Sputnik (news agency): Difference between revisions
No edit summary Tag: Reverted |
mNo edit summary |
||
(202 intermediate revisions by 86 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{ |
{{Short description|Russian state-owned news agency}} |
||
{{Redirect|Radio Sputnik}} |
|||
{{distinguish|Sputnik (search engine)}} |
|||
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}} |
||
{{Infobox broadcasting network |
{{Infobox broadcasting network |
||
| name = |
| name = Sputnik |
||
| logo = |
| logo = Sputnik logo (2).svg |
||
| logo_size = |
| logo_size = |
||
| type = |
| type = [[State media]]<ref name="Routledge Handbook" /> |
||
| country = Russia |
| country = Russia |
||
| available = Worldwide |
| available = Worldwide (except [[Europe]]) |
||
| owner = |
| owner = [[Rossiya Segodnya]]<br />([[State media|owned and operated]] by the [[Government of Russia|Russian government]]) |
||
| launch_date = {{Start date|df=yes|2014|11|10}} |
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1929|10|29}} ([[Radio Moscow]])<br />{{Start date and age|df=yes|1993|12|22}} ([[Voice of Russia]])<br />{{Start date and age|df=yes|2014|11|10}} (Sputnik) |
||
| dissolved = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} --> |
| dissolved = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} --> |
||
| website = {{URL |
| website = {{Official URL}} |
||
| language = |
| language = 23 languages ([[Abkhazian language|Abkhazian]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]] (formerly), [[Belarusian Language|Belarusian]], [[Brazilian Portuguese]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Czech language|Czech]] (formerly), [[Dari language|Dari]], [[English language|English]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]] (formerly), [[Japanese language|Japanese]] (formerly), [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]], [[Ossetian language|Ossetian]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Polish language|Polish]] (formerly), [[Moldovan language|Moldovan]] (formerly), [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Tajik language|Tajik]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]], [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]) |
||
| network_name = |
|||
| network_logo = Sputnik logo.svg |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Sputnik''' ({{IPA |
'''Sputnik''' ({{IPA|ru|ˈsputnʲɪk}}; formerly [[Voice of Russia]] and [[RIA Novosti]], naming derived from Russian {{lang|ru|спутник|italic=yes}}, "satellite") is a Russian [[State media|state-owned]]<ref name="Routledge Handbook">{{cite book |last1=Romanova |first1=Tatiana |last2=David |first2=Maxine |title=The Routledge Handbook of EU-Russia Relations: Structures, Actors, Issues |date=25 July 2021 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-351-00624-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WK0xEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT100 |access-date=1 March 2022 |language=en |via=[[Google Books]] |url-access=limited |quote=Because of the centralisation of statue authority and greater state influence over the media in Russia as compared to the EU, it is relatively easy for Moscow to project a coherent and unified interpretation of events. For Russia, an important vehicle is the state-owned Sputnik and associated RIA Novosti media and news outlets, as well as the RT news and internet channel, which, besides the Russian version, is broadcast in English, French, German, Spanish and Arabic. |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407022326/https://books.google.com/books?id=WK0xEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT100 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[news agency]] and [[radio broadcast]] service. It was established by the [[Government of Russia|Russian government]]-owned news agency [[Rossiya Segodnya]] on 10 November 2014.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Missiroli|first1=Antonio|last2=Andersson|first2=Jan Joel|last3=Gaub|first3=Florence|last4=Popescu|first4=Nicu|last5=Wilkins|first5=John-Joseph|date=2016|title=Strategic Communications from the East|journal=Strategic Communications|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep07092.5|pages=7–24|access-date=15 May 2020|archive-date=21 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121134301/https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep07092.5|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Al Jazeera America">{{cite news|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/9/putin-dissolves-rianovostinewsagency.html|title=Putin dissolves RIA Novosti news agency|last=Pizzi|first=Michael|date=9 December 2013|publisher=[[Al Jazeera America]]|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=18 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018151550/http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/9/putin-dissolves-rianovostinewsagency.html|url-status=live}}</ref> With headquarters in [[Moscow]], <!-- London & Edinburgh officwes were reported to be closing in April 2021, Times citation below. -->Sputnik maintains regional editorial offices in [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Cairo]], [[Beijing]], [[Paris]], [[Berlin]], [[Madrid]], [[Montevideo]] and [[Rio de Janeiro]].<ref name="Quienes_somos">{{cite web|url=https://mundo.sputniknews.com/docs/quienes_somos.html|title=Quiénes somos<!--No question marks-->|trans-title=Who are we|date=15 February 2021|publisher=Sputnik Mundo|language=es|access-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120190056/https://mundo.sputniknews.com/docs/quienes_somos.html|archive-date=20 January 2022}}</ref> Sputnik describes itself as being focused on [[global politics]] and [[economics]] and aims for an international audience.<ref name="Aboutus">{{cite web|url=https://sputniknews.com/docs/about/index.html|title=About Us|publisher=Sputnik News|access-date=15 May 2020|archive-date=20 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720144948/https://sputniknews.com/docs/about/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
||
Sputnik is frequently described by academics and journalists as a [[Russian propaganda]] outlet.{{refn|name=propaganda|<ref name="Network Propaganda">{{Cite book|last1=Benkler|first1=Yochai|author-link1=Yochai Benkler|last2=Faris|first2=Rob|last3=Roberts|first3=Hal|chapter=Epistemic Crisis|chapter-url=https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001/oso-9780190923624-chapter-1|title=Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation and Radicalization in American Politics|url=https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001/oso-9780190923624|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|date=October 2018|access-date=21 March 2021|isbn=978-0-19-092362-4|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001|doi-access=free|pages=358|oclc=1045162158|quote=The emphasis on disorientation appears in the literature on modern Russian propaganda, both in inward-focused applications and in its international propaganda outlets, Sputnik and RT (formerly, Russia Today). Here, the purpose is not to convince the audience of any particular truth but instead to make it impossible for people in the society subject to the propagandist's intervention to tell truth from non-truth.|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126010551/https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001/oso-9780190923624|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Karlsen |first1=Geir Hågen |title=Ukraine and Beyond |editor1-last=Matláry |editor1-first=Janne Haaland |editor2-last=Heier |editor2-first=Tormod |editor1-link=Janne Haaland Matláry |date=5 August 2016 |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |isbn=978-3-319-32530-9 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-32530-9_9 |page=199 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-32530-9_9 |chapter-url-access=subscription |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BNHMDAAAQBAJ |url-access=limited |access-date=28 February 2022 |language=en |chapter=Tools of Russian Influence: Information and Propaganda |via=[[Google Books]] |quote=The propaganda apparatus proper consists of four means: media, social media, political communication and diplomacy, and covert active measures, all tied together in a coordinated manner. The main international media channel is the RT broadcaster and website, formerly known as ''Russia Today''. It is complemented by ''Sputnik'' radio and website, news and video agencies, and the ''Russia Beyond the Headlines'' news supplement, making up a news conglomerate operating in almost 40 languages. |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407114835/https://books.google.com/books?id=BNHMDAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ižak |first1=Štefan |title=(Ab)using the topic of migration by pro-Kremlin propaganda: Case study of Slovakia |journal=Journal of Comparative Politics |date=January 2019 |volume=12 |issue=1 |page=58 |url=http://www.jofcp.org/assets/jcp/JCP-January-2019.pdf |access-date=28 February 2022 |publisher=[[University of Economics in Bratislava]] / [[University of Ljubljana]] / [[Alma Mater Europaea]] |language=en |issn=1338-1385 |quote=Almost all important media in Russia are state controlled and used to feed Russian audience with Kremlin propaganda. For international propaganda Kremlin uses agencies like RT and Sputnik. Both are available in many language variations and in many countries (Hansen 2017). Aim of this propaganda is to exploit weak spots and controversial topics (in our case migration to the EU) and use them to harm integrity of the West (Pomerantsev and Weiss 2014). |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301184238/http://www.jofcp.org/assets/jcp/JCP-January-2019.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Golovchenko |first1=Yevgeniy |title=Measuring the scope of pro-Kremlin disinformation on Twitter |journal=Humanities and Social Sciences Communications |date=11 December 2020 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1057/s41599-020-00659-9 |doi-access=free |publisher=[[Springer Nature]] |language=en |issn=2662-9992 |quote=When it comes to overt reach, the Russian government openly funds English-speaking outlets, such as Sputnik News and RT. These outlets serve as a frequent source of pro-Kremlin disinformation both according to scholars, fact-checkers and Western authorities (BBC, 2019; Elliot, 2019; Thornton, 2015).}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fletcher |first1=Richard |last2=Cornia |first2=Alessio |last3=Graves |first3=Lucas |author-link3=Lucas Graves |last4=Nielsen |first4=Rasmus Kleis |author-link4=Rasmus Kleis Nielsen |title=Measuring the reach of "fake news" and online disinformation in Europe |journal=Australasian Policing |date=1 January 2018 |volume=10 |issue=2 |url=https://www.mediterraneocronaca.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Measuring-the-reach-of-fake-news-and-online-distribution-in-Europe-CORRECT-FLAG.pdf |access-date=25 February 2022 |via=Mediterraneo Cronaca |quote=For comparative purposes, we also included two prominent Russian news sites which have featured in European policy discussions around disinformation, namely Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik. These Russian state-backed organisations are clearly different from sites that engage in for-profit fabrication of false news, but both independent fact-checkers and the EU's European External Action Service East Stratcom Task Force have identified multiple instances where these sites have published disinformation. |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225233853/https://www.mediterraneocronaca.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Measuring-the-reach-of-fake-news-and-online-distribution-in-Europe-CORRECT-FLAG.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GrollFP">{{cite news|last=Groll|first=Elias|title=Kremlin's 'Sputnik' Newswire Is the BuzzFeed of Propaganda|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/11/10/kremlins-sputnik-newswire-is-the-buzzfeed-of-propaganda/|work=[[Foreign Policy]]|date=10 November 2014|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=28 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128121253/http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/11/10/kremlins-sputnik-newswire-is-the-buzzfeed-of-propaganda/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CEPA201601">{{Cite web|last=Nimmo|first=Ben|url=http://infowar.cepa.org/files/?id_plik=2083|title=Sputnik. Propaganda in a New Orbit: Information Warfare Initiative Paper No. 2|publisher=Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)|date=January 2016|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=6 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306193138/http://infowar.cepa.org/files/?id_plik=2083|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="SweRad20170109">{{cite news|url=https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6604516|title=Report: Russia spread fake news and disinformation in Sweden|newspaper=Sveriges Radio|date=9 January 2017|publisher=[[Radio Sweden]]|access-date=16 August 2022|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112025750/http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6604516|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=RT a Sputniku nebyla povolena účast na konferenci o svobodě médií |trans-title=RT and Sputnik were not allowed to attend the conference on media freedom |url=https://www.mvcr.cz/cthh/clanek/rt-a-sputniku-nebyla-povolena-ucast-na-konferenci-o-svobode-medii.aspx |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=[[Centre Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats]] |language=cs |archive-date=28 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228171006/https://www.mvcr.cz/cthh/clanek/rt-a-sputniku-nebyla-povolena-ucast-na-konferenci-o-svobode-medii.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>}} In 2016, Neil MacFarquhar of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote: "The fundamental purpose of ''dezinformatsiya'', or [[Russian disinformation]], experts said, is to undermine the official version of events—even the very idea that there is a true version of events—and foster a kind of policy paralysis." The Russian government rejects the validity of such assertions.<ref name="MacFarquhar2016">{{cite news|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/world/europe/russia-sweden-disinformation.html|title=A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories|date=28 August 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618150336/https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/world/europe/russia-sweden-disinformation.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In early 2019, [[Facebook]] removed hundreds of pages on its social media platform passing as independent news sites but were actually under the control of Sputnik employees.<ref name="O'SullivanCNN">{{cite news|last=O'Sullivan|first=Donie|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/17/tech/facebook-sputnik/index.html|title=Facebook takes down anti-NATO pages linked to Russian news agency Sputnik|publisher=CNN Business|date=17 January 2019|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=22 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522012152/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/17/tech/facebook-sputnik/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
|||
