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Russia Today, news in English from Russia

by Coug
Tue Jun 14th, 2005 at 07:31:09 AM EST

CNN and Fox, watch out, here comes Russia Today!

Russian journalists have unveiled plans for Russia Today, a 24-hour, English-language satellite TV station that aims to become Russia's version of the BBC.

"It will be a perspective on the world from Russia," Margarita Simonyan, Russia Today's editor-in-chief and former Kremlin reporter, told a news conference Tuesday.

"We do not want to change the professional format developed by such TV channels as the BBC, CNN and Euronews. We want to reflect Russia's opinion of the world and to make Russia clearer for understanding," she said.

According to Simonyan, the station was born out of the desire to present an "unbiased" portrait of Russia.

...

read the rest here

So, any black skies on the horizon?

Well, consider this. The entrepreneurs behind Russia Today are Mikhail Lesin and Alexei Gromov. Do the names sound familiar? Didn't think so.

Mikhail Lesin is the former Information Minister and current (if I'm not mistaken) media advisor for Putin, while Alexei Gromov is Putins press secretary.

As if this isn't bad enough, there's more. Ria Novosti will most likely be Russia Todays "parent", and this is all good, because Ria Novosti is an independent media company. However, St. Petersburg Times also report that Rossia, a state-controlled media company will cooperate with Ria Novosti on operating the new channel.

So, will Putins mark be on Russia Today, or will it be independent? Time will tell if this is another Fox News.

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Russia Today, news in English from Russia | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Russia Today, news in English from Russia (4.00 / 6)

0hio from Dailykos posted this reply to my copy over there:

The veterans for peace site has this to say:

"Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common."

One of the 14 Characteristics of Fascism written by political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt.

Check it out,

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/The_14_characteristics_030303.htm

This applies elsewhere in the world too, to a varying degree.

____________
Dub mentality

by Coug (me(AT]tommyb{DOT]info) on Tue Jun 14th, 2005 at 02:58:08 PM EST

Re: Russia Today, news in English from Russia (none / 0)

Oh, come on, it's a recommended diary and only my OWN reply? And now two! No Russians here to shed some more light on this issue?

____________
Dub mentality

by Coug (me(AT]tommyb{DOT]info) on Wed Jun 15th, 2005 at 05:54:38 AM EST

How can this be anything BUT (none / 0)

"Fox Novosti"?

And what a waste that they're doing it in English (only). It would be so much more interesting if they made this network the CNN International of all the countries where Russian is still a widely spoken second language.

Russians have never been very good at international propaganda, have they? This sounds like it's going to be exactly like those old glossy "USSR TODAY" propaganda magazines.

by Matt in NYC on Wed Jun 15th, 2005 at 07:06:29 AM EST

The real audience is further west (none / 0)

My guess is that they already control the Russian language media, and this new channel is aimed at a different audience. It looks to me like a way to influence western European public opinion. Like a Radio Free Europe, only aimed west instead of east.

by corncam on Wed Jun 15th, 2005 at 07:33:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

It might be fun... (none / 0)

Russian media is totally corrupt. One of my friends worked for a while for one of the big Russian newspapers, first as a journalist, then as a "gatekeeper". He negotiated with people and companies how much they would pay to have favorable (for them) or unfavorable (for competitors) published, and how much they would pay to have favorable (for others) or unfavorable (for competitors) NOT published...

It was quite profitable, for a while... And with Russians used to "translating" news (the intelligentsia knows who owns what and can thus filter accordingly), you actually get a LOT of information published, probably more so than in "normal" newspapers, because a lot of the dirt comes through (plus a lot of slander, sometimes, but in that country most of it is usually true).

I don't see an international TV channel made by russians being any successful though. It reminds me of an old Soviet joke when they already tried that, and failed, unti lit was pointed out that the requirement for the female anchors to have 30-years of party membership was not conducive to strong viewership...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (jeromeguillet@yahoo.fr) on Wed Jun 15th, 2005 at 11:25:29 AM EST

Re: It might be fun... (none / 0)

Deputy wants to send Khodorkovsky to uninhabited island

Deputy of the LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) faction of the State Duma Alexey Mitrofanov has today put forward an unusual initiative. He has suggested that former YUKOS CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and MENATEP head Platon Lebedev be sent to an uninhabited island somewhere in Russia to serve their sentence. "It is necessary to keep Khodorkovsky and Lebedev away from the inmates of ordinary penal colonies, to choose a desert island, for example, somewhere in the Pskov region, where their security will be ensured, and send the convicted there," he said. He commented that Khodorkovsky and Lebedev would have access neither to journalists nor relatives.

(from Euromoney, no link)

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (jeromeguillet@yahoo.fr) on Wed Jun 15th, 2005 at 01:50:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Russia Today, news in English from Russia (none / 0)

Seeing the word 'Ria' in print is really odd to me...what does it mean in Russian..my sister's name is Ria and I think I've only seen her first name in print about twice? in the last 40 years or spelled as Rhea.

As for Russia Today, I hope it turns out to be decent news source, one can only hope, right.

"People never do evil so throughly and happily as when they do it from moral conviction."-Blaise Pascal

by chocolate ink on Wed Jun 15th, 2005 at 12:08:30 PM EST

Russia Today, news in English from Russia | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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