RT's twisted reality

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https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/164627783835772f074f3d71c/raw



RT's twisted reality

On Wednesday morning, as Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine entered its seventh day, I turned on RT, the Russia-controlled network that has in recent days been banned in Europe and dropped by television carriers across the world. Founded in 2005, RT, which operates multiple channels, including RT America, has served as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s largest megaphones across the world. It offers insight into how the Kremlin would like to portray the world and its role in it.

For several hours I watched the channel and was struck by how brazenly its hosts and personalities worked to mislead its audience and deflect from the issues at hand. The main thrust of RT’s coverage presented Russia as a mere victim of western aggression, a country forced to launch a limited “military operation” after its hand was forced by a high-and-mighty NATO that showed no interest in taking Moscow’s security concerns seriously. Here's a brief breakdown of what I observed on the network...

Russia the "liberator"

Peter John Lavelle, the host of RT’s signature talk program, "Crosstalk," put it like this: He said that the failed "liberal order" implemented by the West was to blame. "It is so irritating," Lavelle said on his show. "The way it is being framed: Ukraine’s democracy. Well, it has nothing to do with Ukraine’s democracy — if you can say it even has one. ... This is about security … There is only security for other countries."

On its news programs throughout the day, RT’s on-screen graphics blared breaking news alerts supporting that notion: "RUSSIA: NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS LEFT NO CHOICE BUT TO START MILITARY OPERATION." Another chyron read, "RUSSIA SAYS ITS GOALS IN UKRAINE TO DEMILITARIZE & DENAZIFY THE COUNTRY."

In fact, according to RT, Russia wasn’t even necessarily the aggressor. The channel at times said that Russia was a "liberator," essentially freeing people from the menacing forces in Kyiv. "MILITIA SAYS 40 TOWNS AND VILLAGES NOW LIBERATED IN CURRENT OFFENSIVE," a chyron declared.

*snip*