By Chris Faure for the Saker Blog
Recently on the Saker blog, we had these two articles:
http://10.16.86.131/russia-vs-a-biden-administration/
http://10.16.86.131/not-a-step-back/
Whether you are in agreement with the representations in those articles or not, the fact is that they were better than the Russian English media. Yes, I am talking about RT, Sputnik, and even TASS English.
Russia, you need an English hard news outlet and an English hard news channel because you are not doing this sympathetic westerner any favors. I can see half-arsed half-naked girls and boxers and wrestlers with blood from broken noses, anywhere. Good media does not routinely feature this mishmash front and center on home pages.
I ask you Russian media: Where are the Russian journalists? If I think of good western journalists, I can come up with many names, but as a westerner reading Russian English media, I can come up with one name only. (Of course! We do know the name of the Editor of RT and Sputnik).
We need some Russian ‘propaganda’ done right. The standards of the English media coming out of Russia are yellow and dropping by the week.
Let’s start with RT and we have to say, what is this? They ‘question more’ but cannot decide if they are a magazine, a hard news outlet, or a tabloid in the style that one used to be able to buy at the supermarket checkout with vague pixellated pictures of aliens on the front page. Take your sports section off the middle of your home page. Put the girls somewhere else. Sport is traditionally back page content. Replace the surfeit of western correspondents with good Russian correspondents. And now you’ve changed your headers to be true clickbait with screaming words in capitals in the middle of the headline.
Let’s follow today’s Assange story through RT, Sputnik and TASS, as a case in point.
Today the news broke that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US. Your headline states: Assange WON’T be extradited to US on spying charges in shock decision at London’s Old Bailey
Is it a shock decision, or is it a welcome decision? Or are the supporters jubilant as stated in your first sentence on this report? Or can you not figure it out? Between ‘jubilant’ and ‘shocking’, there is a loose and unfocused article repeating old information.
The 2nd article on RT Breaking News on the topic of the court ruling on Julian Assange is an English columnist as Op-Ed correspondent.
What do the Russians think about this? What is the Russian view? Where is your categorization – for example, ‘All Assange Reporting’? And then, your 3rd article tells us what China Daily says, for heaven’s sake. Have you no Russian view?
Where is your very own Russian George Galloway, RT?
The Iranian media is better than this, as they report about Iran. I find more hard news on Russia in the Chinese media than on Russian English media.
RT, you have good documentaries and this one I found exceptionally good. But it is about Japan. At the beginning of last year, Mr.Putin announced the opening of extensive 2ndWW archives. And so far RT, I have seen nothing; no follow through on this important statement that is clearly one of Mr.Putin’s major objectives and projects. Whose side are you on?
Sputnik oh Sputnik. You seem to be wanting to take off to some ‘Sputnik space’ by repeating tweets. You don’t report, you repeat tweets and fill in fluff between the tweets and tell us what others tweet.
Let’s continue following the Assange story as a case in point. Sputnik had both a timeline of 4 or 5 events and a live stream of Assange supporters outside of the court. Their first report, replete with tweets is by Mohamed Elmaazi
Thank you Mohamed – The first reporter that actually works for Sputnik and was present at the court hearing. But he sure ‘aint Russian and so far, does not represent a Russian view. The report however is thorough, unless you count the speculative and meandering aspects. Does nobody have anything to say from Russia about this travesty of justice? Blind and boring repetitive historical aspects to fill the page with not a smidgen of actual personality, spice, or interest. There is not even a mention of the journalists that followed this case in its smallest detail and know it backward. Even the tweets are from non-entities. Did nobody in Russia follow this in order to quickly and accurately sum up the court proceedings on this morning of January 4th?
Sputnik oh Sputnik! Russia, where is your AMLO?
Let’s take a quick look at TASS English.
So TASS English has taken to summarizing major news in one page with 3 paragraph descriptions. This is what TASS has to say on their summary page: https://tass.com/world/1242191
No, not much; Not one word on journalistic freedoms or the real kernel of the Julian Assange case which is that the trial itself is a political show trial, the fact that this judge, in reality, found Assange guilty, and that the legal precedent set here will haunt every journalist across the world. There is no word that Julian Assange was released by the judge, but after US State stated their intention to appeal the ruling, Assange is again sleeping in jail tonight and his attorneys need to plead for bail this coming Wednesday – Bail for a man that has just been released?.
I guess we have to be somewhat thankful that the rest of this TASS English summary page contains some Russian news in English, all of the ‘3 paragraph’ nature.
Again, Russia, your English media is failing dismally. Are there no journalists there? In repetition, Russia, you need an English hard news outlet and an English hard news channel because you are not doing this sympathetic westerner any favors and the more I read, the more yellow I see.
