DISINFO: Reporters Without Borders spreads lies about Sputnik and RT
SUMMARY
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) launched a new initiative: 'Propaganda Monitoring'. Russian media, including Sputnik and RT, have become the first target, with RSF rolling out a series of articles on Russian media's ability to evade censorship, custom-tailored content, and in Serbia's case, [the ability to] transmit so-called "Kremlin propaganda in the Balkans despite EU sanctions."
RSF cannot be regarded a reliable source because every line in this report is soaked with biased language. RSF is the media wing of NATO, the media wing of the collective West. This is a pure Freudian projection. They are accusing others of what they are doing themselves.
RESPONSE
Recurrent disinformation narrative about Kremlin’s media and their status of victims of an alleged Western propaganda and lack of freedom of speech.
The new investigative project on the geopolitics of propaganda launched by RSF indeed points out the efforts of Sputnik and RT in the Balkans from Belgrade.
The role of RT and Sputnik in the Balkans and its influence as it is frequently quoted by local media environment despite being unreliable sources has long been documented, even before the RSF report. Margarita Simonyan also regularly proudly confesses that RT and Sputnik are waging hybrid war and act openly or even secretly using the partisan disinformation guerrilla strategy when needed.
The EU imposed sanctions on some Russian state media companies and restricted the broadcasting of Russian programs after a long history of false and hostile narratives.
The US imposed fresh sanctions on Russian state outlet RT on 13 September 2024 under charges that this TV channel was closely linked to Russia’s intelligence and destabilization actions abroad, including procuring military aid to the Russian army in Ukraine, cyber operations, organisation of destabilising protests and other malign efforts in places such as Argentina, France and Moldova. These activities are not compatible with those of a real media organization.
The US Department of Justice had also sanctioned several RT-related individuals and entities that were part of a massive scheme to interfere in the 2024 election in the US in support of one of the candidates perceived as more favourable to the Kremlin’s interests. The affidavit included evidence, such as the arguments and bullet points to be promoted via social media and other channels such as US influencers recruited as agents of influence, attacking the current US administration and promoting its rival party.
Read also related cases such as : Russian media telling inconvenient truths are persecuted, whilst in Russia media is free, RT and Sputnik were shut down because they told the Western audiences the truth, Ursula von der Leyen unilaterally banned independent media.