 2010). "Russia Today in propaganda war of words and images". Digital Journal.
  20. ^ Luke Harding (18-12-09). "Russia Today launches first UK ad blitz". London: The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "Guardian_Harding_RT" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  21. Ian Burrell, From Russia with news, The Independent, January 16, 2010, from Highbeam.
  22. ^ Anna Leach, Was Russia Today hacked - or did it just forget to renew rt.com?, The Register, September 10, 2012.
  23. Anti-WikiLeaks hackers claim responsibility for DDoS attack on RT website, RT.com website, August `7, 2012, edited August 18, 2012.
  24. ^ Beth Knobel "Russian News, English Accent: New Kremlin Show Spins Russia Westward", CBS News, 12 December 2005
  25. ^ Marcin Maczka, The Propaganda Machine, New Eastern Europe website, July 9, 2012, originally published in New Eastern Europe: New Europe, Old Problems No. 3 (IV), 2012.
  26. Stephen Heyman, "A Voice of Mother Russia, in English", New York Times writer estimates $100 million had been spent on the station as of May, 2008.
  27. Lenizadt estimates the 2012 Russian Federal Budget at 11 billion rubles to RT's parent company ANO TV-Novosti. Darya Fazletdinova, Anatomy of Non-Resistance, Lenizdat, July 2, 2012, accessed September 28, 2012, Translation from the Russian
  28. Actualidad QUIÉNES SOMOS (Spanish) RT
  29. RTД – your guide to the depths of Russia — RT. Rt.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-07.
  30. RT "Where to watch" page. See a listing of satellites at [http://www.lyngsat-address.com/or/RTTV-Russia.html RT.com satellite list, LyngSat Address, accessed September 24, 2012.
  31. RRsat Signs Contract With Russia Today For Global Distribution Of RT HD Channels, RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd press release, September 7, 2012.
  32. See RT “About” page and RT “Partners” page.
  33. Russia Today and Rusiya Al-yaum join Yahlive's high definition bouquet, Al Yah Satellite Communications, AMEinfo.com.
  34. ^ Stephen Heyman, A Voice of Mother Russia, in English, New York Times, May 18, 2008. Author estimates $100 million had been spent on the station as of May, 2008.
  35. ^ RT On Air Talent page, accessed September 26, 2012.
  36. Breaking the set page at RT.com.
  37. Capital Account page at RT.com.
  38. On the Money page at RT.com.
  39. Interview with Sophie page at RT.com.
  40. Keiser Report page at Rt.com.
  41. Prime Time Russia News page at RT.com.
  42. Spotlight page at RT.com.
  43. Technology Update page at RT.com.
  44. The Big Picture page at RT.com.
  45. Why You Should Care page at RT.com.
  46. Alessandra Stanley, The Prisoner as Talk Show Host; Julian Assange Starts Talk Show on Russian TV, New York Times, April 17, 2012.
  47. *RT Leads Al Jazeera in Uk’s Barb Raitings, RT.com press release, July 16, 2012 cites June, 2012 figures from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board which were higher than Al Jazeera's, though those figures may change over time.
  48. Foreign News Channels Drawing U.S. Viewers – IPS. Ipsnews.net. Retrieved on 2011-12-07.
  49. ‘Russia Today’ Doubles its U.S. Audience, Russia Briefing News, June 7, 2012.
  50. Megan Lopez report, Rt.com, September 11, 2012.
  51. Thabang Motsei page at Rt.com.
  52. See RT.com interviews at the RT youtube page: Nigel Farage, Marine Le Pen,Nouri Al-Maliki, Avraham Burg, Henry Kissinger, Ron Paul
  53. ^ Jesse Zwick, Why are liberals lending credibility to a zany Russian TV station?, The New Republic, March 14, 2012.
  54. See RT.com interviews at the RT youtube page: Chris Hedges, Naomi Wolf , Danny Schechter, Glenn Greenwald , Craig Calhoun, Norman Finkelstein.
  55. ^ "New Global TV Venture to Promote Russia". VOANews. 06-07-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  56. Reporters Without Borders Don’t Fancy Russia Today Kommersant 21 October 2005
  57. Controversial Propaganda: Using Stalin To Boost Russia Abroad Der Spiegel 20 November 2007
  58. ^ "Russian News, English Accent". CBS News. 2005-12-12. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  59. "GLOBAL MEDIA WARS: TRANSCRIPT". On the Media. May 06, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  60. Masha Karp "Counterpoints: KGB TV", Standpoint, March 2010
  61. Undermining Democracy. 21st Century Authoritarians, pp. 59-60. Undermining Democracy website. June 2009
  62. R.C. Campausen, KGB TV to Air Show Hosted by Anti-war Marine Vet, Accuracy in Media, January 10, 2011, Accessed 05-04-11.
  63. ^ Shaun Walker, Russia Today, Tomorrow the World, The Independent, September 20, 2010. Cite error: The named reference "Walker" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  64. "Russia Today Built on Kremlin Ties". Kommersant. 2005-09-16. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  65. "Russia: New International Channel Ready To Begin Broadcasting". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2005-12-09. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  66. "Pro-Kremlin TV channel to air WikiLeaks talk show". AFP. Jan 25, 2012.
  67. Astrasheuskaya, Nastassia (Jan 26, 2012). "WikiLeaks founder to host Kremlin-funded TV show". Reuters.
  68. Fox news uses Athens riots footage for Russian protests, Telegraph, retrieved 9 December 2011
  69. "About:Who We Are". FPIF.
  70. Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (2010-05-13). "Cass Sunstein Wants to Nudge Us". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  71. Baker, Peter (2008-12-08). "Liberals Wonder When Obama's Team Will Reflect Them". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  72. Fang, Lee (July 30, 2012). "Liberal Defenders of Chick-Fil-A Unwittingly Defend Corporate Personhood [Updated]". The Nation.
  73. Glenn Greenwald, Attacks on RT and Assange reveal much about the critics, Salon, April 18, 2012.
  74. Sousa, Ann De (26 Jan 2012). "News channel or propaganda tool?". Al-Jazeera.
  75. ^ Julia Ioffe,What Is Russia Today?, Columbia Journalism Review, September/October 2010.
  76. http://www.cjr.org/feature/what_is_russia_today.php?page=all&print=true
  77. Kyiv Post. Independence. Community. Trust – Ukraine abroad – Russia Today: Ukrainian сourt rules against Bandera and Shukhevich becoming heroes again. Kyivpost.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-07.
  78. Airwaves wobbly, The Economist, July 6, 2010
  79. ^ Sonia Scherr Russian TV Channel Pushes 'Patriot' Conspiracy Theories, Intelligence Report, #139, Fall 2010, Southern Poverty Law Center
  80. "Russia Pumps Tens of Millions Into Burnishing Image Abroad". Washington Post. 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  81. William Dunbar, William Dunbar: They forced me out for telling the truth about Georgia, The Independent, September 20, 2010.
  82. Death toll in South Ossetia reaches 2,000 Russia Today 10 August 2008
  83. Russia exaggerating South Ossetian death toll, says human rights group The Guardian 13 August 2008
  84. Ian Burrell, From Russia with news, The Independent, 15 January 2010
  85. Nick Holdsworth, Russia claims media bias; Foreign minister blasts coverage of conflict, Variety, August 12, 2008.
  86. Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, 10 September 2012, pp 19-35
  87. "Ron Paul booster’s show cancelled after FEC complaint". Politico. August 25, 2011.
  88. Elder, Miriam (25 January 2012). "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's TV show to be aired on Russian channel". The Guardian.
  89. Barry and Schwirtz, Ellen and Michael (May 6, 2012). "Arrests and Violence at Overflowing Rally in Moscow". NYT.
  90. Ioffe, Julia (September / October 2010). "What is Russia Today?". Columbia Journalism Review. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  91. Walker, Shaun (14 December 2011). "Why the Russian revolution is being televised at last".
  92. Osborn, Andrew (August 16, 2005). "Russia's 'CNN' wants to tell it like it is". The Age.
  93. Zagorodnov, Artem (September 25, 2008). "Today's woman who needs to be heard". The Moscow Times.
  94. Rowland, Kara (Monday, October 27, 2008). "Russia Today: Youth served". The Washington Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  95. ^ Hirst, Tomas (01/03/12). "Putin's Perverse Fear of Soft Power". Huffington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  96. ^ Toohey, Nathan (08/02/2012). "RT and McFaul argue over Navalny's US education". The Moscow Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  97. ^ von Twickel, Nikolaus (March 23, 2010). "Russia Today courts viewers with controversy". Moscow Times.
  98. Murray, Douglas. "Russia Today, Putin and the 9/11 nutters". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 15th, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  99. "Golden Tambourine" International Festival for Television programs and films Zolotoy Buben
  100. News of the Okrug 11th "Save and Preserve" International Environmental Television Festival, 9 June 2007
  101. Eurasian Academy of Television and Radio, Евразийская Академия Телевидения и Радио
  102. AIB Media Excellence Awards 2007 Association for International Broadcasting, 8 October 2007
  103. А ТЭФИ здесь тихие
  104. 2009 Television Programming and Promotion Awards
  105. Шереметьево “поймал” акул пера за публикации
  106. Announcement of 2012 International Emmys, International Emmy Award website.

