[quote]Staci Bivens knew something was seriously wrong when her bosses at Russia Today asked her to put together a story alleging that Germany — Europe’s economic powerhouse — was a failed state.
“It was me and two managers and they had already discussed what they wanted,” Bivens, an American who worked in RT’s Moscow headquarters from 2009 through 2011, said of a meeting she’d had to discuss the segment before a planned reporting trip to Germany. “They called me in and it was really surreal. One of the managers said, ‘The story is that the West is failing, Germany is a failed state.’”
Bivens, who had spent time in Germany, told the managers the story wasn’t true — the term “failed state” is reserved for countries that fail to provide basic government services, like Somalia or Congo, not for economically advanced, industrialized nations like Germany. They insisted. Bivens refused. RT flew a crew to Germany ahead of Bivens, who was flown in later to do a few standups and interviews about racism in Germany. It was the beginning of the end of her RT career.
“At that point I’d been there for a little bit and I’d had enough of the insanity,” Bivens said. She stayed until the end of her contract in 2011 and didn’t make an effort to renew it.
Judging by interviews with seven former and current employees, Bivens’ story is typical. RT, the global English-language news network funded by the Russian government, has come into the spotlight since the Russian invasion of Crimea, which the network has defended tooth-and-nail. The invasion has led to two high-profile rebellions within the ranks: first, an on-air condemnation of the invasion by RT America host Abby Martin, followed days later by the live resignation of another host, Liz Wahl. Martin, who hosts an opinion show, said that Russia’s actions were wrong; Wahl, a news anchor, went one step further, saying that she could not work at a network that found Russia’s actions acceptable.
The public shake-up and skewed coverage of Ukraine has pulled aside RT’s curtain, exposing the network’s propaganda apparatus, which relies on a number of Western reporters and producers. Former and current RT employees from both the Moscow headquarters and its D.C. bureau, which heads a channel called RT America, described to BuzzFeed an atmosphere of censorship and pressure, in which young journalists on their first or second job are lured by the promise of a relatively well-paying position covering news for an international network. Except for Bevins and Wahl, all spoke on the condition of anonymity — some because they didn’t want their name associated with the network or were afraid they would face repercussions in their current jobs.
Soon after joining the network, the current and former employees said, they realized they were not covering news, but producing Russian propaganda. Some employees go in clear-eyed, looking for the experience above all else. Others don’t realize what RT really wants until they’re already there. Still others are chosen for already having displayed views amenable to the Kremlin. Anti-American language is injected into TV scripts by editors, and stories that don’t toe the editorial line regularly get killed.[/quote]
Read the rest over here (it's a pretty long article)
[B][url]http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/how-the-truth-is-made-at-russia-today[/url][/B]
It's pretty simple to get people to toe the line when it means their job, or their lives. Not to mention that you can always replace somebody who values the truth more than propaganda quite easily with somebody else who's a bit more on the amoral side.
whoops, bad reading.
It's unreal how Russian propaganda is a pre-packaged station on ALL TV networks here.
[editline]14th March 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;44233501]It's pretty simple to get people to toe the line when it means their job, or their lives. Not to mention that you can always replace somebody who values the truth more than propaganda quite easily when any party worker or reporter with communist leanings can be inserted to fill in such a position.[/QUOTE]
Communist leanings? What does communism have to do with RT?
I'm pretty sure you agree to do stuff like this when you accept a job at Russia today, its not exactly secret that its a propaganda site.
[QUOTE=RainbowStalin;44233558]I'm pretty sure you agree to do stuff like this when you accept a job at Russia today, its not exactly secret that its a propaganda site.[/QUOTE]
Doesn't seem like all of them do.
[quote]Soon after joining the network, the current and former employees said, they realized they were not covering news, but producing Russian propaganda. Some employees go in clear-eyed, looking for the experience above all else. Others don’t realize what RT really wants until they’re already there.[/quote]
[QUOTE=laserguided;44233518]It's unreal how Russian propaganda is a pre-packaged station on ALL TV networks here.
[/QUOTE]
American Networks like CNN are also just a lot of propaganda. Pretend to be someone from any non-NATO country and watch CNN and you'll understand what I'm saying.
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;44233606]American Networks like CNN are also just a lot of propaganda. Pretend to be someone from any non-NATO country and watch CNN and you'll understand what I'm saying.[/QUOTE]Difference being CNN isn't state propaganda, most US news covers news from a wide variety of viewpoints and vested interests, which aren't necessarily in favour of the incumbent government.
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;44233606]American Networks like CNN are also just a lot of propaganda. Pretend to be someone from any non-NATO country and watch CNN and you'll understand what I'm saying.[/QUOTE]
It's quite ironic that certain demographics eat Russia Today's propaganda up, while criticizing American media for being biased.