The Vesti News channel that is now defunct was a good start with a wide line-up of Russian content. Nobody has picked it up again. The material from the Valdai Club should be widely disseminated.
The treasure trove of WWII information now declassified is an opportunity to make a name for any investigative journalist that is not following the yellow path in journalism. Yet, short snippets of short fluff pieces are the norm, no matter what it is. It takes the meaning right out of it and there is no context. They need media figures such as Chris Hedges, Matt Taibbi, even a Pepe Escobar or a Ramin Mazaheri, to continually and in-depth tell the world what is happening in Russia, and mainly, what and who is up against Russia.
Do you know where I get my Russian hard news? I get Russian formal news by scouring the Twitter feeds of the various ambassadors, the Permanent Secretariat to the UN, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the formal Kremlin site. This is because there is no hard Russian news in the English Russian news.
In fact, the Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs are better journalists than anything else in English coming out of Russia. Take a look at this. Mike Pompeo opened his mouth with Russia, Russia, Russia and how tough this US administration is on Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia soon responded with Pompeo’s tweet superimposed on a gif of a painting of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. Now this makes a clear statement and is journalistic gold.
There is no shortage of hard news out of Russia. There is a sad shortage of journalists that are doing their jobs, or perhaps that are allowed to do their jobs and build their names. We may say that we know the name of the Editor of RT and Sputnik, but we do not know the journalists. Does this not seem strange to you as well, dear reader?
Thank you Mr Faure, for what it’s worth, I completely agree. At some point it is as if someone threw a switch and neutralised all Russian media in the West. Could it be threats of closure? Whatever the reason, the situation is dire.
“Could it be threats of closure?”
I think it could, but I’m not sure by which “side” or from what level.
For example, Sputnik news used to broadcast the show “Loud & Clear”, with non-Russians Brian Becker, John Kiriakou, Nicloe Rousselle, Walter Smolarek and a bunch of weekly guests appearing. It was broadcast via AM in DC and I can just imagine how much it enraged the Deep State Denizens to have it polluting US airwaves, possibly corrupting US citizens’ minds. IMO all the other Sputnik radio shows paled in comparison, yet, even though it was populated with Americans (not Russians), L & C was suddenly, inexplicably canceled by Sputnik. Sputnik’s radio lessers lived on. Why was it canceled, Sputnik? Was it a bit too effective? Was Sputnik under threat and, if so, from whom?
A radical change occurred to RT when they were obliged by the US Government to register as a “foreign agent”.
So yes, I think it is threats of closure…or worse.
We have been commenting on RT English on this site for some time. I gave up even bothering with it. However, I gave it a couple of quick looks as it ended up being my sole source for any “NATO bombing Crimea” type of infromation I would like asap. On it I saw an oped – I think it’s still there – saying that Trump has left the legacy of the mess US is today.
I replied saying that, while I held no brief for Trump, or indeed any President of the US over its’ history, it was one eyed and unbalanced to blame Trump for the current mess, and not even mention the actions of the Clintonistas, the media, and the entire left wing against him.
It was rejected. I changed a few words I thought might offend, although I couldnt see how.
Made no difference.
Obviously, I wont be bothering again with what I now perceive is an outlet that the Enemy has infiltrated and turned!!!
I now get news from here, and Russian sites. Period.
Incidentally, one article in from a Russian site this morning the writer stated that he was writing on a topic few others would address – except Dmitry Orlov and Andrey “The Saker”. !!
So these 2 writers are respected by Russian outlets – no-one else.
Pamela, what are your russian sites?
These are the “starters” Johny. As you will see, on “Putin Today” for example, which is a sort of “Drudge Report” with contributions from many different people and sites, the links are giving with the article, so I often follow that back to it’s source, and find others there.
But I always start with these. I also used to read A & F a lot, and might do so again. I only stopped because they changed their format making it barely usable for a translator, but as my system has changed I may be able to go there.
I sometimes go to Kremlin.en but it’s mostly a listing of the President Putins’ various meetings, and I dont get the detailed information about the nation at large, so I rarely check there now. But it can be a good source for the official statements, when you want to see just how much the Collective West is lying :-)
Have fun. If you find one that seems good, and I haven’t listed, be happy to get your link. :-)
https://www.putin-today.ru/archives/116027
https://aftershock.news/
https://inforuss.info/
I’ve just read through the comments section on one article about the current German response to Covid-19 and found this:
“JIMI JAMES
1 hour ago
I don’t believe in racism,but why do I feel the vaccine is the nazi of this century?”
What is astonishing, however, is that this comment has been “edited”, meaning that the editors, have removed something, and allowed this to remain. I agree with the comment above it is incerdible that this sort of thing is being done on a Russian website. I’m not against censorship, but…. why allow your newswebsite to turn into a gutter?