External links

RT · RT America · RT UK programs
Former

Template:International news channels

Freeview
TV channels
Radio stations
Local channels
Streamed channels
TV platforms
Miscellaneous
Television in Russia
Broadcasting
and regulation
Terrestrial Nationwide
Digital Broadcasting
Program
First Multiplex
Second Multiplex
Terrestrial and
Analog Broadcasting
or Nationwide channels
VGTRK
Gazprom-Media
National Media
Group
Media-1
Other state-owned
channels
Cable/
Satellite/
IPTV/
OTT
VGTRK
RT
Gazprom-Media
National Media
Group
Channel One (19,5%)
Media Telekom (50%)
  • Kineko (HD)
  • Sapfir (HD)
  • Terra (HD)
  • Udar (HD)
  • .Red (HD)
  • .Black (HD)
  • .Sci-Fi (HD)
  • Mi (HD)
  • Appetitny (HD)
  • Dialogi o rybalke (distribution)
  • Star Media (distribution)
  • Fenix Film (distribution)
    • Fenix plus kino (HD)
    • Oruzhie
    • Anekdot TV
  • Start Broadcasting (distribution)
    • Start (HD)
    • Start Triumpf (HD)
Moscow Media
  • Moscow 24
  • Moscow Doveriye
  • Central Television Channel
  • 360 - Moscow Region (HD)
  • 360 - Moscow News (HD)
SAFMAR Media
Viasat Russia
Others
Internet and
satellite only
Defunct
Channels don't broadcast in Russia, Joint venture Channel One and VGTRK, Joint venture National Media Group and Rostelecom
Categories: