RT America

RT America
Launched February 2010
Network RT
Owned by (ANO) TV-Novosti
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
(HD feed downgraded to letterboxed 480i for SDTVs)
Slogan Question More
Country United States
Language English
Broadcast area Worldwide
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Sister channel(s) RT International
RT UK
Rusiya Al-Yaum
RT Documentary
RT Actualidad
RT Deutsch
RT en Francais
Website rt.com/usa/
Availability
Satellite
Dish Network Nationwide:
Channel 280 (HD/SD)
Washington, D.C. area:
Channel 8084 (HD/SD)
GlobeCast WorldTV Channel unallocated
Cable
Verizon FiOS (Washington, D.C. area) Channel 455
Cox Communications (Washington, D.C. area) Channel 473
RCN Cable (Washington, D.C. area) Channel 33
Available on certain cable systems Check Local Listings
IPTV
Eagle Multimedia Channel unallocated
Russian TVGroup Channel unallocated
Streaming media
Live stream On Air
Sling TV Internet Protocol television

RT America is a TV channel that is based in Washington, D.C. RT America is part of the RT network, which is a global multilingual television news network that is based in Moscow, Russia and funded by the Russian government. RT is an autonomous non-profit organization.

RT has been called a propaganda outlet for the Russian government[1][2][3] and its foreign policy[1][3][4][5] by news reporters,[6] including former RT reporters.[7][8][9] RT has also been accused of spreading disinformation.[10][11][12][13] The United Kingdom media regulator, Ofcom, has repeatedly found RT to have breached rules on impartiality, and of broadcasting "materially misleading" content.[14][15][16]

RT America focuses on covering news in the United States from an alternative perspective. The broadcaster’s oft-used motto is “Question More.” Based in RT's Washington, D.C. bureau, the channel includes programs hosted by American journalists. The channel maintains a separate schedule of programs each weekday from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and like it's counterpart in the UK, it simulcasts RT International at all other times.

RT America also has studios and bureaus in New York, Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles.[17] The channel is the home and the production base of RT's U.S. based programs.

RT America is the channel RT delivers to United States cable and satellite providers. The channel is also available online through RT's website.

RT America programming

Former

Notable news personalities

Current

Former

Incidents

Abby Martin statement

On March 4, 2014, Breaking The Set host Abby Martin (whose show is produced by RT America), speaking directly to her viewing audience during the show's closing statement, said that even though she works for RT, she is against Russia's intervention in Ukraine. She said that "what Russia did is wrong", as she is against intervention by any nation into other countries' affairs.[18] Later, Martin asserted that RT still supports her despite her differences of opinion with the Russian government.[19] RTs press office suggested that Martin would be sent to Crimea and responded to accusations of propaganda, stating "the charges of propaganda tend to pop up every time a news outlet, particularly RT, dares to show the side of events that does not fit the mainstream narrative, regardless of the realities on the ground. This happened in Georgia, this is happening in Ukraine".[20][note 1]

Glenn Greenwald claimed that American media elites love to mock Russian media, especially RT, as being a source of shameless pro-Putin propaganda, where free expression is strictly barred. Agreeing the "network has a strong pro-Russian bias", he suggested that Martin's action "remarkably demonstrated what 'journalistic independence' means".[21]

Wahl resignation

RT America broadcast with former anchor Liz Wahl

On March 5, 2014, RT America anchor Liz Wahl resigned on air, blaming RT for propaganda.[22] She explained later "that she felt challenged being the daughter of a U.S. military veteran and being the partner of a physician who works at a U.S. military base, and that is why, personally, she cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of Putin". Wahl said that what "broke" her was that RT censored a question from her interview with Ron Paul about "Russia's intervention in Ukraine". Paul later said that he was not censored in any way and that his message was delivered in full and to his satisfaction.[23] James Kirchick quickly published the exclusive story, explaining that he had periodically been in contact with Wahl over the previous six months.[24]