⚫ | Sputnik operates [[news websites]], featuring reporting and commentary, in 31 languages including [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Polish language|Polish]] and [[Serbian language|Serbian]].<ref name=":5">{{cite web|last1=Godzimirski|first1=Jakub M.|last2=Østevik|first2=Malin|title=How to understand and deal with Russian strategic communication measures? |publisher=[[Norwegian Institute of International Affairs]]|s2cid=169624599|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b971/0543074e31d71fb8b3323f4faaa5bfc93d74.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225074059/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b971/0543074e31d71fb8b3323f4faaa5bfc93d74.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-02-25}}</ref> The websites house over 800 hours of [[radio broadcasting]] material each day, and its newswire service runs a [[24/7 service]].<ref name="BBC20160810">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37036900|title=Russian news agency Sputnik sets up Scottish studio|date=10 August 2016|work=BBC News|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020063633/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37036900|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/a/russia-launches-new-media-brand-called-sputnik/2515216.html|title=Russia's New World Broadcast Service is 'Sputnik'|last=Hilburn|first=Matthew|publisher=Voice of America News|date=10 November 2014|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407192016/https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-launches-new-media-brand-called-sputnik/2515216.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
Sputnik was banned in the [[European Union]] in February 2022 (along with [[RT (TV network)|RT]]) following the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref name="Politico2022" /> Technology companies and social media services responded to the invasion by removing Sputnik from their platforms, while many versions such as the French, the German and the Greek ones have closed their operation. |
|||
Sputnik is frequently described as a [[Russian propaganda]] outlet.<ref name="GrollFP">{{cite news|last=Groll|first=Elias|title=Kremlin's 'Sputnik' Newswire Is the BuzzFeed of Propaganda|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/11/10/kremlins-sputnik-newswire-is-the-buzzfeed-of-propaganda/|work=[[Foreign Policy]]|date=10 November 2014|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="CEPA201601">{{Cite web|last=Nimmo|first=Ben|url=http://infowar.cepa.org/files/?id_plik=2083|title=Sputnik. Propaganda in a New Orbit: Information Warfare Initiative Paper No. 2|publisher=Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)|date=January 2016|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="SweRad20170109">{{cite web|url=https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6604516|title=Report: Russia spread fake news and disinformation in Sweden - Radio Sweden|date=9 January 2017|publisher=[[Sveriges Radio]]|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> In 2016, Neil MacFarquhar of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote: "The fundamental purpose of ''dezinformatsiya'', or Russian [[disinformation]], experts said, is to undermine the official version of events—even the very idea that there is a true version of events—and foster a kind of policy paralysis." The Russian government rejects the validity of such assertions.<ref name="MacFarquhar2016">{{cite news|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/world/europe/russia-sweden-disinformation.html|title=A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories|date=28 August 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> In early 2019, [[CNN Business]] reported that [[Facebook]] had removed hundreds of pages on its social media platform passing as independent news sites but were actually under the control of Sputnik employees. Sputnik said the move was "clearly political in its nature and is practically censorship".<ref name="O'SullivanCNN">{{cite news|last=O'Sullivan|first=Donie|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/17/tech/facebook-sputnik/index.html|title=Facebook takes down anti-NATO pages linked to Russian news agency Sputnik|publisher=CNN Business|date=17 January 2019|access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref> |
|||
==History== |
|||
⚫ | Sputnik operates [[news websites]], featuring reporting and commentary, in 31 languages including [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Polish language|Polish]] and [[Serbian language|Serbian]].<ref name=":5">{{cite |
||
⚫ | [[RIA Novosti]] was Russia's international [[news agency]] until 9 December 2013 when it became known as [[Rossiya Segodnya]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102275.stm#media Country profile: Russia – Media] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425191533/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102275.stm#media |date=25 April 2013 }}, BBC News, last updated 6 March 2012.</ref><ref name="PutinL">{{cite web|url=http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/19805|title=Указ о мерах по повышению эффективности деятельности государственных СМИ|date=9 December 2013|publisher=[[Kremlin.ru]]|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=5 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405220111/http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/19805|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dmitry Konstantinovich Kiselev|Dmitry Kiselev]], an [[anchorman]] of the [[Russia-1 (TV channel)|Russia-1]] channel was appointed to be the first president of the reorganized agency.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://lenta.ru/news/2013/12/09/ria/|title=Путин ликвидировал РИА Новости|date=9 December 2013|newspaper=[[Lenta.ru|Lenta]]|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=22 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922014454/https://lenta.ru/news/2013/12/09/ria/|url-status=live}}</ref> He soon announced that [[Margarita Simonyan]] was to be editor-in-chief. Simonyan told ''The New York Times'' in 2017 that she choose [[Sputnik]] as the new name "because I thought that's the only Russian word that has a positive connotation, and the whole world knows it."<ref name="Rutenberg">{{cite news|last=Rutenberg|first=Jim|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/magazine/rt-sputnik-and-russias-new-theory-of-war.html|title=RT, Sputnik and Russia's New Theory of War|work=The New York Times|date=13 September 2017|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=3 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803024949/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/magazine/rt-sputnik-and-russias-new-theory-of-war.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
⚫ | Sputnik was launched on 10 November 2014 by Rossiya Segodnya, which is itself funded through [[RT (TV network)|RT]], owned and operated by the [[Government of Russia|Russian government]], and was created via an [[Executive Order of the President of Russia]] on 9 December 2013.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Al Jazeera America" /> As well as the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik's origins can be traced to 1929 when [[Radio Moscow]] was launched as the official international broadcasting station of [[Soviet Union]] airing across the country, [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Cuba]] until it was replaced by [[Voice of Russia]] in 1993 along with the foreign language services of RIA Novosti.<ref name="BBC20141116">{{cite news|last=Ennis|first=Stephen|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30040363|title=Russia's global media operation under the spotlight|work=BBC News|date=16 November 2014|access-date=15 May 2020|archive-date=21 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421080945/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30040363|url-status=live}}</ref> [[RT UK]] was launched a fortnight earlier. According to its editor-in-chief Dmitry Kiselyov, Sputnik was intended to reach a worldwide audience "tired of aggressive propaganda promoting a unipolar world and who want a different perspective".<ref name=":5" /><ref name="BBC20141116" /> The station claims it "tells the untold".<ref name="MacFarquhar2016" /> However, President [[Vladimir Putin]], while visiting the Moscow base of the RT television network in 2013, said the objective behind both the then forthcoming Sputnik agency and RT was to "break the monopoly of the [[Anglo-Saxons (slur)|Anglo-Saxon]] global information streams."<ref name="Rutenberg" /> |
||
==Foundation== |
|||
⚫ | [[RIA Novosti]] was Russia's international [[news agency]] until 9 December 2013 when it became known as [[Rossiya Segodnya]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102275.stm#media Country profile: Russia – Media], BBC News, last updated 6 March 2012.</ref><ref name="PutinL">{{cite web|url=http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/19805|title=Указ о мерах по повышению эффективности деятельности государственных СМИ|publisher=[[Kremlin.ru]]|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> [[Dmitry Konstantinovich Kiselev|Dmitry Kiselev]], an [[anchorman]] of the [[Russia-1 (TV channel)|Russia-1]] channel was appointed to be the first president of the reorganized agency.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://lenta.ru/news/2013/12/09/ria/|title=Путин ликвидировал РИА Новости|date=9 December 2013|newspaper=[[Lenta.ru|Lenta]]|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> He soon announced that [[Margarita Simonyan]] was to be editor-in-chief. Simonyan told ''The New York Times'' in 2017 that she choose [[Sputnik]] as the new name "because I thought |
||
In April 2017, Sputnik signed a personnel exchange deal with the ''[[Global Times]]'', a [[Chinese Communist Party]] tabloid.<ref>{{Citation |last=Kurlantzick |first=Joshua |title=The Soft Power Toolkit: Media and Information Coming Through the Front Door |date=2023-03-19 |work=Beijing's Global Media Offensive: China's Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World |pages=137–180 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/oso/9780197515761.003.0006 |isbn=978-0-19-751576-1 |author-link=Joshua Kurlantzick}}</ref> |
|||
⚫ | Sputnik was launched on 10 November 2014 by Rossiya Segodnya, which is itself funded through [[RT (TV network)|RT]], owned and operated by the [[Government of Russia|Russian government]], and was created via an [[Executive Order of the President of Russia]] on 9 December 2013.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Al Jazeera America" /> As well as the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik |
||
== Radio services == |
== Radio services == |
||
{{redirect|Radio Sputnik|other uses|Radio Sputnik (disambiguation)}} |
{{redirect|Radio Sputnik|other uses|Radio Sputnik (disambiguation)}} |
||
''Radio Sputnik'' is the audio service of the Sputnik platform operating in 30 languages "for a total of over 800 hours a day, covering over 130 cities and 34 countries on "[[FM broadcasting|FM]], [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB/DAB+]] (Digital Radio Broadcasting), [[HD Radio]], as well as mobile phones and the Internet."<ref name="Aboutus" /> It is available on satellite transponders, including a 24-hour English service audible in North America via the Galaxy-19 satellite. Among the station's presenters are [[Max Keiser]] and [[Stacy Herbert]] who host the weekly talk show ''Double Down'' which concentrates on economics.<ref>[https://sputniknews.com/radio_double_down/ Double Down], Sputnik, Retrieved: 7 June 2016</ref> Another talk show is ''By Any Means Necessary'' which is hosted by [[Eugene Puryear]], while [[liberalism|liberal]] talk radio host [[Thom Hartmann]] presents [[Thom Hartmann Program|his own program]] which is [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] on Sputnik each day. |
''Radio Sputnik'' is the audio service of the Sputnik platform operating in 30 languages "for a total of over 800 hours a day, covering over 130 cities and 34 countries on "[[FM broadcasting|FM]], [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB/DAB+]] (Digital Radio Broadcasting), [[HD Radio]], as well as mobile phones and the Internet."<ref name="Aboutus" /> It is available on satellite transponders, including a 24-hour English service audible in North America via the Galaxy-19 satellite. Among the station's presenters are [[Max Keiser]] and [[Stacy Herbert]] who host the weekly talk show ''Double Down'' which concentrates on economics.<ref>[https://sputniknews.com/radio_double_down/ Double Down] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414082152/https://sputniknews.com/radio_double_down/ |date=14 April 2017 }}, Sputnik, Retrieved: 7 June 2016</ref> Another talk show is ''By Any Means Necessary'' which is hosted by [[Eugene Puryear]], while [[liberalism|liberal]] talk radio host [[Thom Hartmann]] presents [[Thom Hartmann Program|his own program]] which is [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] on Sputnik each day. |
||
Regarding plans for the U.S. broadcast market, the editor-in-chief of ''Sputnik U.S.'' said in a June 2017 interview that there were no immediate plans for expansion into markets beyond [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="dcist">{{cite web |url=http://dcist.com/2017/06/russian-funded_news_station_replace.php |title=Russian-Funded News Station Replaces Bluegrass on 105.5 FM |date=30 June 2017 |access-date=3 November 2017 |url-status= |
Regarding plans for the U.S. broadcast market, the editor-in-chief of ''Sputnik U.S.'' said in a June 2017 interview that there were no immediate plans for expansion into markets beyond [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="dcist">{{cite web |url=http://dcist.com/2017/06/russian-funded_news_station_replace.php |title=Russian-Funded News Station Replaces Bluegrass on 105.5 FM |date=30 June 2017 |access-date=3 November 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630213150/http://dcist.com/2017/06/russian-funded_news_station_replace.php |archive-date=30 June 2017 }}(replaced discontinued dcist.com link)</ref> This came on the heels of a late June 2017 announcement<ref name="Sputnik1">{{cite web |url=https://sputniknews.com/agency_news/201706301055129290-sputnik-radio-dc-launch/ |title=Good Morning, America! Radio Sputnik Goes Live in FM in Washington DC |date=30 June 2017 |publisher=sputniknews.com |access-date=2 July 2017 |archive-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701055145/https://sputniknews.com/agency_news/201706301055129290-sputnik-radio-dc-launch/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="dcist"/><ref name="TheHill">{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/340292-russian-radio-takes-over-local-dc-station/ |title=Russian radio takes over local DC station |date=30 June 2017 |website=The Hill |access-date=2 July 2017 |archive-date=2 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702014732/http://thehill.com/homenews/media/340292-russian-radio-takes-over-local-dc-station |url-status=live }}</ref> that Radio Sputnik would sublease [[Reston, Virginia]]-licensed [[Broadcast relay station#United States|translator station]] ''W288BS'' (105.5 FM) from Reston Translator, LLC, which transmits from the [[WIAD]] tower in [[Bethesda, Maryland]], and begin broadcasting Sputnik on that signal; the station's reach includes DC proper and the western suburbs in [[Northern Virginia]].<ref name="fccdataorg">{{cite web |url=https://fccdata.org/?appid=1442828&facid=140589 |title=FCC licensing data for radio broadcasting station W288BS |date=15 September 2011 |publisher=fccdata.org |access-date=2 July 2017 |archive-date=13 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913183857/https://fccdata.org/?appid=1442828&facid=140589 |url-status=live }}</ref> From November 2017, Radio Sputnik began to be carried on AM in Washington, D.C., on [[WZHF|WZHF 1390 AM]]. The American owners of the stations were required to register as a [[foreign agent]] by the [[United States Department of Justice]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-13/a-u-s-station-switched-from-bluegrass-to-radio-sputnik-and-got-threats-from-the-feds|title=A U.S. Station Switched From Bluegrass to Radio Sputnik—and Got Threats From the Feds|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=13 December 2017|via=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=14 December 2017|archive-date=14 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214064008/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-13/a-u-s-station-switched-from-bluegrass-to-radio-sputnik-and-got-threats-from-the-feds|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dcs-russia-funded-fm-station-expands-to-am-after-partners-register-as-foreign-agents/2017/12/01/cdf1da8c-d3a8-11e7-b7e9-7a29f2f57869_story.html|title=D.C.'s Russia-funded FM station expands to AM after partners register as foreign agents|first=Justin Wm|last=Moyer|date=1 December 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=14 December 2017|archive-date=14 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214124251/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dcs-russia-funded-fm-station-expands-to-am-after-partners-register-as-foreign-agents/2017/12/01/cdf1da8c-d3a8-11e7-b7e9-7a29f2f57869_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
Sputnik is blocked from owning an American radio station outright due to [[Federal Communications Commission]] rules against foreign ownership of broadcast assets, as enacted in the [[Communications Act of 1934]]. Prior to 1 July 2017, Radio Sputnik (initially as [[Voice of Russia|its predecessor]]) had broadcast in the Washington, D.C., area on [[WTOP-FM|WTOP]]-HD2 (103.5-HD2) since June 2013, if not earlier. W288BS translates [[Urban One]]'s [[WKYS]] (93.9)'s digital [[HD Radio|HD3]] signal for analog broadcasting.<ref name="dcist"/> |
Sputnik is blocked from owning an American radio station outright due to [[Federal Communications Commission]] rules against foreign ownership of broadcast assets, as enacted in the [[Communications Act of 1934]]. Prior to 1 July 2017, Radio Sputnik (initially as [[Voice of Russia|its predecessor]]) had broadcast in the Washington, D.C., area on [[WTOP-FM|WTOP]]-HD2 (103.5-HD2) since June 2013, if not earlier. W288BS translates [[Urban One]]'s [[WKYS]] (93.9)'s digital [[HD Radio|HD3]] signal for analog broadcasting.<ref name="dcist"/> |
||
Sputnik distributes its programming to American stations via [[brokered programming]], through agent Arnold Ferolito and his holding company [[RM Broadcasting]], LLC. Its availability in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] on stations [[KCXL]]<ref name=KansasCityStar>{{cite news |last=Vockrodt |first=Steve |title=Kansas City radio station agrees to broadcast Russian-owned 'propaganda' program |url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article239359868.html |work=The Kansas City Star|date=17 January 2020|access-date=15 February 2020}}</ref> and [[KOJH-LP|KOJH]] from the beginning of January 2020 was contentious, especially in the latter case because the station has a jazz-centered [[community radio]] format and led to a clash on the radio spectrum.<ref name="MacFarquhar2020">{{cite news|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/us/russian-propaganda-radio.html|title=Playing on Kansas City Radio: Russian Propaganda|work=The New York Times|date=February 13, 2020|access-date=February 15, 2020}}</ref> |
Sputnik distributes its programming to American stations via [[brokered programming]], through agent Arnold Ferolito and his holding company [[RM Broadcasting]], LLC. Its availability in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] on stations [[KCXL]]<ref name=KansasCityStar>{{cite news |last=Vockrodt |first=Steve |title=Kansas City radio station agrees to broadcast Russian-owned 'propaganda' program |url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article239359868.html |work=The Kansas City Star |date=17 January 2020 |access-date=15 February 2020 |archive-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117210506/https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article239359868.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[KOJH-LP|KOJH]] from the beginning of January 2020 was contentious, especially in the latter case because the station has a jazz-centered [[community radio]] format and led to a clash on the radio spectrum.<ref name="MacFarquhar2020">{{cite news|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/us/russian-propaganda-radio.html|title=Playing on Kansas City Radio: Russian Propaganda|work=The New York Times|date=February 13, 2020|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-date=4 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204142732/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/us/russian-propaganda-radio.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
Following the closure of the [[Echo of Moscow]] station on 3 March 2022, its frequencies were taken over by Radio Sputnik.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-03-08 |title=Russia to Broadcast State-Run Sputnik Radio on Banned Liberal Station's Frequency |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/08/russia-to-broadcast-state-run-sputnik-radio-on-banned-liberal-stations-frequency-a76826 |access-date= |website=[[The Moscow Times]] |language=en |archive-date=7 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007150237/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/08/russia-to-broadcast-state-run-sputnik-radio-on-banned-liberal-stations-frequency-a76826 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-08 |title=На частоте "Эха Москвы" будет вещать радио Sputnik |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5249826 |access-date= |website=[[Kommersant]] |language=ru |archive-date=7 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007150447/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5249826 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
|||
==Coverage of the United States== |
==Coverage of the United States== |
||
===Trump and Clinton=== |
===Trump and Clinton=== |
||
During the [[2016 US presidential election|2016 presidential election campaign]], according to former US Ambassador to Russia [[Michael McFaul]] writing in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Sputnik made clear publicly its preference for the then-[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential nominee [[Donald Trump]] over the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat's]] nominee [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref name="McFaul">{{cite news|last=McFaul|first=Michael|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/why-putin-wants-a-trump-victory-so-much-he-might-even-be-trying-to-help-him/2016/08/17/897ab21c-6495-11e6-be4e-23fc4d4d12b4_story.html|title=Why Putin wants a Trump victory (so much he might even be trying to help him)|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=17 August 2016|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="MatthewsNW2016">{{cite news|last=Matthews|first=Owen|url=https://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-493946.html|title=How Vladimir Putin Is Using Donald Trump to Advance Russia's Goals|work=Newsweek|date=29 August 2016|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref> |
During the [[2016 US presidential election|2016 presidential election campaign]], according to former US Ambassador to Russia [[Michael McFaul]] writing in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Sputnik made clear publicly its preference for the then-[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential nominee [[Donald Trump]] over the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat's]] nominee [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref name="McFaul">{{cite news|last=McFaul|first=Michael|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/why-putin-wants-a-trump-victory-so-much-he-might-even-be-trying-to-help-him/2016/08/17/897ab21c-6495-11e6-be4e-23fc4d4d12b4_story.html|title=Why Putin wants a Trump victory (so much he might even be trying to help him)|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=17 August 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=22 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722065509/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/why-putin-wants-a-trump-victory-so-much-he-might-even-be-trying-to-help-him/2016/08/17/897ab21c-6495-11e6-be4e-23fc4d4d12b4_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MatthewsNW2016">{{cite news|last=Matthews|first=Owen|url=https://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-493946.html|title=How Vladimir Putin Is Using Donald Trump to Advance Russia's Goals|work=Newsweek|date=29 August 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=25 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225134801/https://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-493946.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
According to a fake news story circulated by Sputnik,<ref>{{cite news|last=Weiss|first=Michael|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-putin-trump-mind-meld-a-wondrous-enterprise|title=The Putin-Trump Mind Meld, A Wondrous Enterprise|work=The Daily Beast|date=August 15, 2017|orig-year=August 15, 2016|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref> President [[Barack Obama]] and |
According to a fake news story circulated by Sputnik,<ref>{{cite news|last=Weiss|first=Michael|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-putin-trump-mind-meld-a-wondrous-enterprise|title=The Putin-Trump Mind Meld, A Wondrous Enterprise|work=The Daily Beast|date=August 15, 2017|orig-year=August 15, 2016|access-date=May 15, 2020|archive-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026011550/https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-putin-trump-mind-meld-a-wondrous-enterprise|url-status=live}}</ref> President [[Barack Obama]] and Hillary Clinton created [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIS]]; the website praised Trump, before he was elected in 2016, for making such an assertion.<ref name="MatthewsNW2016" /><ref name="ApplebaumWaPo">{{cite news|last=Applebaum|first=Anne|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/why-is-trump-suddenly-talking-about-world-war-iii/2016/10/28/be44cc0e-9d24-11e6-a0ed-ab0774c1eaa5_story.html|title=Why is Trump suddenly talking about World War III?|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=28 October 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226140459/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/why-is-trump-suddenly-talking-about-world-war-iii/2016/10/28/be44cc0e-9d24-11e6-a0ed-ab0774c1eaa5_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The website published an article entitled "Secret File Confirms Trump Claim: Obama, Hillary 'Founded ISIS' to Oust Assad", while tweets from Sputnik used the hashtag #CrookedHillary.<ref name="McFaul" /><ref name="MatthewsNW2016" /><ref name="HartmannNYmag" /> Trump revived another discredited conspiracy theory promoted by Sputnik that Google was suppressing bad news about Clinton.<ref name="ApplebaumWaPo" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Corasaniti|first=Nick|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/us/politics/google-trump-clinton.html|title=Donald Trump Pushes Debunked Theory That Google Suppressed Rival's Bad News|work=The New York Times|date=26 September 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226161130/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/us/politics/google-trump-clinton.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
In October 2016, Sputnik improperly cited an article written by [[Kurt Eichenwald]] for ''[[Newsweek]]'' misattributing comments to Hillary Clinton confidante [[Sidney Blumenthal]] (who quoted Eichenwald in a non-verified email released by [[WikiLeaks]]). Sputnik took down the article.<ref name="HartmannNYmag">{{cite news|last=Hartmann|first=Margaret|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/10/trump-knows-nothing-about-russia-repeats-their-propaganda.html|title=Trump Knows 'Nothing About Russia,' He Just Repeats Their Propaganda|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=11 October 2016|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="BumpWaPo">{{cite news|last=Bump|first=Philip|title=The Trump-Putin link that wasn't|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/11/the-trump-putin-link-that-wasnt/|access-date=22 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=11 October 2016}}</ref> Aspects of his story as it related to Trump were disputed at the time,<ref name="BumpWaPo" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2016/10/12/russia-not-behind-donald-trumps-false-blumenthal-benghazi-claim/|title=Russia Was Not Behind Donald Trump's False Blumenthal-Benghazi Claim|work=Bellingcat|date=12 October 2016|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref> Sputnik then put up an article reputedly denying its control by the Kremlin and attacking ''Newsweek'' and Eichenwald. He wrote that the Trump campaign emailed reporters a link to the Sputnik article and asked them to follow up on the story.<ref>{{cite news|last=Eichenwald|first=Kurt|url=https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-hillary-clinton-united-states-europe-516895|title=Why Vladimir Putin's Russia is Backing Donald Trump|work=Newsweek|date=4 November 2016|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref> The author of the Sputnik article, Bill Moran, successfully sued ''Newsweek'' over his assertion that Eichenwald had used bribery and threats.<ref>{{cite news|last=Concha|first=Joe|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/343430-newsweek-settles-with-sputnik-writer|title=Newsweek settles with Sputnik writer|work=The Hill|date=24 July 2017|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref> |
In October 2016, Sputnik improperly cited an article written by [[Kurt Eichenwald]] for ''[[Newsweek]]'' misattributing comments to Hillary Clinton confidante [[Sidney Blumenthal]] (who quoted Eichenwald in a non-verified email released by [[WikiLeaks]]). Sputnik took down the article.<ref name="HartmannNYmag">{{cite news|last=Hartmann|first=Margaret|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/10/trump-knows-nothing-about-russia-repeats-their-propaganda.html|title=Trump Knows 'Nothing About Russia,' He Just Repeats Their Propaganda|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=11 October 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226140532/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/10/trump-knows-nothing-about-russia-repeats-their-propaganda.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BumpWaPo">{{cite news|last=Bump|first=Philip|title=The Trump-Putin link that wasn't|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/11/the-trump-putin-link-that-wasnt/|access-date=22 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=11 October 2016|archive-date=28 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028030502/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/11/the-trump-putin-link-that-wasnt/|url-status=live}}</ref> Aspects of his story as it related to Trump were disputed at the time,<ref name="BumpWaPo" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2016/10/12/russia-not-behind-donald-trumps-false-blumenthal-benghazi-claim/|title=Russia Was Not Behind Donald Trump's False Blumenthal-Benghazi Claim|work=Bellingcat|date=12 October 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226171030/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2016/10/12/russia-not-behind-donald-trumps-false-blumenthal-benghazi-claim/|url-status=live}}</ref> Sputnik then put up an article reputedly denying its control by the Kremlin and attacking ''Newsweek'' and Eichenwald. He wrote that the Trump campaign emailed reporters a link to the Sputnik article and asked them to follow up on the story.<ref>{{cite news|last=Eichenwald|first=Kurt|url=https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-hillary-clinton-united-states-europe-516895|title=Why Vladimir Putin's Russia is Backing Donald Trump|work=Newsweek|date=4 November 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=1 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101231852/https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-hillary-clinton-united-states-europe-516895|url-status=live}}</ref> The author of the Sputnik article, Bill Moran, successfully sued ''Newsweek'' over his assertion that Eichenwald had used bribery and threats.<ref>{{cite news|last=Concha|first=Joe|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/343430-newsweek-settles-with-sputnik-writer/|title=Newsweek settles with Sputnik writer|work=The Hill|date=24 July 2017|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226190404/https://thehill.com/homenews/media/343430-newsweek-settles-with-sputnik-writer|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
''[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]'' reported that Sputnik International reported [[fake news]] and fabricated statements by [[White House Press Secretary]] [[Josh Earnest]] during the 2016 presidential election.<ref name=fakenewsinrussia>{{citation|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2016/12/07/obama-russia-trump-sanctions-syria-aleppo|work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]|date=7 December 2016|access-date=10 December 2016|title=Fake News In Russia: 'Obama Threatens Sanctions Due To Russia's Role In Syria'|first=Kenneth|last=Rapoza}}</ref> Sputnik falsely reported on 7 December 2016 that Earnest stated sanctions for Russia were on the table related to Syria, falsely quoting Earnest as saying: "There are a number of things that are to be considered, including some of the financial sanctions that the United States can administer in coordination with our allies. I would definitely not rule that out."<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> ''Forbes'' analyzed Earnest's White House press briefing from that week, and found the word "sanctions" was never used by the Press Secretary.<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> Russia was discussed in eight instances during the press conference, but never about sanctions.<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> The press conference focused solely on Russian air raids in Syria towards rebels fighting [[President of Syria]] [[Bashar al-Assad]] in [[Aleppo]].<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> |
''[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]'' reported that Sputnik International reported [[fake news]] and fabricated statements by [[White House Press Secretary]] [[Josh Earnest]] during the 2016 presidential election.<ref name=fakenewsinrussia>{{citation|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2016/12/07/obama-russia-trump-sanctions-syria-aleppo|work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]|date=7 December 2016|access-date=10 December 2016|title=Fake News In Russia: 'Obama Threatens Sanctions Due To Russia's Role In Syria'|first=Kenneth|last=Rapoza|archive-date=17 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117144459/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2016/12/07/obama-russia-trump-sanctions-syria-aleppo/|url-status=live}}</ref> Sputnik falsely reported on 7 December 2016 that Earnest stated sanctions for Russia were on the table related to Syria, falsely quoting Earnest as saying: "There are a number of things that are to be considered, including some of the financial sanctions that the United States can administer in coordination with our allies. I would definitely not rule that out."<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> ''Forbes'' analyzed Earnest's White House press briefing from that week, and found the word "sanctions" was never used by the Press Secretary.<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> Russia was discussed in eight instances during the press conference, but never about sanctions.<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> The press conference focused solely on Russian air raids in Syria towards rebels fighting [[President of Syria]] [[Bashar al-Assad]] in [[Aleppo]].<ref name=fakenewsinrussia /> |
||
[[Lee Stranahan]] was hired by Sputnik News after his departure from ''[[Breitbart News]]'' and, according to ''The Washington Post'', he is Sputnik's most visible Trump supporter".<ref name="WaPo20170712">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/im-sure-youve-heard-a-lot-about-us-russia-funded-radio-broadcasts-blocks-from-the-white-house/2017/07/12/a5813f1c-6660-11e7-a85a-668d1feaf231_story.html|title=From the Kremlin to K Street: Russia-funded radio broadcasts blocks from the White House|last=Moyer|first=Justin Wm|date=12 July 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=20 February 2018|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name="NYT20170927">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/magazine/how-fake-news-turned-a-small-town-upside-down.html|title=How Fake News Turned a Small Town Upside Down|last=Dickerson|first=Caitlin|date=26 September 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=27 September 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Atlantic20180220">{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Rosie|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/from-breitbart-to-sputnik/522051/|title=From Breitbart to Sputnik|work=The Atlantic|access-date=20 February 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url= |
[[Lee Stranahan]] was hired by Sputnik News after his departure from ''[[Breitbart News]]'' and, according to ''The Washington Post'', he is Sputnik's most visible Trump supporter".<ref name="WaPo20170712">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/im-sure-youve-heard-a-lot-about-us-russia-funded-radio-broadcasts-blocks-from-the-white-house/2017/07/12/a5813f1c-6660-11e7-a85a-668d1feaf231_story.html|title=From the Kremlin to K Street: Russia-funded radio broadcasts blocks from the White House|last=Moyer|first=Justin Wm|date=12 July 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=20 February 2018|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=20 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220212548/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/im-sure-youve-heard-a-lot-about-us-russia-funded-radio-broadcasts-blocks-from-the-white-house/2017/07/12/a5813f1c-6660-11e7-a85a-668d1feaf231_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYT20170927">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/magazine/how-fake-news-turned-a-small-town-upside-down.html|title=How Fake News Turned a Small Town Upside Down|last=Dickerson|first=Caitlin|date=26 September 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=27 September 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=22 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322161902/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/magazine/how-fake-news-turned-a-small-town-upside-down.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Atlantic20180220">{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Rosie|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/from-breitbart-to-sputnik/522051/|title=From Breitbart to Sputnik|work=The Atlantic|access-date=20 February 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=26 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226005716/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/from-breitbart-to-sputnik/522051/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/327559-former-breitbart-reporter-joins-russian-propaganda-network-im-on-the-russian/|title=Former Breitbart reporter joins Russian propaganda network: 'I'm on the Russian payroll now'|last=Balluck|first=Kyle|date=6 April 2017|work=The Hill|access-date=20 February 2018|language=en|archive-date=21 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221035548/http://thehill.com/homenews/media/327559-former-breitbart-reporter-joins-russian-propaganda-network-im-on-the-russian|url-status=live}}</ref> In early 2020, at the time of the [[First impeachment of Donald Trump|Impeachment of President Trump]], Stranahan stated "the entire impeachment is a lie."<ref name="MacFarquhar2020" /> ''The Washington Post'' stated that "many Sputnik hosts profess skepticism that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election," in contradiction to the assessment of the US intelligence community.<ref name="WaPo20170712" /> |
||
===Andrew Feinberg's account=== |
===Andrew Feinberg's account=== |
||
On 26 May 2017, [[Andrew Feinberg (journalist)|Andrew Feinberg]], who had been Sputnik's White House Correspondent since the [[ |
On 26 May 2017, [[Andrew Feinberg (journalist)|Andrew Feinberg]], who had been Sputnik's White House Correspondent since the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] came into office the previous January, announced on Twitter that he would no longer be reporting for the agency.<ref name="Wemple20170526">{{cite news|last=Wemple|first=Erik|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/05/26/white-house-correspondent-bolts-sputnik-over-the-obvious/|title=White House correspondent bolts Sputnik over the obvious|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=26 May 2017|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=26 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526235506/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/05/26/white-house-correspondent-bolts-sputnik-over-the-obvious/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="FeinbergPolitico">{{Cite news|last=Feinberg|first=Andrew|url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/21/russian-propaganda-sputnik-reporter-215511|title=My Life at a Russian Propaganda Network|work=Politico|access-date=24 August 2017|archive-date=24 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824080206/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/21/russian-propaganda-sputnik-reporter-215511|url-status=live}}</ref> He said those in charge were more interested in employing "propagandists" rather than "real journalists".<ref name="KhanIndy">{{cite news|last=Khan|first=Shehab |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/andrew-feinberg-quits-sputnik-russia-news-agency-white-house-correspondent-a7758921.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/andrew-feinberg-quits-sputnik-russia-news-agency-white-house-correspondent-a7758921.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sputnik's White House correspondent quits, claiming they would rather have 'propagandists' than 'real journalists'|work=The Independent|location=London|date=27 May 2017|access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref> In one tweet he explained the agency's policy in article's attribution: "The truth is they don't want their reporters to have their own reputations, b/c a lie is easier when it doesn't come with a byline."<ref name="KhanIndy" /> He told [[Erik Wemple]] of ''The Washington Post'': "It's the fact that if you don't have bylines on stories and there's no one accountable for words, then you can really print whatever you want.<ref name="Wemple20170526" /><ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /> Sputnik, in a statement to ''The Washington Post'', accused Feinberg of making "false accusations" and expressed the "hope that the fruits of his rich imagination would not create more conspiracy theories around Sputnik."<ref>{{cite news|last=Wemple|first=Erik|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/05/30/sputnik-blasts-former-white-house-correspondent-for-rich-imagination/|title=Sputnik blasts former White House correspondent for 'rich imagination'|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=30 May 2017|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=25 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225184235/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/05/30/sputnik-blasts-former-white-house-correspondent-for-rich-imagination/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
Feinberg, in discussing his period at Sputnik, said that Sputnik's editors<ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /> asked him to write stories and ask questions at the White House press conference about the [[conspiracy theory]] between the murder of Democratic National Committee staffer [[Seth Rich]] in Washington and the leaking of DNC documents to WikiLeaks. Feinberg wrote of his discomfort as "there was absolutely no factual basis for doing so."<ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /><ref name="KhanIndy" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Rozsa|first=Matthew|url=https://www.salon.com/2017/09/11/the-fbi-is-looking-into-sputnik-the-russia-sponsored-propaganda-news-outlet/|title=The FBI is looking into Sputnik, the Russia-sponsored propaganda news outlet|work=Salon|date=11 September 2017|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|District of Columbia police]] believed that Rich had been murdered while being robbed. Feinberg believed that the editors wanted to shift blame for the leaking of the DNC documents from Russian hackers to Rich.<ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /><ref name="Wemple20170526" /><ref name="Palma">{{cite news|last=Palma|first=Bethania|url=http://www.snopes.com/2017/05/25/seth-rich-conspiracy-theory/|title=The Seth Rich Conspiracy Theory|date=25 May 2017|work=Snopes|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> Sputnik News has published articles promoting conspiracy theories about the [[murder of Seth Rich]].<ref name="Palma" /> |
Feinberg, in discussing his period at Sputnik, said that Sputnik's editors<ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /> asked him to write stories and ask questions at the White House press conference about the [[conspiracy theory]] between the murder of Democratic National Committee staffer [[Seth Rich]] in Washington and the leaking of DNC documents to WikiLeaks. Feinberg wrote of his discomfort as "there was absolutely no factual basis for doing so."<ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /><ref name="KhanIndy" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Rozsa|first=Matthew|url=https://www.salon.com/2017/09/11/the-fbi-is-looking-into-sputnik-the-russia-sponsored-propaganda-news-outlet/|title=The FBI is looking into Sputnik, the Russia-sponsored propaganda news outlet|work=Salon|date=11 September 2017|access-date=29 February 2020|archive-date=29 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229131924/https://www.salon.com/2017/09/11/the-fbi-is-looking-into-sputnik-the-russia-sponsored-propaganda-news-outlet/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|District of Columbia police]] believed that Rich had been murdered while being robbed. Feinberg believed that the editors wanted to shift blame for the leaking of the DNC documents from Russian hackers to Rich.<ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /><ref name="Wemple20170526" /><ref name="Palma">{{cite news|last=Palma|first=Bethania|url=http://www.snopes.com/2017/05/25/seth-rich-conspiracy-theory/|title=The Seth Rich Conspiracy Theory|date=25 May 2017|work=Snopes|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> Sputnik News has published articles promoting conspiracy theories about the [[murder of Seth Rich]].<ref name="Palma" /> |