Where is Enlightenment? Education, Science? Christ, even Twitter censors Trump right now.
I agree with this completely. I have bookmarked RT and Sputnik but find that it is not much different from western MSM. It is a huge disappointment. I don’t understand why this was allowed to happen. Indeed we need to hear the russian perspective, but RT and Sputnik and even Tass is failing.
RT has changed a lot in the last few years. All the advertising. Nothing but a device to make money.
But they’re holding back on propaganda. The articles are credible. That they don’t respond to Western propanda with their own propaganda is good.
But the advertising focus is a peril. They must say what the advertisers allow them to say.
And their auto-moderation is very bad
I agree and I have no need to add more other that probably RT and Sputnik need a new head and directives. RT app in Spanish is even worse. Cheers.
http://en.kremlin.ru/contacts
try sending the article to Kremlin🤷♂️
I do agree and i too find news about/from Russia the way you described above.
I have a feeling that Dmitry Orlov or Andrei Martyanov would just say, “Why would Russian people or the Russian government give a rat’s ass what the Anglosphere thinks about them?”
Only they might not put it so politely.
Dear Tom,
Because it is much easier to ignore, bully, demonise and attack a people that is dehumanised and racially denigrated and this in turn happens when (the already ignorant) Western plebs is deprived of good information on its target. Now, RT and Sputnik have decided to stop providing such information and one could argue that they are actually causing harm.
It’s not about the Anglosphere (ie. English-speaking nations) but about the people who speak English as a second/third language. Whether you like it or not English is the lingua franca of today.
Many countries have understood this. This is why Al Jazeera, Press TV Anadolu agency TRT world etc exist.
For the Russians, the question is not whether RT/ Spytnik should exist but why they are of such poor quality..?
(To be fair to RT, I once watched the TV channel which was excellent. It is the website that is weak)
Honestly, I don’t think many of us here, care how well RT is doing except for либерасты. I also find Western opinion irrelevant. I am sure that is why only such outlets exist. Other news agencies have well known journalists, though for us. English is your information bubble, Russian is ours.
Unfortunately I think you are missing the point.
The rest of the world WANTS high quality information about Russia, WANTS to learn about Russia; but how can they do that if their choices are mainstream Western media, or poor quality Russian media? Not everybody has the time to scour dozens of Twitter feeds.
If indeed the current war is 70%+ information/media, then it is in Moscow’s best interests to increase RT’s quality.
Thank you Dick,
You hit the nail on the head. I have been totally disgusted with both English RT and Sputnik for quite a while now. Actually even sent few emails to both, highlighting the mediocracy and purile rubbish they produce. Got no response.
I believe this purile contents is to appeal to western mass readership, whose attention span is now measured in miliseconds. On the other hand, what they do not realise, is that the western audience is gagging for the proper RUSSIAN news, which they do not supply! In their minds they are STILL catering for the western masses, as they see these. It really needs to be brought to them loud and clear the actual damage they are doing to Russia by continuing this pathetic “appesement” to the West!
What percentage of the West is gagging for Western news? The majority really doesn’t care. You care since you are actively writing and live amongst them.
absolutely, spot on. while, russia has been busy putting out fires & getting their ducks in order i think they are now in a great position to start providing insights they believe themselves.
Reading the comments, there seems to be two different things people want. 1) How Russia views the West and/or the World. 2)About Russia itself.
As for the West, they exhausted goodwill so there isn’t anything left to say. As for the second, there are plenty of literature, documentaries.
There is no need for an American to read about a pack of stray dogs attacking a pedestrian. Or of a corrupt construction firm. How does this concern an American. Likewise, I don’t need to hear how the mayor of Seattle is a scumbag that turned the city into a giant toilet.
If you have family, friends, and/or assets here, it makes sense.
Thank you, Mr Faure,
I completely agree with you! As a “news-addict” and former helper with the Saker French translations I was
happy with the appearance of RT France, Sputnik France and the German versions, though I’m fluent in German, Dutch, and French.
It’s so difficult to find good sources, I have the impression for instance that since the crack-down on “fake” news in Germany, less news blogs are available as in 2015. (I was happy to find ” Anti-Spiegel”, by Thomas Röper, living in Russia). Alternative news blogs/sites in The Netherlands (almost absent in Flanders) vanished since a while, some good French news sites subsist but many lack a global vision and are Franco-Français, living in a French centered bubble.
The Assange-case is so important, I was also quit unhappy with the news titles.
Just had a look at some recent news in Dutch, Flemish and French news and the deformations of reality are again breathtaking and very difficult to explain, even to my own family.
