Disinfo: RT France is a French press group

Summary

RT is French press group. Statements that RT French journalists serve a foreign power are libellous.

Disproof

RT France is part of a Russian TV network based in Moscow and funded by the Russian government. RT stands for "Russia Today" and is a news TV channel that is available in different languages on the internet. RT France doesn't have a stand-alone website and uses the subdomain "french" (francais.rt.com). The website in the French language was launched from Moscow in 2015. In December 2017, a television was launched in Paris and local journalists were hired. Despite local staff, the French branch is not independent from Moscow. Some programmes are still produced in Russia. Some editorials recorded in Moscow, until recently, were the same in several languages. The Budget comes from the Russian Federal State. It is neither owned, financed or managed by French public interest, therefore there is no ground to pretend RT is a French press group. Moreover, the chief editor, Margarita Simonyan, defines RT's role as a defence ministry in the war of information.

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francais.rt.com (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 190
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 02/03/2020
  • Outlet language(s) French
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: France, Russia
  • Keywords: Russia Today (RT), Freedom of speech, Russophobia
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Disinfo: The Soros network is a derivative of the CIA and the US State Department

Agenda of the Soros network is a part of the American expansionist policy. The army of Soros accompanies, prepares and ensures the ideological assistance to America’s aggressive interventionist policy. This is exactly why the Soros galaxy is a derivative of the CIA and the US State Department.

Mar 01, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin conspiracy about George Soros. The Open Society Foundation supports independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights worldwide. There is no evidence to confirm that it is connected to the CIA. Soros has been accused (without evidence) of a wide range of sins: destabilising Europe, organising colour revolutions, attacking churches and traditional values as well as sponsoring the film "Joker" as a tutorial for colour revolutions. Read more about how the pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets target George Soros.

Disinfo: Weinstein's conviction resembled a Stalinist show trial

The trial of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein resembles Stalinist trials. Everything that happened in America today was like in our long-past history. Two ladies stepped forward with accusations but no evidence. No material evidence, no witnesses, nothing was presented. In the best tradition of Stalinist trials, a media campaign was launched to turn an Oscar-winning victim into a disgusting beast, and reprisal against him had to be inevitable and demonstrative.

Weinstein was subject to physical influence and was forced to chemically lower the level of his male hormone. The intimidation has made a strong man a sick man.

Mar 01, 2020
Disproof

This case is in line with the Kremlin's ongoing disinformation efforts to paint the Western countries as morally degenerate, corrupting "traditional" values - in this case, viciously attacking masculinity. There is zero evidence to support the outlandish and baseless claim that Harvey Weinstein was subjected to physical influence and injected with a hormone suppressant.

Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood producer whose history of sexual abuse was brought to light through the #MeToo movement, was convicted by a New York jury on 24 February 2020 on two of five charges: a criminal sex act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. The jury of seven men and five women at the New York supreme court took five days to reach their verdict, finding Weinstein guilty of a criminal sex act in the first degree for forcing oral sex on the former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006, and rape in the third degree of an unnamed woman in a New York hotel in 2013. Weinstein was acquitted of three further charges, including the two most serious counts of predatory sexual assault - which carried a possible life sentence - and an alternative count of rape in the first degree. The prosecutors called 27 witnesses over 12 days, with six women testifying against Weinstein. The timeline of the trial is available here. Weinstein's sentencing is scheduled for March 11.

Disinfo: Pope Francis gets coronavirus

Pope Francis and two of his assistants revealed they have coronavirus. All three are in quarantine. Analysis of samples for the COVID-19 virus produced a positive result.

Mar 01, 2020
Disproof

The statement has no evidence; this is speculation. This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the coronavirus. The reason behind this disinformation was the fact that the Pope cancelled official events and audiences for several days. However, on March 1, the Pope held the morning Mass. Pope Francis also explained that he cancelled his participation in certain events due to the common cold. It also became known that the Pope was tested for the coronavirus but the results were negative. Read a similar case that Bill Gates is sponsoring the coronavirus.