||
In an interview with [[Brian Stelter]] for [[CNN]], Feinberg said that Sputnik management had insisted on approving or dictating questions he would ask at White House press briefings, and wanted him to ask questions to imply that the [[Khan Shaykhun chemical attack|April 2017 Sarin gas attack]] in Syria was a hoax: "I was asked to put questions to the White House that framed the issue in such a way that made it seem that the attack didn't happen, that it was staged,"<ref>{{cite news|last=Wattles|first=Jackie |
In an interview with [[Brian Stelter]] for [[CNN]], Feinberg said that Sputnik management had insisted on approving or dictating questions he would ask at White House press briefings, and wanted him to ask questions to imply that the [[Khan Shaykhun chemical attack|April 2017 Sarin gas attack]] in Syria was a hoax: "I was asked to put questions to the White House that framed the issue in such a way that made it seem that the attack didn't happen, that it was staged,"<ref>{{cite news|last=Wattles|first=Jackie|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/04/media/sputnik-andrew-feinberg/index.html|title=Ex-reporter for Russian news agency Sputnik says he was 'fed' questions|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226045711/https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/04/media/sputnik-andrew-feinberg/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In particular, he was asked to raise at the White House the assertions made by [[Ted Postol]] querying Syrian responsibility for the attack. On that occasion, he was not called.<ref name="Wemple20170526" /> Feinberg wrote in a ''[[Politico]]'' August 2017 article, he had concluded after the request that Sputnik's "mission wasn't really to report the news as much as it was to push a narrative that would either sow doubts about situations that weren't flattering to Russia or its allies, or hurt the reputation of the United States and its allies."<ref name="FeinbergPolitico" /> |
||
===Other United States responses=== |
===Other United States responses=== |
||
In April 2018, journalist [[John Stanton (journalist)|John Stanton]], who had been Sputnik's Pentagon Correspondent for roughly two years, published a report highly critical of Sputnik News, Sputnik Radio, and RIA Novosti, declaring that both the organizations were part of a larger Russian Information Warfare Operation. His public findings were part of an insider research effort while at Sputnik on behalf of the US government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://cryptome.org/2018/04/stanton-sputnik.pdf|title=Putin's Information Warfare, Open Source Intelligence Operations in Washington, DC|work=Cryptome|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> |
In April 2018, journalist [[John Stanton (journalist)|John Stanton]], who had been Sputnik's Pentagon Correspondent for roughly two years, published a report highly critical of Sputnik News, Sputnik Radio, and RIA Novosti, declaring that both the organizations were part of a larger Russian Information Warfare Operation. His public findings were part of an insider research effort while at Sputnik on behalf of the US government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://cryptome.org/2018/04/stanton-sputnik.pdf|title=Putin's Information Warfare, Open Source Intelligence Operations in Washington, DC|work=Cryptome|access-date=10 December 2018|archive-date=5 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180605175929/https://cryptome.org/2018/04/stanton-sputnik.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
In May 2018, the [[PBS|Public Broadcasting Service]]'s ''[[PBS NewsHour|NewsHour]]'' website published an article by Elizabeth Flock who reported that Sputnik News and Radio reports "seemed intended to polarize" and "to distract and confuse" after listening to them over a week. On a visit to the station, she discovered "a stranger picture than I anticipated, one in which I began to understand how persuasive disinformation could be."<ref name="Flock">{{Cite news|last=Flock|first=Elizabeth|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/after-a-week-of-russian-propaganda-i-was-questioning-everything|title=After a Week of Russian Propaganda I was Questioning Everything|work=PBS |
In May 2018, the [[PBS|Public Broadcasting Service]]'s ''[[PBS NewsHour|NewsHour]]'' website published an article by Elizabeth Flock who reported that Sputnik News and Radio reports "seemed intended to polarize" and "to distract and confuse" after listening to them over a week. On a visit to the station, she discovered "a stranger picture than I anticipated, one in which I began to understand how persuasive disinformation could be."<ref name="Flock">{{Cite news|last=Flock|first=Elizabeth|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/after-a-week-of-russian-propaganda-i-was-questioning-everything|title=After a Week of Russian Propaganda I was Questioning Everything|work=[[PBS NewsHour]]|date=2 May 2018|access-date=10 December 2018|archive-date=12 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512181029/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/after-a-week-of-russian-propaganda-i-was-questioning-everything|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Flock, Stanton told her "They mix real with unreal, use dubious sources". It was difficult for him to point to the real problem as it "was like pushing a wet noodle." In other words, establishing what can be labelled disinformation is extremely difficult, she concluded.<ref name="Flock" /> |
||
''[[Foreign Policy]]'' magazine has described Sputnik as a slick and internet-savvy outlet of [[Moscow Kremlin|Kremlin]] propaganda, which "remixes President |
''[[Foreign Policy]]'' magazine has described Sputnik as a slick and internet-savvy outlet of [[Moscow Kremlin|Kremlin]] propaganda, which "remixes President Vladimir Putin's brand of revanchist nationalism for an international audience... beating a predictable drum of anti-Western rhetoric."<ref name="GrollFP" /> |
||
In January |
In January 2022, the [[United States Department of State|U. S. State Department]]'s [[Global Engagement Center]] (GEC) published a report titled "Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik's Role in Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem." Its case studies included one on "false narratives" published by Sputnik and RT justifying Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border.<ref name="2022State">{{Cite web |
||
|url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kremlin-Funded-Media_January_update-19.pdf |
|||
|title=Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik's Role in Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem |
|title=Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik's Role in Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem |
||
|publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |
|publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |
||
|quote=Russian state-funded and state-controlled media began spreading disinformation narratives describing the Ukrainian government, and a significant portion of the population, as either fascists or Nazis...Sputnik also worked alongside RT to spread this inflammatory narrative. |
|quote=Russian state-funded and state-controlled media began spreading disinformation narratives describing the Ukrainian government, and a significant portion of the population, as either fascists or Nazis...Sputnik also worked alongside RT to spread this inflammatory narrative. |
||
|date=2022 |
|date=2022 |
||
|access-date=February 23, 2022 |
|||
|archive-date=21 March 2022 |
|||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321224400/https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kremlin-Funded-Media_January_update-19.pdf |
|||
|url-status=live |
|||
}}</ref> |
|||
== European coverage and responses == |
== European coverage and responses == |
||
Ben Nimmo, in a paper for the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), wrote that Sputnik invitations concentrate on a select group of politicians for their east European services, especially those known for their pro-Russian ([[Tatjana Ždanoka]] in Latvia) or anti-EU opinions ([[Janusz Korwin-Mikke]] in Poland). These two political figures have limited support in their countries; Korwin-Mikke gained slightly more than 3% in Poland's presidential election in May 2015, while Ždanoka is barred from holding public office for her opposition to Latvia's independence from Russia.<ref name="CEPA201601" /> Sputnik has spread a false claim about [[Angela Merkel]], the chancellor of Germany, who was wrongly said to have posed for a selfie with an |
Ben Nimmo, in a paper for the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), wrote that Sputnik invitations concentrate on a select group of politicians for their east European services, especially those known for their pro-Russian ([[Tatjana Ždanoka]] in Latvia) or anti-EU opinions ([[Janusz Korwin-Mikke]] in Poland). These two political figures have limited support in their countries; Korwin-Mikke gained slightly more than 3% in Poland's presidential election in May 2015, while Ždanoka is barred from holding public office for her opposition to Latvia's independence from Russia.<ref name="CEPA201601" /> Sputnik has spread a false claim about [[Angela Merkel]], the chancellor of Germany, who was wrongly said to have posed for a selfie with an ISIS suspect.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dearden |first=Lizzie |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sputnik-news-russian-government-owned-controlled-nato-accuses-kremlin-propaganda-machine-a7574721.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sputnik-news-russian-government-owned-controlled-nato-accuses-kremlin-propaganda-machine-a7574721.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Nato accuses Sputnik News of distributing misinformation as part of 'Kremlin propaganda machine' |work=The Independent |location= London |date=11 February 2017|access-date=23 March 2020}}</ref> |
||
In the opinion of Kevin Rothrock, Russia editor for [[Global Voices Online|Global Voices]], Sputnik "acts as a spoiler to try and disrupt or blur information unfriendly to Russia, such as Russian troops' alleged [[Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present)|involvement in the war in Ukraine]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://qz.com/774779/russian-state-news-organization-sputnik-is-obsessed-with-ufos-and-alien-life/|title=A Russian state news organization has suddenly become obsessed with UFOs|last=Haldevang|first=Max de|access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> Historical comparisons have been made to ''[[Pravda]]'', the former official newspaper of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]], in particular Sputnik's alleged apologia for [[Joseph Stalin]] and [[Denial of the Holodomor|denial of the 1932–1933 famine in Ukraine]] known as the [[Holodomor]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Cathy|title=Russia Denies Stalin's Killer Famine|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/31/russia-denies-stalin-s-killer-famine.html|access-date=7 March 2017|work=The Daily Beast|date=31 October 2015}}</ref> |
In the opinion of Kevin Rothrock, Russia editor for [[Global Voices Online|Global Voices]], Sputnik "acts as a spoiler to try and disrupt or blur information unfriendly to Russia, such as Russian troops' alleged [[Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present)|involvement in the war in Ukraine]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://qz.com/774779/russian-state-news-organization-sputnik-is-obsessed-with-ufos-and-alien-life/|title=A Russian state news organization has suddenly become obsessed with UFOs|last=Haldevang|first=Max de|date=7 September 2016|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-date=10 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910234131/http://qz.com/774779/russian-state-news-organization-sputnik-is-obsessed-with-ufos-and-alien-life/|url-status=live}}</ref> Historical comparisons have been made to ''[[Pravda]]'', the former official newspaper of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]], in particular Sputnik's alleged apologia for [[Joseph Stalin]] and [[Denial of the Holodomor|denial of the 1932–1933 famine in Ukraine]] known as the [[Holodomor]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Cathy|title=Russia Denies Stalin's Killer Famine|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/31/russia-denies-stalin-s-killer-famine.html|access-date=7 March 2017|work=The Daily Beast|date=31 October 2015|archive-date=19 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419021038/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/31/russia-denies-stalin-s-killer-famine.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
German journalist and author Michael Thumann describes Sputnik as being part of what he calls Russia's "digital [[information warfare|information war]] against the West".<ref name="Zeit">{{cite news|last=Thurman |first=Michael |url= |
German journalist and author Michael Thumann describes Sputnik as being part of what he calls Russia's "digital [[information warfare|information war]] against the West".<ref name="Zeit">{{cite news |last=Thurman |first=Michael |url=http://www.zeit.de/2015/30/russland-medien-propaganda-putin |title=Und...Action! |work=Die Zeit |language=de |location=Hamburg |date=9 August 2015 |access-date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=3 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803195527/https://www.zeit.de/2015/30/russland-medien-propaganda-putin |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Peter Pomerantsev]], in an article for the London ''[[The Sunday Times|Sunday Times]]'', wrote that in the 2017 German elections the Sputnik news agency was negative or neutral about the country's political parties, with the exception of the right-wing nationalist [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD).<ref>{{cite news|last=Pomerantsev|first=Peter|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-kremlins-conspiracy-machine-nourishes-the-narcissist-and-the-disaffected-27ggp8gvj|title=The Kremlin's conspiracy machine nourishes the narcissist and the disaffected|work=The Sunday Times|location=London|date=9 September 2018|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226220239/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-kremlins-conspiracy-machine-nourishes-the-narcissist-and-the-disaffected-27ggp8gvj|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> |
||
[[Alexander Podrabinek]], a Russian journalist who works for [[Radio France Internationale]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Davidoff |