I hope to read more articles from you here!
Thanks for letting me know about Anti-Spiegel, Michel.
Some good news at last, Assange should be released immediately and compensated for his unlawful time in jail….it won’t happen though, American, “elite” don’t like losing, they still haven’t paid Vietnam for the illegal war.
Assange Judas: Strong Satire: Look here, the motives of those who support the permanent incarceration of Assange are Christians and moralists whose main concern is delivering hope for the people who want to live in a secure and happy environment in the US , UK Europe and Australia.
https://youtu.be/HmqlTiaktXc
Thank you Mr Fourie. I read RT as part of my daily ritual but something has changed.
Russia Today should be called USA Today. RT delves deep into american politics, bloodied sport, scantily clad women, scandals etc. America is in terminal decline and were being fed tabloid type of news.
There’s also a tendency to be anti-American black. I do not agree with any form of fascism, neither from white nor from black, but it tends to make newsworthy stupid black antics and make that how a typical american black behaves.
An the RT censors…..
Many excellent points to consider. Websites are very complex environments, and it takes many brains to put it together and make it do what is supposed to do. RT UXD team should learn from its competition and rethink their approach. Babes and sports do not belong to the main page. Period.
“Babes and sports do not belong to the main page. Period”.
Absolutely! After all, you don’t want people confusing you with the “Sun” or, for that matter, the “Mail”.
There used to be regular presentations by Russian military re Syria….we seem to get news of various meetings between diplomats and senior politicians but only bland statements. Only southfront and various twitter accounts seem be available for detailed accounts of Syria and the recent conflict Azerbaijan Armenia…sputnik does do some articles . When was the last detailed documentary about Donbass….Crimea…other regions…eg Belarus….Lithuania Baltics situations. Anything about Erdogan?
Rt does some good documentaries re concerns of poverty…justice..in the USA plus other docs re sort of social situations in Russia. But to my mind here in UK far too much coverage of USA such as Keiser…boom bust …watching the hawks: gets a bit tedious. Very little re EU and russian relations except the main confrontational statements….
Are rt and sputnik really afraid of upsetting the west and potentially being more fined…excluded and banned…..but why do they not and other russian tv channels do internet tv…in english.
Perhaps representatives of these channels might be available for interview by the author?
Read somewhere RT actually represents British interests, and is only nominally owned by the Russian government (“British”, here, means Jewish). If someone has a link, please post it.
The problem is how to strike a balance between the lame-rigid “officialese” language of State media, such as North Korea or Xinhua and reaching out to a massified public (like RT and, more recently, Global Times try to).
Global Times is also trying to be more assertive, which in itself is another problem of balance…
Too much adherence to the official governmental narrative could mean an absence of journalistic opinion, but too much “openness” leads to RT’s UFC-Instagram-loving frenzy.
At any rate, independent media > State media > MSM. So how can we strengthen the first two?
Vesti was really good indeed, and I think they received a “message” from Google telling them to “lay low”. It all happened very suddenly.
And also, the fact Russia is forbidden to have an ideology (in theory, because “neutral-technical-impartial” liberalism is also an ideology) leaves their journalism without references. Neither ideology, which are more modern, nor values, which are more traditional, are definitely enshrined in a Russian idea.
Whats wrong with UFC coverage? Seriously? It was one of the only live sports allowed this summer for one.
But mostly there is this attitude of disrespect towards these athletes. The athletes are the best of the best and train so hard to be at the top of their discipline. Yet you have no problem ignoring all the sacrifices and throw them under the bus of uncultered swines.
One if not the best UFC fighter was a russian, named Khabbib Nuramogomedov. This man was a master of the octagon, he retired this summer after his father had passed. You could see the pain in his eyes when he retired, after a nearly flawless career at the top of the sport!
What wrong with celebrating the best your country has to offer? I dont understand how anyone can denigrate an athlete like Khabib, other than ignorance of the sport he practices.
I used to be ignorant, but i have learned to appreciate what these athletes do. I respect their commitment training, the discipline needed, all qualities that are good to teach to youth.
People have been fighting forever, ufc wont change a damn thing. Its the values of hard work, commitment, sacrifices and most importantly, respect for your opponent!
Learn more about the sport before.bashing it.
Cheers!
I would like to add, UFC is popular in russia and the west. Its a rare crossing point in our cultures, lets exploit that for good instead of using it to divide us.
Is it too much to ask?
I am basically referring here to rt.com
When I tackled the issue in the article above with friends and comrades in Russia, what I was told is that the purpose for RT was to compete with BBC and CNN. So in that respect it is mission accomplished from their perspective. I objected that opinion on BBC is British and on CNN USAmerican, so opinion (at least) on RT should be Russian opinion, because if opinion is not Russian on RT, then it is not Russia Today, but this or that Anglo-land Today.