In response, RT released a statement: "When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt. We wish Liz the best of luck on her chosen path".[25] A later report claimed links between Kirchick and "neoconservative think-tank Foreign Policy Initiative", suggesting the event was part of "an ongoing Cold War revival campaign"[26]

In a March 2014 Politico article, Wahl stated “For about two and a half years. I’d looked the other way as the network smeared America for the sake of making the Kremlin look better by comparison, while it sugarcoated atrocities by one brutal dictator after another.”[27]

Notes

  1. ↑ See Information war during the Russo-Georgian war and 2014 Crimean crisis

References

  1. 1 2 Julia Ioffe,What Is Russia Today?, Columbia Journalism Review, September/October 2010.
  2. ↑ Beth Knobel "Russian News, English Accent: New Kremlin Show Spins Russia Westward", CBS News, December 12, 2005
  3. 1 2 Benjamin Bidder (August 13, 2013). "Putin Fights War of Images and Propaganda with Russia Today Channel". Spiegel Online. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ Luke Harding (December 18, 2009). "Russia Today launches first UK ad blitz". The Guardian (London).
  5. ↑ Kramer, Andrew E (August 22, 2010). "Russian Cable Station Plays to U.S.". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ "Ukraine hits back at Russian TV onslaught". BBC. 2014.
  7. ↑ John Plunkett (July 18, 2014). "Russia Today reporter resigns in protest at MH17 coverage". The Guardian. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  8. ↑ Brian Stelter (March 24, 2014). "Putin TV in Chaos". CNN.
  9. ↑ Gray, Rosie (March 13, 2014). "How the Truth is Made at Russia Today". BuzzFeed.
  10. ↑ Logiurato (April 29, 2014), Russia's Propaganda Channel Just Got A Journalism Lesson From The US State Department, Business Insider
  11. ↑ Crowley, Michael (May 1, 2014). "Putin's Russian Propaganda". TIME.
  12. ↑ Inside Putin's Information Wars, by Peter Pomerantsev, politico.com
  13. ↑ R.C. Campausen (January 10, 2011), KGB TV to Air Show Hosted by Anti-war Marine Vet, Accuracy in Media, retrieved April 5, 2011.
  14. ↑ William Turvill (November 15, 2012). "Ofcom rules against Russia Today over Syria conflict report". Press Gazette (Progressive Media International). Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  15. ↑ "UK regulator Ofcom backs BBC in Russian TV case". BBC News. September 21, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  16. ↑ John Plunkett (November 10, 2014). "Russia Today threatened with Ofcom sanctions due to bias". The Guardian. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Usa — Rt". Rt.com. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  18. ↑ Greg Botelho, CNN (5 March 2014). "State-funded news anchor Abby Martin: 'What Russia did is wrong' - CNN.com". CNN.
  19. ↑ "Ukraine conflict perspectives and Washington’s shadow lobbyists".
  20. ↑ Graves, Lucia (March 4, 2014) RT Defends Host Abby Martin, Responds to Accusations of Pro-Putin Propaganda, National Journal retrieved April 11, 2014
  21. ↑ Greenwald, Glenn (March 4, 2014) RT Host Abby Martin Condemns Russian Incursion Into Crimea – On RT The Intercept retrieved march 21, 2014
  22. ↑ "Russia Today TV presenter Liz Wahl quits on air". BBC News. 6 March 2014.
  23. ↑ "Russia Coverage: RT, Liz Wahl and Media Bias".
  24. ↑ James Kirchick Exclusive: RT Anchor Liz Wahl Explains Why She Quit The Daily Beast ,05 Mar 2014
  25. ↑ "RT reacts to anchor Liz Wahl quitting on air".
  26. ↑ New report reveals how ‘American neocons’ stage attacks against alternative media RT, 21 March 2014
  27. ↑ Liz Wahl, I Was Putin’s Pawn, Politico magazine, March 21, 2014.

External links

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