[[Alexander Podrabinek]], a Russian journalist who works for [[Radio France Internationale]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Davidoff|first1=Victor|title=Soviet Psychiatry Returns|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/soviet-psychiatry-returns/487761.html|access-date=9 January 2014|work=[[The Moscow Times]]|date=13 October 2013|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307000239/http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/soviet-psychiatry-returns/487761.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Judan|first1=Ben|title=Reporter says criticism of Soviets brought threats|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2009/oct/01/eu-russia-journalist-threatened-100109/|work=[[The San Diego Union Tribune]]|date=1 October 2009|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-date=19 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119082353/http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2009/oct/01/eu-russia-journalist-threatened-100109/|url-status=live}}</ref> (part of [[Government of France|French Government]]'s [[France Médias Monde]]) and [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|Radio Liberty]]<ref name="RL">{{cite web|title=Автор: Александр Подрабинек|url=http://www.svoboda.org/author/21746.html|publisher=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|Radio Liberty]]|language=ru|access-date=17 October 2015|archive-date=8 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908043557/http://www.svoboda.org/author/21746.html|url-status=live}}</ref> (supervised by [[Broadcasting Board of Governors]], an [[Independent agencies of the United States government|Independent agency]] of the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal government]]) has accused Sputnik of disseminating Russian state propaganda abroad.<ref name="AFPnov14">{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/russia-fights-western-propaganda-critical-media-squeezed-132033487.html|title=Russia fights Western 'propaganda' as critical media squeezed|date=20 November 2014|publisher=[[Yahoo! News]]|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|last1=Laetitia|first1=Peron|access-date=24 January 2015|archive-date=12 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312122337/http://news.yahoo.com/russia-fights-western-propaganda-critical-media-squeezed-132033487.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In a vote urging for the [[European Union]] (EU) to "respond to information warfare by Russia", the [[European Parliament]] accused broadcasting channels Sputnik and [[RT (TV channel)|RT]] of "information warfare", and placed Russian media organisations alongside terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State. The federal agency of ''[[Rossotrudnichestvo]]'' and the [[Russkiy Mir Foundation]] were also seen as tools for Russian [[propaganda]].<ref>{{cite news|title=EU Strategic Communications With A View To Counteracting Propaganda|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2016/578008/EXPO_IDA(2016)578008_EN.pdf|work=European Parliament|date=20 November 2016|access-date=8 March 2017|archive-date=7 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107175521/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2016/578008/EXPO_IDA(2016)578008_EN.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a study by [[Masaryk University]], Sputnik is one of the major sources of Russian propaganda in the Czech Republic.<ref>[https://zpravy.idnes.cz/analyza-prokremelskych-webu-evropske-hodnoty-masarykova-univerzita-gregor-vejvodova-g5a-/ Analýza „prokremelských" webů: šíří vlnu zloby a půl procenta soucitu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160007/https://zpravy.idnes.cz/analyza-prokremelskych-webu-evropske-hodnoty-masarykova-univerzita-gregor-vejvodova-g5a-/ |date=11 February 2017 }} (Czech). ''[[Mladá fronta DNES]]''. 13 June 2016</ref> |
||
In August 2016, Sputnik opened offices in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnston|first=Neil|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kremlin-news-service-opens-in-edinburgh-hq9ppmc8d|title=Kremlin news service opens in Edinburgh|work=The Times|location=London|date=11 August 2016|access-date=26 February 2020}} |
In August 2016, Sputnik opened offices in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnston|first=Neil|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kremlin-news-service-opens-in-edinburgh-hq9ppmc8d|title=Kremlin news service opens in Edinburgh|work=The Times|location=London|date=11 August 2016|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226211306/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kremlin-news-service-opens-in-edinburgh-hq9ppmc8d|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> its headquarters in the UK.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Dominic|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/to-edinburgh-with-love-moscow-s-scottish-links-f9k6n3lsr|title=To Edinburgh with love: Moscow's Scottish links|work=The Times|location=London|date=14 April 2018|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226205625/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/to-edinburgh-with-love-moscow-s-scottish-links-f9k6n3lsr|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The agency established its radio studio and bureau in the city.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Dominic|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kremlin-sows-discord-with-new-weapon-at-heart-of-uk-q377tch6q|title=Kremlin sows discord with new weapon at heart of UK|work=The Times|location=London|date=30 July 2016|access-date=26 February 2020}} {{subscription required}}</ref> In April 2021, ''[[The Times]]'' reported Russian sources had said Sputnik's London and Edinburgh offices were closing with the outlet's English language staff being concentrated in Washington DC and Moscow.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cameron|first1=Greig|last2=Leask|first2=David|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russias-propaganda-agency-quits-hostile-nation-jwgcw78vs|title=Russia's propaganda agency quits 'hostile' nation|work=The Times|date=2 April 2021|access-date=2 April 2021|archive-date=2 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402023736/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russias-propaganda-agency-quits-hostile-nation-jwgcw78vs|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-media-britain-idUSKBN2BP100|title=Russia's Sputnik news agency halts operations in Britain: media group|work=Reuters|date=2 April 2021|access-date=5 April 2021|archive-date=2 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402161858/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-media-britain-idUSKBN2BP100|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
A January 2017 report by The Swedish Institute of International Affairs found that a Swedish-language version of Sputnik News website was one of the main tools used by the Russian government to spread false information in Sweden including publicizing documents posted on little-known Swedish and Russian websites which were found to be forgeries.<ref name="SweRad20170109" /><ref name="Gdn20170111">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/11/russia-waging-information-war-in-sweden-study-finds|title=Russia waging information war against Sweden, study finds|last=Henley|first=Jon|date=11 January 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> According to the report, Sputnik News frequently focused on negative stories about [[NATO]] and the EU, consistent with Russia's foreign policy interest of minimizing NATO's role in the Baltic region and keeping Sweden out of NATO.<ref name="MacFarquhar2016" /><ref name="Gdn20170111" /> A research analysis done by Martin Kragh and Sebestian Asberg at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, found that Swedish Sputnik focused on depicting Russia as under attack by aggressive Western governments, describing EU as being in "terminal decline", and NATO as a dangerous military threat.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Kragh|first1=Martin|last2=Åsberg|first2=Sebastian|s2cid=157114426|date=2017-09-19|title=Russia's strategy for influence through public diplomacy and active measures: the Swedish case|journal=Journal of Strategic Studies|volume=40|issue=6|pages=773–816|doi=10.1080/01402390.2016.1273830|issn=0140-2390}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{citation|last=Watanabe|first=Kohei|title=Conspiracist propaganda: How Russia promotes anti-establishment sentiment online|publisher= ECPR General Conference, Hamburg|year=2018|s2cid=158733395}}</ref> These efforts were believed to try to change how the public in Sweden viewed its government and the EU.<ref name=":0" /> The Swedish-language version ran for a year from April 2015 to spring of 2016, where it was forced to shut down and removed from the internet in that year.<ref>{{cite news|last=Parfitt|first=Tom|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putin-accused-of-driving-a-wedge-between-sweden-and-nato-nf9dmzd3h|title=Putin accused of driving a wedge between Sweden and Nato|work=The Times|location=London|date=13 January 2017|access-date=26 February 2020}} |
A January 2017 report by The Swedish Institute of International Affairs found that a Swedish-language version of Sputnik News website was one of the main tools used by the Russian government to spread false information in Sweden including publicizing documents posted on little-known Swedish and Russian websites which were found to be forgeries.<ref name="SweRad20170109" /><ref name="Gdn20170111">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/11/russia-waging-information-war-in-sweden-study-finds|title=Russia waging information war against Sweden, study finds|last=Henley|first=Jon|date=11 January 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-date=21 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221100202/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/11/russia-waging-information-war-in-sweden-study-finds|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the report, Sputnik News frequently focused on negative stories about [[NATO]] and the EU, consistent with Russia's foreign policy interest of minimizing NATO's role in the Baltic region and keeping Sweden out of NATO.<ref name="MacFarquhar2016" /><ref name="Gdn20170111" /> A research analysis done by Martin Kragh and Sebestian Asberg at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, found that Swedish Sputnik focused on depicting Russia as under attack by aggressive Western governments, describing EU as being in "terminal decline", and NATO as a dangerous military threat.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Kragh|first1=Martin|last2=Åsberg|first2=Sebastian|s2cid=157114426|date=2017-09-19|title=Russia's strategy for influence through public diplomacy and active measures: the Swedish case|journal=Journal of Strategic Studies|volume=40|issue=6|pages=773–816|doi=10.1080/01402390.2016.1273830|issn=0140-2390}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{citation|last=Watanabe|first=Kohei|title=Conspiracist propaganda: How Russia promotes anti-establishment sentiment online|publisher= ECPR General Conference, Hamburg|year=2018|s2cid=158733395}}</ref> These efforts were believed to try to change how the public in Sweden viewed its government and the EU.<ref name=":0" /> The Swedish-language version ran for a year from April 2015 to spring of 2016, where it was forced to shut down and removed from the internet in that year.<ref>{{cite news|last=Parfitt|first=Tom|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putin-accused-of-driving-a-wedge-between-sweden-and-nato-nf9dmzd3h|title=Putin accused of driving a wedge between Sweden and Nato|work=The Times|location=London|date=13 January 2017|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226214155/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putin-accused-of-driving-a-wedge-between-sweden-and-nato-nf9dmzd3h|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> |
||
In April 2017, [[Emmanuel Macron]]'s [[2017 French presidential election|campaign team]] banned both |
In April 2017, [[Emmanuel Macron]]'s [[2017 French presidential election|campaign team]] banned both RT and Sputnik from campaign events. A Macron spokesperson said the two broadcasting outlets showed a "systematic desire to issue fake news and false information".<ref>{{cite news|title=Emmanuel Macron's campaign team bans Russian news outlets from events|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/27/russia-emmanuel-macron-banned-news-outlets-discrimination|work=The Guardian|agency=Reuters|date=27 April 2017|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=5 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605061842/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/27/russia-emmanuel-macron-banned-news-outlets-discrimination|url-status=live}}</ref> A report claiming the pro-Russian candidate, [[François Fillon]], had returned to the lead prior to the election was the subject of a reprimand from the country's election commission. Sputnik had falsely attributed the result to an opinion poll, whereas the assertion had actually originated from Brand Analytics, a Moscow-based company.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bremner|first=Charles|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/macron-is-main-target-of-russian-interference-9cv7cxhl5|title=Macron is main target of Russian interference|work=The Times|location=London|date=19 April 2017|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226225448/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/macron-is-main-target-of-russian-interference-9cv7cxhl5|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Higgins|first=Andrew|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/world/europe/french-election-russia.html|title=It's France's Turn to Worry About Election Meddling by Russia|work=The New York Times|date=17 April 2017|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226232744/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/world/europe/french-election-russia.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A few weeks after Macron won the presidential election, President Putin visited the Versailles Palace. During a joint press conference with the Russian leader, Macron himself accused Sputnik and RT of having "produced slanderous countertruths".<ref>{{cite news|last=Sage|first=Adam|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/macron-condemns-lies-published-by-russian-media-ljm6smhzk|title=Macron confronts Putin over lies in Russian media|work=The Times|location=London|date=30 May 2017|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=26 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226222511/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/macron-condemns-lies-published-by-russian-media-ljm6smhzk|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> |
||
In June 2019, it was found that Serbian language outlet of Sputnik has infiltrated a disinformation hub in [[Bosnia And Herzegovina]]. These findings were published by internationally recognized fact-checking platform Raskrinkavanje,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://euvsdisinfo.eu/how-serbian-sputnik-infiltrated-a-disinformation-hub-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/|title=How Serbian Sputnik Infiltrated a Disinformation Hub in Bosnia And Herzegovina|date=2019-06-14|website=EU vs DISINFORMATION|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-14}}</ref> which wrote reports about Sputnik bias towards spreading disinformation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/sputnik-o-bosni-medijski-zastupnik-milorada-dodika|title="Sputnik" o Bosni: Medijski "zastupnik" Milorada Dodika|website=Raskrinkavanje.ba|access-date=2019-06-14}}</ref> in a 106-page document.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://zastone.ba/app/uploads/2019/05/Disinformation_in_the_online_sphere_The_case_of_BiH_ENG.pdf|title=Disinformation in the online sphere: The case of BiH |
