Yet she went on to continue to host her show for another year before moving on. In contrast, Abby Martin, former host of “Breaking the Set,” an opinion show that aired on RT America from 2012 to 2015, openly criticized Russian military intervention into Ukraine in March of 2014. More recently, Moscow-based Sarah Firth – who worked for RT, not RT America – resigned in protest over the way that the network was covering the Malaysian Airlines crash in Ukraine. RT news anchor Liz Wahl resigned on air, citing disagreements with RT’s editorial policy. One stark example took place over coverage of the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine. In short, the opinion and talk shows that populate RT America seem to have editorial freedom, while the news arm of RT does not. But there’s a distinct difference between the news arm of the Moscow-based Russia Today and RT America’s opinion shows. Thus far, most coverage of RT America has focused on its ties to the Kremlin. audiences overcome their inherent prejudice that RT America is just a propaganda arm for the Russian government? The RT America paradox today.Ĭertainly some will not be able to look past the paradox that a nation that has one of the lowest scores on the press freedom index could also be funding a valuable alternative to mainstream cable news.īut when it comes to distorting the news, is the network any more culpable than mainstream cable networks? And can U.S. It’s a crazy notion – and a bit mind-boggling to consider – but RT America might be offering some of the most progressive, uncensored cable media programming in the U.S. As Julia Ioffe writes in the Columbia Journalism Review, RT America often acts as a “shrill propaganda outlet” for the Kremlin – an identity that clashes with its desire to compete in the international news market.Īt the same time, according to Ioffe, RT America understands that in order to effectively compete with other progressive, unbiased networks, it needs “to be taken seriously.” This realization, she explains, has led to some good reporting. Unlike Al Jazeera, it runs ad-free, which arguably gives it even more potential for influence-free programming.īut RT America has some inherent contradictions: it offers a “Russian state perspective” in its news programming while simultaneously airing some of the most progressive shows on U.S. Like Al Jazeera, RT America has fashioned itself as a serious alternative to the politicized media circus promoted by the top three cable news stations. operations at the end of April.Īs Al Jazeera America closes shop, it’s worth wondering how this change will affect the position of RT America – previously known as Russia Today America – in the U.S. Amid lowering gas prices and reports of other financial woes, the channel announced it would shut down its U.S. Even though the network won awards for reporting, the Qatari government-funded channel suffered from the public perception that it had an anti-Western, pro-Islamic stance. Launched as a corrective to the politicized and spectacle-heavy programming of Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, Al Jazeera America positioned itself as a fact-based, unbiased news source.
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