I also suggested they could simply replay on RT, Russian-language political TV and Radio shows with subtitles in all the languages they can muster. So really the problem on the opinion end is easy to understand and would be easy to fix. Apparently not so. К сожалению!
Dear Roberto,
You touch on something important here. Russians have been so hurt by ideology (or so they think) that they are shunning any ideological commitment like a plague. This is becoming harmful because all they are doing now is reinforcing Western tropes and modes and following Western ways. I would go a bit further. There is no Russia without a Russian vision. The attempt to stay disengaged and blindly follow the liberal capitalist model is failing and the West-facing media should work to offer an alternative perspective. Apparently not – k sozhalyeniu.
p.s. When Russia Today started, it was excellent. The answer lies in the gradual degradation – this must have come from somewhere close to the top.
RT’s title of the Assange case should have been “Although the judge agrees that US prison system is cruel, Assange will still be prosecuted despite being a journalist, his extradition hitting a snag”. When you read the original RT title, it FEELS like Assange has been freed (!?) by an “independent” British system. While in reality, he is still imprisoned in solitary and tortured.
RT for sure has gone down the drain, as even their flagship “neutral” financial program “Boom Bust” (which under the late Bart Shelton had reached its apex) has become a bimbos’ channel
There is more need for oppositional views as the mainstream opinion can very well be found in Western media anyway and there is no way RT can outfox Fox.
I offer this as as a possible explanation …
Funnily (as in strange) enough, yesterday I was looking for something and stumbled upon this:
Given the ‘coverage’ (for lack of a better word) of RT in particular, I wonder if this may explain things:
(from Wiki) Yuri Milner is an Israeli-Russian entrepreneur, venture capitalist and physicist. He is Russia’s most influential information technology (tech) investor. He is a cofounder and former chairperson of Internet company Mail.Ru Group (formerly Digital Sky Technologies (DST)) and a founder of investment firm DST Global. Through DST Global, he is an investor in:
– Byju’s
– VKontakte (VK)
– Facebook
– Zynga
– Stripe
– Twitter
– Flipkart
– Practo
– Spotify
– Zocdoc
– Groupon
– JD.com
– Xiaomi
– OlaCabs
– Alibaba
– Airbnb
– WhatsApp
– Nubank,
– Wish, and
– many others.
His personal investments also include a stake in:
– 23andMe (witness its activity re: the BLM protests and street riots)
– Habito
– Planet Labs
– a minority stake in a real estate investments startup, Cadre, founded by Jared Kushner Trump’s Zio-minder (every US Prez al least since Woodrow Wilson has one), and
– others
Now just because he has a shareholding doesnt mean he gets to decide corporate policy (but we dont know who else is on the boards of these corporations that he’s in cahoots with)
Given Milner has this depth and spread of control in the tech sphere It would be unreasonable to believe that he wouldnt also have (at least) influence in RT and Sputnik
Given the Israelis are involved, you can bet your bottom dollar that the City of London’s gangster-banksters are using their creation (the zionist entity) to extend greater control over Russia’s (and for that matter, China’s) media landscapes
Regards
Russia seems to be taking the non-controversial approach since Covid, maybe before. Fading into the background while China takes the heat. RT USA is horrible – so I guess the US actions there have worked? Geo-strategy is not about media entertainment or ‘hard news’ – possibly the investment in English news outlets has been wound back, as the emphasis on educating the West, equal dialogue, has been given up? Talking is a waste of time, no fair hearing will ever be allowed, ‘non-agreement capable’, so draw a resolute line in the sand and say ‘nyet’.
Thanks for writing about RT online.
When I first started reading RT it was entirely different. Gradually a couple (?) of years ago I noticed the news becoming more bland, increasing right wing editorial, including blatantly racist and misogynist views as well as pro Trump pieces and also the introduction of semi naked bodies on the front page.
I had it bookmarked for regular reading now I rarely click on it. It’s worse than a western tabloid and gives the impression (perhaps intentionally) that all the average Russian wants is superficial news and titillating pictures.
I say this understanding that RT is not aimed at domestic Russians but the average Western perception would not make this distinction. I have no idea how or why but clearly RT online has become a western propaganda tool.
Maybe .. just maybe, Russians are now confident enough to just not care about a western perceived need to push their point of view on the world. Russia is Russia and prides itself on an independent foreign policy and perhaps doesn’t feel a need to explain itself and bend a knee to the West anymore.
But as Katerina says, this is precisely what they’re doing. Instead of offering an alternative they are bending their knee by sinking to the depths of the Western media rubbish.