In June 2019, it was found that Serbian language outlet of Sputnik has infiltrated a disinformation hub in [[Bosnia And Herzegovina]]. These findings were published by internationally recognized [[fact-checking]] platform Raskrinkavanje,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://euvsdisinfo.eu/how-serbian-sputnik-infiltrated-a-disinformation-hub-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/|title=How Serbian Sputnik Infiltrated a Disinformation Hub in Bosnia And Herzegovina|date=2019-06-14|website=EU vs DISINFORMATION|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=11 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711112423/https://euvsdisinfo.eu/how-serbian-sputnik-infiltrated-a-disinformation-hub-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/|url-status=dead}}</ref> which wrote reports about Sputnik bias towards spreading disinformation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/sputnik-o-bosni-medijski-zastupnik-milorada-dodika|title="Sputnik" o Bosni: Medijski "zastupnik" Milorada Dodika|website=Raskrinkavanje.ba|date=8 January 2018|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=4 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804165436/https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/sputnik-o-bosni-medijski-zastupnik-milorada-dodika|url-status=live}}</ref> in a 106-page document.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://zastone.ba/app/uploads/2019/05/Disinformation_in_the_online_sphere_The_case_of_BiH_ENG.pdf|title=Disinformation in the online sphere: The case of BiH|last1=Cvjetićanin|first1=Tijana|last2=Zulejhić|first2=Emir|last3=Brkan|first3=Darko|last4=Livančić-Milić|first4=Biljana|access-date=14 June 2019|archive-date=30 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630114129/https://zastone.ba/app/uploads/2019/05/Disinformation_in_the_online_sphere_The_case_of_BiH_ENG.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
With the intention of protecting democratic values and to combat Russian disinformation campaigns utilizing RT and Sputnik, the European Union established [[East StratCom Task Force|The East StratCom Task Force]] in 2015.<ref>{{ |
With the intention of protecting democratic values and to combat [[Russian disinformation]] campaigns utilizing RT and Sputnik, the European Union established [[East StratCom Task Force|The East StratCom Task Force]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news|title=About|url=https://euvsdisinfo.eu/about/|newspaper=Euvsdisinfo|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-15|archive-date=7 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007220955/https://euvsdisinfo.eu/about/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> |
||
During the 2022 [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Sputnik republished an RIA Novosti article titled "The arrival/attack of Russia and the new world" ("Наступление России и нового мира"), which falsely claimed that Russia had won the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]], lauded Putin's invasion for solving the "Ukrainian question", and declared the end of "Western global domination" with the start of a "[[New world order (politics)|new world order]]" that joined Russia, [[Belarus]], and [[Ukraine]] against the rest of Europe. The article remained available on Sputnik's website after RIA Novosti took it down from its own.<ref name="Coleman 2022">{{cite web |last1=Coleman |first1=Alistair |title=Ukraine crisis: Russian news agency deletes victory editorial |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60562240 |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=7 March 2022 |date=28 February 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301123836/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60562240 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lozano |first1=Sergio |title=Una agencia de noticias rusa publica por error el editorial de la victoria sobre Ucrania |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20220301/8090341/agencia-noticias-rusa-publica-error-editorial-victoria.html |website=[[La Vanguardia]] |access-date=7 March 2022 |language=es |date=1 March 2022 |trans-title=A Russian news agency mistakenly publishes editorial of victory over Ukraine |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307052034/https://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20220301/8090341/agencia-noticias-rusa-publica-error-editorial-victoria.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
|||
===COVID-19 disinformation=== |
===COVID-19 disinformation=== |
||
A report by Sputnik's Belarusian service claimed the virus was an " |
A report by Sputnik's Belarusian service claimed the virus was an "Anglo-Saxon" plot to counter China while Sputnik's associated outlet in South Ossetia (currently occupied by Russian armed forces) said the COVID-19 virus was created as a weapon in the West for information warfare.<ref name="Russphb20200315">{{cite news |title='Russophobic': Kremlin Denies Evidence of Russian COVID-19 Disinformation Campaign |url=https://www.polygraph.info/a/kremlin-blames-russophobia-for-report-on-russian-coronavirus-disinfo/30498024.html |website=polygraph.info |access-date=31 March 2020 |date=15 December 2020 |archive-date=28 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328053850/https://www.polygraph.info/a/kremlin-blames-russophobia-for-report-on-russian-coronavirus-disinfo/30498024.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/coronavirus-is-anglo-saxons-attempt-to-put-china-under-external-control-just-as-during-the-opium-wars/|title=Disinfo: Coronavirus is an attempt by the Anglo-Saxons to control China|website=EUvsDisInfo|access-date=2 January 2021|archive-date=18 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518215742/https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/coronavirus-is-anglo-saxons-attempt-to-put-china-under-external-control-just-as-during-the-opium-wars/|url-status=live}}</ref> Its Armenian affiliate insisted the virus had been created in a US laboratory. A Sputnik-associated outlet in Latvia, suggested it might have been created in Latvia.<ref name="Russphb20200315" /> |
||
== Middle East coverage == |
== Middle East coverage == |
||
In the Middle East, Russia used Sputnik and [[RT Arabic]] to promote its foreign policy goals through "informational warfare".<ref name=":2">Jensen, Donald N. "11. Russia in the Middle East: A New Front in the Information War?." ''RUSSIA IN THE'' (2018): 265. |
In the Middle East, Russia used Sputnik and [[RT Arabic]] to promote its foreign policy goals through "informational warfare".<ref name=":2">Jensen, Donald N. "11. Russia in the Middle East: A New Front in the Information War?." ''RUSSIA IN THE'' (2018): 265. https://jamestown.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Russia-in-the-Middle-East-online.pdf?x75907#page=278 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702030806/https://jamestown.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Russia-in-the-Middle-East-online.pdf?x75907#page=278 |date=2 July 2023 }}</ref> Russia tried to increase its power and presence in the Middle East as well as reduce United States influence in the region, fight terrorism, and establish allies in Syria with Bashar al-Assad.<ref name=":2" /> |
||
In April 2017, Sputnik and RT reported little to no information on the |
In April 2017, Sputnik and RT reported little to no information on the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack in Syria.<ref name=":2" /> During the attacks, Sputnik and RT did not report on the incident; there was no coverage provided on the survivors or their testimonies, and the history of violence in the area such as massacres, bombings, and chemical attacks that have occurred in the Syrian regime were not recorded.<ref name=":2" /> After the massacre, Sputnik and RT widely questioned the cause and the history of the massacre through daily reports; false and missing information was frequently cited as the identities of the claimed "experts" were not shared, and alternative versions of the event were falsely reported as they claimed that the attacks were done by the [[White Helmets (Syrian Civil War)|White Helmets]], a Syrian civil volunteer organization.<ref name=":2" /> Journalist Finian Cunningham wrote that the White Helmets were "propaganda conduits for [[al-Qaeda]] terror groups" which contributed to the controversy and negative news that the White Helmets faced.<ref name=":4">Czuperski, Maksymilian, et al. ''Disinformation''. Atlantic Council, 2017, pp. 54–61, ''Breaking Aleppo'', {{JSTOR|resrep03700.14}}. Accessed 15 May 2020.</ref> Published reports by Sputnik at the time were considered biased and did not consist of reliable sources or experts.<ref name=":4" /> These statements were shared by Sputnik and RT throughout social media platforms as well as other news outlets that supported the Syrian regime.<ref>Jensen, Donald N. "Russia in the Middle East: A New Front in the Information Was?." https://jamestown.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Don-Jensen-WS2-Media-Tactics.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605061946/https://jamestown.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Don-Jensen-WS2-Media-Tactics.pdf |date=5 June 2020 }}</ref> |
||
==International bans and restrictions== |
==International bans and restrictions== |
||
In March 2016, access to Sputnik's online content was blocked by Turkish authorities, as well as denying the Turkish bureau chief Tural Kerimov access to the country. The development |
In March 2016, access to Sputnik's online content was blocked by Turkish authorities, as well as denying the Turkish bureau chief Tural Kerimov access to the country. The development was thought to have been in response to comments by the Russian leadership critical of President [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] and the Turkish government's record on human rights and freedom of speech.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-russia-media-idUSKCN0XC0OS|title=Russian state news agency Sputnik says site blocked in Turkey|date=15 April 2016|publisher=Reuters|access-date=2 July 2017|archive-date=29 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329175127/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-russia-media-idUSKCN0XC0OS|url-status=live}}</ref> The website was unblocked later that same year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=238&nID=102584&NewsCatID=341|title=Turkey lifts ban on Russia's Sputnik news website - LOCAL|website=Hürriyet Daily News|location=Istanbul|date=8 August 2016|access-date=14 November 2016|archive-date=14 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114165803/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=238&nID=102584&NewsCatID=341|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, the agency shut down its website in the [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish language]] without mentioning any particular reason for the decision. Former employees of Sputnik said that the news agency decided to shut it down at [[Turkey]]'s request, as part of both anti-Kurdish political movement and pro-Russian politics of Erdoğan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ahvalnews.com/media/russian-sputnik-shuts-down-kurdish-website-turkeys-request|title=Russian Sputnik shuts down Kurdish website at Turkey's request|publisher=Ahval News|date=30 June 2018|access-date=1 July 2018|archive-date=1 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701165041/https://ahvalnews.com/media/russian-sputnik-shuts-down-kurdish-website-turkeys-request|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
||
⚫ | In October 2017, [[Twitter]] banned both RT and Sputnik from advertising on their social networking service following the conclusions of the U.S. national intelligence report the previous January that both Sputnik and RT had been used as vehicles for [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Dwoskin|first=Elizabeth|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/10/26/twitter-bans-russian-government-news-sites-rt-and-sputnik-from-buying-ads/|title=Twitter bans Russian government-owned news sites RT and Sputnik from buying ads|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=26 October 2017|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030205816/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/10/26/twitter-bans-russian-government-news-sites-rt-and-sputnik-from-buying-ads/|url-status=live}}</ref> It prompted a stern response from spokeswoman [[Maria Zakharova]] of the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia)|Russian Foreign Ministry]]. It said the ban was a "gross violation" by the United States of the guarantees of free speech. "Retaliatory measures, naturally, will follow".<ref>{{cite magazine|title = Twitter Bans Ads From Russia Today and the Sputnik Network, Citing Election Meddling|url = https://www.time.com/4999788/twitter-bans-russia-today-sputnik-ads/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171027043950/http://time.com/4999788/twitter-bans-russia-today-sputnik-ads/|url-status = dead|archive-date = 27 October 2017|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date = 27 October 2017|access-date = 26 July 2018}}</ref> In November, [[Alphabet Inc.|Alphabet]] chairman [[Eric Schmidt]] announced that [[Google]] will be "deranking" stories from RT and Sputnik in response to "weaponised" content and allegations about election meddling by President Putin's government, provoking claims of censorship from both outlets.<ref>{{cite news|title=Google to 'derank' Russia Today and Sputnik|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42065644|work=BBC News|date=21 November 2017|access-date=22 November 2017|archive-date=21 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121214322/http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42065644|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
⚫ | To reduce the spread of disinformation, [[Facebook]] and Google implemented fact-checking tools throughout their platforms.<ref>Benková, Lívia. "The Rise of Russian Disinformation in Europe." (2018). https://www.aies.at/download/2018/AIES-Fokus_2018-03.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626032920/https://www.aies.at/download/2018/AIES-Fokus_2018-03.pdf |date=26 June 2021 }}</ref> In January 2019, Facebook removed 289 pages and 75 accounts that the company said were used by Sputnik for misinformation on Facebook.<ref>{{cite news|last=Drozdiak|first=Natalia|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-17/facebook-removes-thousands-of-pages-linked-to-russian-networks|title=Facebook Accuses Staff at Russia's Sputnik of Fake Accounts|date=17 January 2019|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=5 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605062401/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-17/facebook-removes-thousands-of-pages-linked-to-russian-networks|url-status=live}}</ref> The removed pages posed as independent news sites in eastern Europe and elsewhere but were actually run by employees at Sputnik. It was another in a series of actions taken by Facebook against Russian disinformation.<ref name="O'SullivanCNN" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/01/removing-cib-from-russia/|title=Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior from Russia {{!}} Facebook Newsroom|date=17 January 2019|language=en|access-date=18 January 2019|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020064729/https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/01/removing-cib-from-russia/|url-status=live}}</ref> Along with Chinese and other Russian state media outlets, Twitter attached a "state-affiliated media" label to Sputnik's account.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/08/06/technology/06reuters-twitter-labels-media.html|title=Twitter Labels State Media, Government Officials' Accounts|work=The New York Times|agency=Reuters|date=August 6, 2020|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref> |
||
