DISINFO: RT journalists tell the truth
SUMMARY
When and where have RT journalists lied? They have been telling the truth about atrocities in the Gaza Strip, in Syria, about street protests in Paris, during the war in Syria and Iraq, everywhere in the Middle East, and in Ukraine, while being in the thick of it.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that pro-Kremlin and other Russian state-controlled outlets, including flagship outlet RT (earlier known as Russia Today), are sources of truthful information and victims of censorship in the EU and the US. This claim was made in the context of a statement by James Rubin, U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for the Global Engagement Center, that RT is “engaged in covert influence activities aimed at undermining American elections and democracy” and “functioning like a de facto arm of Russia's intelligence apparatus.”
On 16 September 2024, Facebook owner Meta announced it was banning RT, Rossiya Segodnya and other Russian state media networks, alleging "the outlets used deceptive tactics to carry out influence operations while evading detection on the social media company’s platforms."
On 2 March 2022, the EU "suspended the broadcasting activities of Sputnik’ and RT/Russia Today (RT English, RT UK, RT Germany, RT France, and RT Spanish) in the EU, or directed at the EU, until the aggression to Ukraine is put to an end, and until the Russian Federation and its associated outlets cease to conduct disinformation and information manipulation actions against the EU and its member states".
The internet trust tool Newsguard, which gives trust ratings for online news websites, has said that RT is spreading “falsehoods about Ukraine seeking to justify its invasion".
RT also faced several investigations in the UK by broadcasting regulator Ofcom, in particular concerning its coverage of the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury and Syria. RT was found to have violated impartiality rules and was fined £200,000. Ofcom’s investigations into the due impartiality of RT’s news and current-affairs coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to the revocation of its licence to broadcast in the United Kingdom in 2022.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that RT is the voice of truth, that A lie has never been told in Solovyov's studio, and that Western countries do not respect freedom of speech and democracy.