RT Gets 1.22 Bln Rubles to Start French Channel

The Russian state-owned satellite television network RT has been given an additional 1.22 billion rubles ($19 million) in order to start a French-language channel.

The additional funds were allocated in a draft for the 2017 state budget which was approved by the State Duma on Dec.7. This means a total of 18.74 billion rubles is earmarked for the satellite channel next year.

RT's intention to create a French-language channel was first revealed in 2014, when the project was projected to cost 1.4 billion rubles. Like RT America, the channel's main studio and its staff would be located in France, according to Chief Editor Margarita Simonyan.

[Edit for brevity. --DJW001]

Experts have told RBC that the reason for creating a French-language channel has nothing to do with the network's efficiency or performance but rather geopolitics.

[Edit for brevity. --DJW001]

Igor Bunin, director of the Center for Political Technology, has another explanation for why RT wants to reach French audiences. According to him, President Putin wants Francois Fillon to win France's elections next year.

"Fillon isn't his (Putin's) close friend, but they have a very good relationship, and he would like to somehow influence France too" Bunin said.

The Moscow Times. [Emphasis mine. --DJW001]

From the Russian point of view, the United States and its allies have been attempting to influence its domestic politics ever since the fall of the Soviet Union. Not only does it consider NGOs to be agents of foreign influence, but there are numerous American and European publications that circulate Russian language editions. Then there are the state run media, like Voice of America and the BBC, that broadcast propaganda on behalf of western governments. Why shouldn't Russia do the same?

The choice of a francophone version of RT is quite well calculated; it will extend Russia's voice not only to France, Belgium, and Switzerland in Western Europe, but to former French colonies in Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and even North America! (You can bet they'll work the Quebecois!)

What I find interesting is that Putin favors Fillon, a center right politician from the UMP. Perhaps he feels that Fillon will pull against Merkel in a way that cannot be characterized as "extremist," exacerbating tension in the EU subtly enough to prevent an unpredictable crisis.

a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

It's not a myth, it's a fact. Now they are trying to influence the French elections. Every nation tries to influence others; it is preposterous to think otherwise.

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

It's not a myth, it's a fact. Now they are trying to influence the French elections. Every nation tries to influence others; it is preposterous to think otherwise.

No, it's not a fact, it's hearsay, there has been absolutely no evidence produced whatsoever in regards to it. Do you need me to provide a definition of the word 'fact'?

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

It's not a myth, it's a fact. Now they are trying to influence the French elections. Every nation tries to influence others; it is preposterous to think otherwise.

No, it's not a fact, it's hearsay, there has been absolutely no evidence produced whatsoever in regards to it. Do you need me to provide a definition of the word 'fact'?

So are you claiming that RT did not cover the American election from the Russian point of view?

U.S. paid P.R. firm $540 million to make fake al-Qaida videos in Iraq propaganda program
Report: Pentagon paid a company founded by Margaret Thatcher's P.R. guru half a billion for secret war propaganda www.salon.com...

its not a stand alone case . I am sure others will be along to add .

a reply to: DJW001

Most RT journalists are western. Are you calling them all traitors?

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

It's not a myth, it's a fact. Now they are trying to influence the French elections. Every nation tries to influence others; it is preposterous to think otherwise.

No, it's not a fact, it's hearsay, there has been absolutely no evidence produced whatsoever in regards to it. Do you need me to provide a definition of the word 'fact'?

So are you claiming that RT did not cover the American election from the Russian point of view?

Good journalists are objective, that's why I rate RT.

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

It's not a myth, it's a fact. Now they are trying to influence the French elections. Every nation tries to influence others; it is preposterous to think otherwise.

No, it's not a fact, it's hearsay, there has been absolutely no evidence produced whatsoever in regards to it. Do you need me to provide a definition of the word 'fact'?

So are you claiming that RT did not cover the American election from the Russian point of view?

Good journalists are objective, that's why I rate RT.

RT is no more objective than VOA. Sorry.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: DJW001

Most RT journalists are western. Are you calling them all traitors?

Absolutely not? Why would they be traitors? Are you saying that RT is deliberately trying to destroy the United States? I'm not.

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
U.S. paid P.R. firm $540 million to make fake al-Qaida videos in Iraq propaganda program
Report: Pentagon paid a company founded by Margaret Thatcher's P.R. guru half a billion for secret war propaganda www.salon.com...

its not a stand alone case . I am sure others will be along to add .

Thank you for demonstrating the tried and true propaganda technique called "whataboutism." This is an attempt to deflect a discussion of the issue at hand by bringing up irrelevant accusations about something else.