I concur, the Russian English media is sleazy and lame. I like to get my news from Enemies — whoever hates a country’s government and isn’t influenced by a similarly horrible government might be a decent source of news. i.e. roughly no one, especially no one who will be allowed to access juicy information.
Two possible remedies for your problems:
1. Submit your complaints to CNN
2. Learn Russian
Well, most Westerners do not want to learn Russian – and they need to learn Russia’s perspective on the world affairs – they don’t need a Russian version of their supermarket tabloids.
Try again.
Than you are left with option 1.
Foreigners not wanting to learn is not Russia’s problem. As for Russia’s official position, they post mirror sites in English.
https://www.mid.ru/en/main_en
http://en.kremlin.ru/
Exactly what I thought Russians would say. Perhaps because it’s what I would say, were I Russian).
@Tom and Anubis64
Forgive my sarcasm. I do not wish to offend anyone. The option 1 is to highlight the point that RT (outside Russia) is primarily a platform for a local and indigenous alternative voice and as such is like a sun in a galaxy of independent and unique voices (planets). It is an antidote to CNN’s of this world. Just think of Jess Ventura or George Galloway or Peter (I am a conservative) Lavel. And what about such firebrands as Abby Martin and Anna Parampil, who polished their craft under RT protection and patronage. Evan my own Nebojsa Malic is now editor at RT (and how much has he done in debunking the lies about war on Yugoslavia). Some formidable commentators such as Alex Mercourious of The Duran, have first appeared on RT.
This is the real value of RT and is a much more potent weapon than direct news and views from mother Russia. This is why the deep state and fake news outlets live in such a fear from RT and not what Russia might say or think.
God bless RT and mother Russia
Hi, thank you – no hard feelings.
I wasn’t commenting on the TV content which might or might not still be good (stopped watching) but the execrable website which today pronounces: Tony Blair and Nigel Farage – a dream team for COVID Britain (by a fourth-rate deep state shill)!
Another important function of these media in my opinion is to give succour or hope to the friends of Russia – to reassure us that things are going well and if not that they are being tackled.
Many of us are trying to responding to something that lies beyond articles and personalities. It is the overall tone of RT (and other media) which has changed. We are reacting to a lack of hopeful optimism which permeated its pages in the beginning. It is now deflated, uninterested in “hot” topics, “ordinary”, difficult to distinguish from similar Western tabloids (Daily Mail has Peter Hitchens who is much better than most of those appearing on RT).
Am I right?
I have to say I haven’t noticed any decline in RT standards. Equally I don’t expect RT to force their opinion on anyone and particularly the brain dead western folk.
I went back to read Farage/Blair joke and I have to say it reads as a fine piece of sarcasm. Why not give a piece of rope to the old lady, which is desperately trying to hang herself. This is a same type of humour as that famous interview by Margarita Simonyan with 2 agents, which went over to Salisbury to find out the latest in gym culture. I was rolling on the floor in stitches. Anyhow the rest of the OP-ED info seams to be just fine and up to date.
As for the news from Russia, all one needs to do is to occasionally spend an hour listening to Zacharova briefing. Or if one is up to it, the whole Q&A from Vlad. All dubbed or translated in English.
Most of it is out there. The rest of it perhaps one doesn’t need to know.
Opinions of western mind are very different from Russian , Eastern mind.
Western mind desperately needs certainty . Eastern mind is used to live with
incertitude . Media are just open field of opinion that have different impact
to different set of minds. RT is doing good job, under the circumstances .
East and West are still far away .
This is why it’s important for the East not to succumb to the worst practices of the West. Let’s not forget, Russia is under attack and it must use its limited resources efficiently and creatively. It’s not at the moment.
Yes. Agree. I skim RT ( except for CrossTalk which I watch ever since Peter Lavelle stood up to a CIA-CNN goon publicly and in person after the MH-17 special op ) just as quickly as I skim Infowars. RT is just another player in the news as entertainment game and since they periodically get it so totally wrong when it comes to US , why would anyone trust them with Russia news?
Their knee jerk initial coverage of Belorussia was a similar to a total Stalinist hack job . At least the President of Belorussia obviously knew what was transpiring so that by reading between the lines of his de rigueur rhetoric one could figure out what was going on more or less. Understanding the Artsakh war required the reading of Saker’s analysis, Putin’s statements and other information kindly posted by folks in the Cafe and perusal of the war maps published at South Front.
Such a process of news gathering is our lot, dear comrades. My gratitude for all those who have translated source material and continue to do so here.
Question? Are the demons so unconscious in making trinitarian curses against against…wait for it…”.Russia, Russia, Russia!!!?”
Answer: Yes, they are. Even a second grade magician knows that a tri-level curse is an automatic rebound.
