DISINFO: There is a Western pressure campaign against Russian media
SUMMARY
Western countries are carrying out a pressure campaign against Russian media. US Congressmen and French president Emmanuel Macron accused RT and Sputnik, without evidence, of interfering in the elections of their countries.
RESPONSE
There is plenty of evidence of Russia’s interference in both the elections in the US in 2016 and France in 2017 through, amongst other means, RT and Sputnik. This is part of a recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative to portray Russia as an innocent power falsely accused of interfering on other countries’ affairs, and Western defensive actions as anti-Russian in nature. You can see other examples of disinformation on this topic in our database, such as the alleged persecution of Sputnik in totalitarian Estonia due to its truthful reporting and fear of its influence; the allegedly brave efforts of Sputnik against intolerance in Lithuania; the supposed violations of the rights of Russian journalists in the US and the EU; the claims that French media are not free, or the stories on how nice is to be a journalist in Russia, unlike in Europe, because Russia is the global champion of free speech. RT and Sputnik's purpose is not to inform the public but to produce narratives serving the Kremlin’s purposes, regularly resorting to disinformation. In a resolution on November 23rd 2016, the European Parliament identified both RT and Sputnik as tools and instruments of the Kremlin’s anti-EU campaign.