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

It's not a myth, it's a fact. Now they are trying to influence the French elections. Every nation tries to influence others; it is preposterous to think otherwise.

No, it's not a fact, it's hearsay, there has been absolutely no evidence produced whatsoever in regards to it. Do you need me to provide a definition of the word 'fact'?

So are you claiming that RT did not cover the American election from the Russian point of view?

Good journalists are objective, that's why I rate RT.

RT is no more objective than VOA. Sorry.

As someone that checks & verifies stories with the available tools I have at hand, I can honestly say that RT has some of the best journalists in the world. And despite the fact that RT is based in Russia, I have seen no evidence of any agenda, apart from honest news reporting. Sorry

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: DJW001

I first of all think it's a good idea to dispel the myth that Russia influenced the U.S. elections

It's not a myth, it's a fact. Now they are trying to influence the French elections. Every nation tries to influence others; it is preposterous to think otherwise.

No, it's not a fact, it's hearsay, there has been absolutely no evidence produced whatsoever in regards to it. Do you need me to provide a definition of the word 'fact'?

So are you claiming that RT did not cover the American election from the Russian point of view?

Good journalists are objective, that's why I rate RT.

RT is no more objective than VOA. Sorry.

As someone that checks & verifies stories with the available tools I have at hand, I can honestly say that RT has some of the best journalists in the world. And despite the fact that RT is based in Russia, I have seen no evidence of any agenda, apart from honest news reporting. Sorry

Apparently you have not been following events in Ukraine and Syria there. The Kremlin's propaganda strategy is to create an information environment wherein it becomes impossible to decide what the facts about a situation are. They float so many contradictory theories and explanations that it is tempting to conclude "We may never know the facts." This is particularly clear in the way Russian media portrayed the MH-17 affair.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

Even if Russia did screw around, the US has no legs to stand on.

They've been doing this for 50 years, to an untold number of countries.

Take your medicine and shut up.

RT is no more or less biased than any other State sponsored organisation. Fox, MSNBC, CNN, the only difference is that RT isn't trying to also play a ratings game. They don't really have capitalism to worry about on the same scale.

But there's equal parts propaganda to news in every MSM outlet these days, including RT. If your'e an intelligent person, you can parse what is what.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

I find it ironic that a post that justifies Russia's actions and praises their soft power strategy has been met with a round of denials and accusations. I would rather see Russia use legitimate media to influence international politics than sabotage and agents provocateurs, as the old Soviet Union used to do.

a reply to: DJW001

Oh I thought you were making a point about the amount of money . Trump will probably give Vlad a call to see how to get the prices down .540 million to a pr firm to make false news is a costly venture . The US can clearly see that making true news like RT wants to do in France is much much cheaper and there will be no blowback

a reply to: DJW001

Apparently you have not been following events in Ukraine and Syria there. The Kremlin's propaganda strategy is to create an information environment wherein it becomes impossible to decide what the facts about a situation are.

I say the Western MSM does that quite well on it's own, they just don't like it when they get exposed

a reply to: tothetenthpower

But there's equal parts propaganda to news in every MSM outlet these days, including RT. If your'e an intelligent person, you can parse what is what.

That's a cop out answer, it's just that every time a counter media source emerges to the Western MSM machine, it's going to get tarnished with the same rhetoric like that. Honest journalists do exist you know.

originally posted by: DJW001
a reply to: tothetenthpower

I find it ironic that a post that justifies Russia's actions and praises their soft power strategy has been met with a round of denials and accusations. I would rather see Russia use legitimate media to influence international politics than sabotage and agents provocateurs, as the old Soviet Union used to do.

Russia distrusts all the western powers, and if you look at the events post WW1 and WW2, can you blame them? False and empty promises followed by decades of mistrust and subterfuge.

I'm not defending Russia, but cloak and dagger is sort of their bread and butter. And if they did go out in the open and start a legitimate kind of operation, it would be destroyed by the Western media outlets almost immediately.

I think anyway.

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: DJW001

Oh I thought you were making a point about the amount of money . Trump will probably give Vlad a call to see how to get the prices down .540 million to a pr firm to make false news is a costly venture . The US can clearly see that making true news like RT wants to do in France is much much cheaper and there will be no blowback

No, you just reflexively tried to make this about the United States being evil. Fail. Please re-read the OP. It actually makes Russia look good.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Be careful not to be accused of "whataboutism" by OP . I think he wants a narrow focus on the thread .