By RuNet Echo, for Global Voices Today, Russia’s State Duma passed the third and final reading of a new bill expanding the scope of the country’s controversial “foreign agent” law. The first iteration of the law appeared in 2012, and introduced the term “foreign agent” to refer to NGOs which receive foreign funding. It’s a loaded term in Russian, with strong associations with espionage. In November 2017, mass media organisations…
By Polygraph Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor-in-chief “To all the self-righteous defenders of ‘freedom of speech’ who oh-so-ardently proclaimed that FARA registration places no restrictions whatsoever on RT’s journalistic work in the US: Withdrawal of Congressional credentials speaks much louder than empty platitudes. And to borrow from Orwell, all ‘foreign agents‘ are equal, but looks like only RT is denied congressional accreditation on the basis of FARA status, while the likes…
By Polygraph Margarita Simonyan Sputnik and RT chief-in-editor “I propose moving the celebration of World Press Freedom Day to November 10” [the day RT-America filed as a foreign agent] Source: Twitter, November 14, 2017 FALSE Requiring RT-America to register as a foreign agent was aimed at Russian propaganda, not at suppressing press freedoms In a fact-check headlined “RT’s FARA Examined. Part I,” Polygraph.info revealed direct ties between the Russian government…
By Polygraph RT-America, the U.S. branch of the Russian international broadcasting conglomerate, registered as a foreign agent under FARA on November 10, fulfilling the demand from U.S. Department of Justice. RT operates in the U.S. behind a so-called “shell company,” registered in Washington, DC on April 2, 2014, as “T&R Production.” The registration form says T&R Production is a limited liability company “wholly owned” by its sole member and general manager Mikhail…
By EU vs Disinfo Pressure is piling up on Moscow-based U.S. media outlets, with reports that Russia is putting together a media blacklist in retaliation for a U.S. probe into RT and Sputnik. Both these Russian state-funded media organisations have been accused of spreading disinformation. Citing a source in the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, the RBC television channel reported on October 17 that the Council had drafted…
