DISINFO: Russian mass media is free
SUMMARY
Our mass media is free (in Russia). People are free to speak out and make a name for themselves as representatives of many political movements do.
RESPONSE
The Freedom House 2018 Freedom in the World report rates Russia “Not Free,” based on Russia’s score on the “Freedom rating” – 6.5; For “Political rights” – 7; And for “Civil liberties” – 6 on a scale of “1=Most Free; 7=Least Free. “Power in Russia’s authoritarian political system is concentrated in the hands of President Vladimir Putin. With loyalist security forces, a subservient judiciary, a controlled media environment, and a legislature consisting of a ruling party and pliable opposition groups, the Kremlin is able to manipulate elections and inhibit genuine opposition. The country’s rampant corruption is one notable threat to state power, as it facilitates shifting links among bureaucrats and organized crime groups,” Freedom House said. There are twenty-two major national TV channels in Russia, and the federal government owns twenty of them either directly or via proxy firms such as Gazprom, a gas giant with state-controlled majority shares. Further debunking by Polygraph.info