Metaphorically speaking of course.
I gotta agree. We have a real interest in what goes on in Russia. I could not agree more….what’s with the sports and half naked girls and female boxers??. Geez!!
Like someone said….get it off the front pages!!
We want some hard news journalists from Russia!!
Money and promotions. It isn’t difficult to understand. Internet traffic is a commodity. Send couple 100,000 clicks my way, I make money. RT has to register as foreign agents and get similar treatment as if they were spies.
If you like Russia that much, it is likely time to learn Russian. They don’t owe you any news sources.
You will learn more at colonelcassad.livejournal.com in a day than you will learn in a month on english-language sites.. Many other Russian sites exist: yandex translate is your friend..
If you consider RT, Sputnik, etc, to be journalism, then you aren’t really too interested in knowing more..
I think the goal of RT is to lure as many average joes away from the corporate media as possible. Thus the titties and beer on the front page.
Russian English News Channels = JMafia Propaganda Porn.
I have to AGREE wholeheartedly!!
RT used to give a different view to western media but it’s almost like they have been told NOT to have an opinion about anything or else and, they’ve buckled to western pressure.
All you get these days is an overview of Tweets by certain people who create a nothing story without any real in depth analysis. Indeed, when you read anything on RT or Sputnik concerning Russiagate, all you get is the western view as told from the view of a Narrator.
No opinion, no truth and seemingly, no guts.
AND, then the ridiculous and superfluous half naked girls and Fighters on the front page, complete with nothing stories all designed to show a bit of tit and bum.
If this is what Russians think Westerners come to RT for, they seriously have no idea and prove that there is a HUGE cultural bridge yet to be crossed by the Editors in understand thinking westerners who are hungry for truth.
It’s like RT is presently being run by a group of hip, young, left wing ‘westernised’ Russians who, are situated in London or New York, living the high life, while terrified that if they write a serious article about ANY Western topic, they’ll be quickly booted out of England or the US and, then sent back to Russia.
And, they don’t want that!
Thank you. Thank you. Russian English media used to be the place to go. Not anymore. Especially as you mentioned RT and Sputnik. What a shame!
I to have come to deplore the race-to-the-bottom journalism that RT has become, Russia’s answer to the Daily Mail. And just as bad is the fact that RT is employing second rate British journalists when there are dozens if not hundreds of qualified Russian writers who could really be putting Russian journalism on the map. Just read through the ‘Authors List’ on NEO or on A. Dugan’s site. There’s lots of them. Now in fairness Margarita Simonyan has done a determined job of countering the phenomenal orchestration of anti Russian propaganda that fills the press of all the Nato countries and then some. A tall order and she deserves credit for fighting tooth and nail even unto the fishwife levels. She’s done what was necessary, and in many respects done well, but there remains an uphill task of putting Russian English language journalism on a professional level that would accord with Russian foreign policy in the age of the Shanghai cooperation agendas. What Russians have achieved in literature, music, composition, science, theater and ballet, sports of many descriptions, energy and defense technologies, the list goes on and on, such achievements should be possible in journalism as well that elicits an international audience and the prestige that goes with this. Russia’s imperialistic days are behind it but even so contemporary Russia has emerged as major diplomatic power who’s activities are everywhere in evidence and absolutely important to an emerging new world order of sovereign states seeking security, cooperation and prosperity. What’s needed above all, imv, is the kind of journalism that once made the Manchester Guardian famous in all countries and the first choice of news for decision makers throughout the globe. This is really possible. It just needs vision, a budget, and the kind of determination that makes things happen in this world. Russia has what it takes.
Back in the day, a liberal CBC would offer both sides to the coin when presented with any conflict coming from Occupied Palestine, always siding with the zionists but at least, the very least, saying that the Palestinians had different opinions; fast forward 20 years, they never, ever present the Palestinian side of the story…….so I conclude that RT and other Russian english sites that many ‘westerners’ go to visit for info on Russia, have been Zionized. Bought and paid for, with the customary interest paid to overseas stakeholders.
Cheers, M
On January 24, 2020, Jimmie Moglia wrote IMO one of the best articles I’ve read on The Saker. It was entitled “The Power Of Myth” (which happened to be the title of a decent 1988 tv series on PBS with Bill Moyers interviewing Joseph Campbell). Here’s a link to Moglia’s great article;
/the-power-of-myth/
Toward the end of the essay, Moglia writes the following — which is IMO quite relevant to Mr. Faure’s article and its comments. (I add bold, italics and underlining for emphasis.)
” ………………………. Which brings me to conclude by referring to a Greek myth, or rather allegory familiar to many. For an allegory is a close relative of myth and their objectives are similar.
