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Comment by mikemoka | Hacker News Reader

When I realize, after reading these stories, that I read them on "RussiaToday" I always feel a bit sad.

A former advisor to Vladimir Putin, has labeled the channel as "the best Russian propaganda machine targeted at the outside world" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT_(TV_network))

These news are important here, but we have to be careful not to associate concepts like "freedom of speech" and "example of democracy" with countries like Russia, given the actual situation the people there live under I am not sure we can say Russia holds human rights in the highest regard in my opinion.

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Concerns of RussiaToday are warranted but in this case they are just parroting NPR [1] who in turn are repeating a story by The Salt Lake Tribune [2] (but NPR actually bothered to credit them).

1. http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/07/10/200482... 2. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56544384-90/administra...

> Concerns of RussiaToday are warranted but in this case they are just parroting NPR ....

The RT article claims they did at least some some original investigation. FTA:

] Owner Pete Ashdown told RT that every data collection request stops at his desk, ....

> When I realize, after reading these stories, that I read them on "RussiaToday" I always feel a bit sad.

Why?

> "the best Russian propaganda machine targeted at the outside world"

I trust RT with issues outside Russia's geopolitical influence. See they have it easy then, they don't have to lie. Just have to tell the truth that CNN and NBC are not telling. So they are pretty good with that. Al-Jazeera is good for news outside Qatar and its close neighbors and so on.

>Why?

Because it looks like an instrumental use of these events.

> "the best Russian propaganda machine targeted at the outside world" I trust RT with issues outside Russia's geopolitical influence, they don't have to lie.

The problem with propaganda is that they don't only emphasize the desired facts, they even blatantly twist some of them.

The propaganda of one country can be a useful (because different) filter on the events in another, so long as one doesn't forget that it is propaganda. Particularly useful is when one can find several different such angles and triangulate.

It is an event that I am interested in. It did happen. Isn't it rather scary that our "free" press didn't pick it up . Well it is clear why...but still interesting.

As I said. I wouldn't believe a word RT says about Putin, Russia, or anything that happens in its sphere of influence. But they are pretty good when it comes to other parts of the world.

Attacking the source of this article and the country of its origin contributes little to the conversation.

Actually considering the source of any article can add a great deal to the conversation.

Opposing viewpoints, media bias (intentional or not), nationalist issues etc.

Russia Today is the equivalent of Fox News in America. Keep that bias in mind as you browse their other articles and videos.

Russia Today is exceptionally critical of American politics, and their international video newscasts are pretty much dead center criticisms of America. They barely mention Russian affairs, if at all. Whenever I catch a glimpse of them on MHz WorldView I have to change the channel.

No idea why you were downvoted, there's nothing outrageous in your comment.

Every time I watch RT, I can't help getting the impression that it's on a mission to criticize and attack the US at every opportunity. All this, while ignoring far more egregious crimes within Russia itself. It's blatant, unashamed hypocrisy.

For the most part RT is just like Voice of America or France 24. It produces foreign language content almost solely for the goal of influencing opinion abroad.

It is just as fair as calling into question a story from Iran's Press TV.

These news are important here, but we have to be careful not to associate concepts like "freedom of speech" and "example of democracy" with countries like Unites States of America, given the actual situation the people there live under I am not sure we can say United States of America holds human rights in the highest regard in my opinion.

Is it frightening to you that this also makes sense? So I guess we'll have to get all our news from Wikileaks from now on.

Well, of course RussiaToday is Russian propaganda, the same way that CNN, or NewYorkTimes are propaganda of American empire.

It is very simple, there are big news Institutions that power will dominate, one way or another, like infiltrating people in key positions, or with laws that make collaboration with Government a benefit, and non compliance a great cost.

Do you know that when Snowden talked with people in media like the Washington Post, the first thing they did was to report to the NSA and FBI?

While the situation in Russia is absolutely bad, in relative terms it improves, while in the US you used to be free, in relative terms the police State grows by the second.

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