DISINFO: RT is the voice of truth
SUMMARY
Today, dozens of millions of people worldwide watch and read RT every day. This is a voice that is trusted and respected. And let us be straight, it is this voice, the voice of the truth, which is feared and would rather be hushed up by some.
The real reason for the channel’s success is that it follows the general rules of honest, professional and free journalism, which historically rejects any information monopoly, censorship or desire to assign to itself the right to the ultimate truth.
RESPONSE
Disinformation message regarding RT (formerly Russia Today), the Russian state-owned international network.
RT network cannot be described as following the general rules of honest, professional and free journalism.
In 2019 UK media regulatorOfcom fined RT £200,000 for breaching impartiality rules multiple times. Ofcom’s investigation found that RT failed to preserve due impartiality on seven occasions between 17 March and 26 April 2018 in its reporting on the Salisbury poisoning and the war in Syria – major matters of political controversy and current public policy.
The internet trust tool Newsguard, which gives trust ratings for online news websites, gives RT a score of 32.5 out of 100 (25out of 100 for the French version), and warns that the "website severely violates basic journalistic standards". There are issues with transparency. For instance, RT website fails to disclose the ownership and financing: the holding structures are not clearly stated on the website and even boldly denied by the leaders in an attempt to avoid sanctions in Latvia. The site also fails to provide names of content creators, along with either contact or biographical information: RT justifies this pretending that only boastful sign their articles and can be reached.
There are also issues with credibility. The site publishes regularly false content. The site fails to gather and present information responsibly. The site fails to handle the difference between news and opinion responsibly. The site avoids deceptive headlines.
Because RT France has published false information and distorted coverage to support the views of the Russian government that owns it, and, through its reporting serves a mission of sowing dysfunction in other countries, Newsguard has determined that the website does not gather and present information responsibly, publishes deceptive headlines and doesn't handle the difference between news and opinion.
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