I refer to Plato’s famous cave, described in book 7 of the Republic – where a group of prisoners have been kept in chains since they were children. They are unable to move, and all they can look at is the back-wall of their cave. Behind them and higher up a fire is burning. Between the fire and the prisoners there runs a road, lined on one side by a curtain wall, similar to the screens used in puppet theaters. Roamers of the road carry objects on their heads. The fire and the curtain cause the shadows of the head-carried objects to be projected on the wall that the prisoners can see.
The prisoners give objects names and through them they interpret their world. Unaware of the rigged system behind them, they exchange shadows for realities, ignoring that what for them is the world is but a puppet show.
One of the cave dwellers manages to escape from the cave. Finding everything so different and unfamiliar he is tempted at first to return to the life in the cave. Eventually, he realizes that the world of the cave is a world of shadows and decides to return and persuade his comrades to escape to the light of a real world. But they think he is mad and kill him.
If Plato had lived in our historical times, he might have somewhat modified the allegory, by introducing two caves, at least until 1989, an Eastern and a Western. The inhabitants of each could see what happened in the other, thus being aware of their respective limitations. As an escapee from the cave of Eastern Europe said after knowing the West, “All our government said about the East was false, but all they said about the West was true.”
For good or for bad, today there is only one cave left, and their dwellers, especially the Millennials, by default, design or destiny ignore that another world can exist and is possible, outside the cave of turbo-capitalism, statelessness, universal homologation, nihilism and the New World Order.
It would be desirable that they could become aware of it. But wishes in this world are generally vain, and in the next we shall make none.”
I have dwelled in the “western” cave my whole life with my only glimpse of the world outside the cave through books that were not state-approved. For me, the internet has provided a sort of window or telescope through which I can view so much more of the world that exists outside of the radius of the territory that I can see and hear with my own eyes and ears — which is a really miniscule fraction of the surface of the planet. RT and Sputnik give me the opportunity to see and hear a narrative about the western cave that I cannot just as easily find anywhere else. I will never see or hear anything like it on the western MSM, and for that I am very grateful. If these sources were to suddenly disappear, which they very well may if relations between the US and Russia and China continue to deteriorate, my wife and I would be very distraught.
Sean,
I think you’re right.
Equally important, they have stopped reporting the suffering of the Orthodox Russians under the Uniate vukro-Nazi death squads and the ongoing Jesuit-inspired coup in Byelorussia (the Pope has just had to replace the troublemaker-in-chief there because he was not subtle enough). Just for a bit of balance.
The Palestinians are supported by hundreds of Western organisations (rightly). Nobody, and I repeat nobody (with very few exceptions) is discussing the current crusade on the Russian people of the Borderlands or offering them support. Not even Russian media (beyond – oh, we sent them some powdered milk). They are freedom fighters – no less than the Palestinians and yet it is as if they don’t exist. The Russian government might be guilty of trying to appease their partnyors in Israel and Europe but we don’t have to.
A good example of 5th column yellow reporting imho, what do this priest have to do with the arrested monk?
https://www.rt.com/russia/511515-orthodox-bishop-hope-message/
Thank you — One finds yourself searching for genuine hard news of current events affecting the whole world and RT and Sputnik have become such a letdown! — actually I feel embarrassed on behalf of two sites, which used to start and end my day … sadly not anymore.
Hjaja, you are right, but this situation is not only in English RT, in Spanish it is worst. Totally yellow.
Why isn’t Saker on RT?
Learn russian. There are (in russian) lists of antirussian, government and patriotic press. Pick any of any kind and read (in russian or copy paste into google translate).
Google translate butchers the Russian language…
Oh Boy. The ‘learn Russian’ brigade have no idea of soft power or geopolitcs or power projection and confirming that these medias are not fulfilling their purpose. The issue here is that both RT and Sputnik years ago were good sources of Russian information in other languages. Now, they seem to be yellow-bellied cowards, simply repeating a quasi Western style, without clear Russian news or a clear stance. You are simply agreeing that they do not fulfill their purpose.
The issue is which side are they on, are they doing Russia any favors, or are you saying we can do without them? We are still at a stage where we cannot do without them, but if this slide into non-relevance continues, we will do without them.
The question is if that is good for Russia? I don’t think so.
In comparison with the other resistance against empire countries, these medias are not fulfilling their purpose. Go take a look at the Iranian media and the Chinese media, and you will soon see what the differences are.
Some years ago in 2018, RT started this other site, NewSamizdat I think it was. That was as far as I could figure, the space for English news. It was supposed to be The Great Censorship Buster.
https://www.rt.com/news/441535-new-samizdat-censorship-media/
It’s not even there any longer. Something has changed. The question still is : Is it good for Russia?