[QUOTE=SPESSMEHREN;44233897]It's quite ironic that certain demographics eat Russia Today's propaganda up, while criticizing American media for being biased.[/QUOTE]
I just don't think people realized how all networks tend to be biased.
i just heard the phrase "gay fascist agenda" in an ad for a tv show about ukraine
so yeah russian media is doing well
[QUOTE=Sgt Doom;44233817]Difference being CNN isn't state propaganda, most US news covers news from a wide variety of viewpoints and vested interests, which aren't necessarily in favour of the incumbent government.[/QUOTE]
Well American news is owned by a small group of people, which isn't much better. There's a good book on this called Manufacturing Consent.
What was the reason we decided not to ban RT as a source again?
afaik it was because some of their reporting is ok
Anyone else read the article in the "how it's made" voice?
[QUOTE=SeamanStains;44233932]What was the reason we decided not to ban RT as a source again?[/QUOTE]
Because Fox news is still unbanned.
It is the reason you don't ever give rather strange people free reign over state-funded international TV network.
[QUOTE=SeamanStains;44233932]What was the reason we decided not to ban RT as a source again?[/QUOTE]
In the end all bits of news are propaganda to some degree. Best thing to do is to throw it all onto one heap, and then pull your own opinion out of it.
[QUOTE=Clavus;44235236]In the end all bits of news are propaganda to some degree. Best thing to do is to throw it all onto one heap, and then pull your own opinion out of it.[/QUOTE]
News is to fact as religion is to science: Maybe some bits are right, but don't get your hopes up.
Remember how last year everyone was constantly fawning over RT and Al Jazeera, and now we've all done a total 180 on both
Kind of funny
[QUOTE=Zeke129;44235650]Remember how last year everyone was constantly fawning over RT and Al Jazeera, and now we've all done a total 180 on both
Kind of funny[/QUOTE]I don't recall people dissing AJ, assuming you're talking about the English side; the Arabic side is basically a blowjob machine for the Qatari government.
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;44233931]Well American news is owned by a small group of people, which isn't much better. There's a good book on this called Manufacturing Consent.[/QUOTE]I know, my only point is that CNN and the like are not mouthpieces of the White House (thus allowing for plurality of opinion, even if it's retarded opinions favouring rich gits), whereas RT is.
We didn't ban Russia Today because that would reflect poorly upon us as a whole.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;44235650]Remember how last year everyone was constantly fawning over RT and Al Jazeera, and now we've all done a total 180 on both
Kind of funny[/QUOTE]
Facepunch isn't a hivemind, Facepunch is dumb, etc.
But what's wrong with Al Jazeera? I don't remember them being terrible. I don't watch much news other than what's being covered by newspapers, DR or TV2, though.
Since when is BuzzFeed a real news agency?
[QUOTE=supersnail11;44237177]Since when is BuzzFeed a real news agency?[/QUOTE]
Wikipedia says:
"In 2012, Ben Smith of Politico was hired as Editor-in-Chief, and is responsible for expanding the site into serious journalism, long-form and reportage while maintaining its popular fun and entertainment-oriented content"
[QUOTE=Zeke129;44235650]Remember how last year everyone was constantly fawning over RT and Al Jazeera, and now we've all done a total 180 on both
Kind of funny[/QUOTE]
We hate al-jazeera now? I'll have to update the FP Opinion List
[editline]14th March 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=SeamanStains;44233932]What was the reason we decided not to ban RT as a source again?[/QUOTE]
It was either free speech whinging or we the mods decided they'd let the idiot nerds form their own opinions rather than choosing sources for them
it's hard keeping up with the hivemind opinions
Are we still loving Chavez?
Just read through it all. Very well written and sourced article. I especially love [URL="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/07/watch-rt-putin-s-tv-network-call-the-cops-on-me.html"]this article[/URL] she links to. It's a shame that there are so many budding journalists that get suckered into working for RT as their first job. It makes me glad that even though my first job is writing articles for a pretty small magazine/web site, I still get absolute freedom when it comes to what I write about.
Not all RT is propaganda. I mean they speak a lot of sense on what's wrong with America.
[QUOTE=Secrios;44241414]Not all RT is propaganda. I mean they speak a lot of sense on what's wrong with America.[/QUOTE]
The question is, should they. They're Russian media that is supposed to give insight into Russia for foreigners. And provide news from our government's point of view. Not explain how someone in the world is wrong and bad.
[QUOTE=gudman;44241499]The question is, should they.[/QUOTE]
that's what news agencies are technically supposed to do in theory (even if RT is a shit one)
i mean, you don't see the bbc only reporting on things related to britain, do you
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