In July 2019, British [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] banned both RT and Sputnik from attending the Global Conference for Media Freedom in [[London]] for "their active role in spreading disinformation". The Russian Embassy called the decision "direct politically motivated discrimination".<ref name="Russia's RT banned from UK media freedom conference">{{cite news|title=Russia's RT banned from UK media freedom conference|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48919085|work=BBC News|date=9 July 2019|access-date=26 August 2019}}</ref> European Union External Action East StratCom Task Force and separate fact-checkers have discerned reoccurrences of Sputnik and RT publishing false information.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Measuring the reach of "fake news" and online disinformation in Europe|url=http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/publications/2018/measuring-reach-fake-news-online-disinformation-europe/|website=Digital News Report|date=February 2018|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref> |
In July 2019, British [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] banned both RT and Sputnik from attending the Global Conference for Media Freedom in [[London]] for "their active role in spreading disinformation". The Russian Embassy called the decision "direct politically motivated discrimination".<ref name="Russia's RT banned from UK media freedom conference">{{cite news|title=Russia's RT banned from UK media freedom conference|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48919085|work=BBC News|date=9 July 2019|access-date=26 August 2019|archive-date=1 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901003252/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48919085|url-status=live}}</ref> European Union External Action East StratCom Task Force and separate fact-checkers have discerned reoccurrences of Sputnik and RT publishing false information.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Measuring the reach of "fake news" and online disinformation in Europe|url=http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/publications/2018/measuring-reach-fake-news-online-disinformation-europe/|website=Digital News Report|date=February 2018|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-15|archive-date=24 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624202003/http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/publications/2018/measuring-reach-fake-news-online-disinformation-europe/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
In January 2020, the Estonian offices of Sputnik were closed after police warned its journalists about potential criminal charges. The action taken by the Estonian government was a result of |
In January 2020, the Estonian offices of Sputnik were closed after police warned its journalists about potential criminal charges. The action taken by the Estonian government was a result of European Union sanctions imposed on Dmitry Kiselyov. Banks in Estonia suspended Sputnik related accounts in October 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bennetts|first=Marc|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-is-poisoning-estonia-against-us-says-kremlin-rql7rf6rd|title=Britain is poisoning Estonia against us, says Kremlin|work=The Times|location=London|date=3 January 2020|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=17 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217202500/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-is-poisoning-estonia-against-us-says-kremlin-rql7rf6rd|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> |
||
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the president of the European Commission, [[Ursula von der Leyen]], announced the banning of Sputnik, along with RT and their subsidiaries, from the European Union.<ref name="Politico2022">{{cite news|last=Kayali|first=Laura|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-announces-rt-sputnik-ban/|title=EU to ban Russia's RT, Sputnik media outlets, von der Leyen says|work=Politico|date=27 February 2022|access-date=28 February 2022|archive-date=27 February 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220227/https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-announces-rt-sputnik-ban/|url-status=live}}</ref> Social media services including Facebook, [[Instagram]], [[TikTok]], and [[YouTube]] blocked Sputnik and RT content for their European Union users,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dwoskin |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Zakrzewski |first2=Cat |last3=De Vynck |first3=Gerrit |title=Major social media platforms ban Russian state media in Europe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/01/youtube-tiktok-facebook-state-media-ban/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=1 March 2022 |date=1 March 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301092843/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/01/youtube-tiktok-facebook-state-media-ban/ |url-status=live }}</ref> while [[Reddit]] blocked outgoing links to Sputnik's and RT's websites in all regions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spangler |first1=Todd |title=Reddit Bans Links to Russian State Media Across Entire Site |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/reddit-bans-links-to-russian-state-media-1235195612/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=4 March 2022 |date=3 March 2022 |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303232815/https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/reddit-bans-links-to-russian-state-media-1235195612/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 2 March, an EU regulation was published, which put the ban in force.<ref>{{cite news |title=European Union Publishes Regulation Banning Russia Today and Sputnik |url=https://techpolicy.press/european-union-publishes-regulation-banning-russia-today-and-sputnik |work=Tech Policy Press |access-date=2 March 2022 |archive-date=2 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302162859/https://techpolicy.press/european-union-publishes-regulation-banning-russia-today-and-sputnik |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Microsoft]] and [[Apple Inc.]] responded by removing the Sputnik and RT apps from the [[Microsoft Store]] and the [[App Store (iOS/iPadOS)|App Store]], respectively.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fingas |first1=J. |title=Microsoft is the latest to ban Russian state media from its platforms |url=https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-bans-russia-state-media-193720376.html |website=[[Engadget]] |access-date=1 March 2022 |date=28 February 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301000756/https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-bans-russia-state-media-193720376.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mayo |first=Benjamin |date=2022-03-01 |title=Apple on Russian invasion of Ukraine: all product sales paused, RT and Sputnik News apps pulled |url=https://9to5mac.com/2022/03/01/apple-ukraine-statement-pause-product-sales/ |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=9to5Mac |language=en-US |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301210934/https://9to5mac.com/2022/03/01/apple-ukraine-statement-pause-product-sales/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 11 March, YouTube blocked Sputnik and RT worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-12 |title=YouTube blocks Russian state-funded media, including RT and Sputnik, around the world |url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220312-youtube-blocks-russian-state-funded-media-including-rt-and-sputnik-around-the-world |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=21 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321035648/https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220312-youtube-blocks-russian-state-funded-media-including-rt-and-sputnik-around-the-world |url-status=live }}</ref> |
|||
==Twitter and Facebook== |
|||
⚫ | In October 2017, [[Twitter]] banned both RT and Sputnik from advertising on their social networking service following the conclusions of the U.S. national intelligence report the previous January that both Sputnik and RT had been used as vehicles for [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Dwoskin|first=Elizabeth |
||
On 13 September 2023, the bureau chief of Sputnik [[Moldova]], Vitaly Denisov, was deported and banned entry into the country for 10 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Moldova Expels Director Of Russia's Sputnik State News Agency |url=https://www.rferl.org/amp/moldova-expels-director-russia-sputnik-news-agency/32590818.html |website=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |access-date=13 September 2023 |archive-date=13 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913112728/https://www.rferl.org/amp/moldova-expels-director-russia-sputnik-news-agency/32590818.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Moldova Deports Local Bureau Chief of Russia's Sputnik News Agency |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/09/13/moldova-deports-local-bureau-chief-of-russias-sputnik-news-agency-a82446 |website=[[The Moscow Times]] |date=13 September 2023 |access-date=13 September 2023 |archive-date=14 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914035149/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/09/13/moldova-deports-local-bureau-chief-of-russias-sputnik-news-agency-a82446 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moldova's General Inspectorate for Migration stated that Denisov's presence in Moldova "endangers the informational security of our country." Daniel Voda, the Moldovan press secretary, stated that Sputnik was "constantly dealing with informational attacks, lies, propaganda and disinformation." [[Russian Foreign Ministry]] spokeswoman [[Maria Zakharova]] called the deportation "ugly" and promised "retaliatory measures."<ref>{{cite web |title=Russian journalist who headed news outlet in Moldova is declared a security threat and expelled |url=https://apnews.com/article/moldova-russia-journalist-expelled-sputnik-5448a0b7b851e833b6ecab726099ad77 |website=[[Associated Press]] |date=13 September 2023 |access-date=13 September 2023 |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005080627/https://apnews.com/article/moldova-russia-journalist-expelled-sputnik-5448a0b7b851e833b6ecab726099ad77 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moldova believes Denisov is a Russian Colonel and [[GRU (Russian Federation)|GRU]] officer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Insider: Deported Moldova Sputnik chief revealed as career GRU spy |url=https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/09/16/insider-deported-moldova-sputnik-chief-revealed-as-career-gru-spy/ |date=16 September 2023 |access-date=16 October 2023 |archive-date=20 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920200611/https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/09/16/insider-deported-moldova-sputnik-chief-revealed-as-career-gru-spy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
|||
⚫ | To reduce the spread of disinformation, [[Facebook]] and |
||
==Other operations== |
==Other operations== |
||
=== Wire services === |
=== Wire services === |
||
As a news agency, Sputnik maintains the following news wires:<ref>{{cite web |title=Products and services |url=https://sputniknews.com/docs/products/index.html |website=Sputnik |publisher=[[Rossiya Segodnya]] |access-date=19 March 2019}}</ref> |
As a news agency, Sputnik maintains the following news wires:<ref>{{cite web |title=Products and services |url=https://sputniknews.com/docs/products/index.html |website=Sputnik |publisher=[[Rossiya Segodnya]] |access-date=19 March 2019 |archive-date=26 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326025915/https://sputniknews.com/docs/products/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
||
;English |
;English |
||
* Sputnik News Service |
* Sputnik News Service |
||
Line 147: | Line 162: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
|'''{{center|List indicator(s)}}''' |
|'''{{center|List indicator(s)}}''' |
||
*{{note label||RIA}}: [[RIA Novosti]] previously operated online editions in these languages. |
* {{note label||RIA}}: [[RIA Novosti]] previously operated online editions in these languages. |
||
*{{note label||VOR}}: inherited from Voice of Russia's online news service. |
* {{note label||VOR}}: inherited from Voice of Russia's online news service. |
||
*{{note label||ru}}: Sputnik also operates [[Russian language]] editions for areas served by these editions. |
* {{note label||ru}}: Sputnik also operates [[Russian language]] editions for areas served by these editions. |
||
|} |
|} |
||
Apart from wire services, Sputnik also operates [[Online newspaper|online news]] in following languages: |
Apart from wire services, Sputnik also operates [[Online newspaper|online news]] in following languages: |
||
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}} |
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}} |
||
*[[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]{{note label||ru}} |
* [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[Arabic]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
* [[Arabic]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[Armenian language|Armenian]]{{note label||ru}} |
* [[Armenian language|Armenian]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]{{note label||ru}} |
* [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[Belarusian language|Belarusian]]{{note label||ru}} |
* [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[Chinese language|Chinese]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Dari language|Dari]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[English language|English]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
* |
* English for [[India]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* English for [[Africa]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[French language|French]] for [[Africa]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Georgian language|Georgian]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
* [[Hindi]]{{note label||VOR}} |
|||
*[[ |
* [[Japanese language|Japanese]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Ossetian language|Ossetian]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Persian language|Persian]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] for [[Brazil]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
*[[ |
* [[Serbian language|Serbian]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for [[Latin America]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Tajik language|Tajik]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
*[[ |
* [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
*[[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]{{note label||VOR}} |
|||
{{div col end}} |
{{div col end}} |
||
Sputnik previously operated the following editions, which were later shut down: |
Sputnik previously operated the following editions, which were later shut down (some as effect of sanctions): |
||
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}} |
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Czech language|Czech]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
* |
* [[Danish language|Danish]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[Estonian language|Estonian]]{{note label||ru}} |
* [[Estonian language|Estonian]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[Finnish language|Finnish]]{{note label||VOR}} |
* [[Finnish language|Finnish]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[German language|German]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Greek language|Greek]]{{note label||RIA}}{{note label||VOR}} |
||
⚫ | |||
*[[Korean language|Korean]] for [[South Korea]]{{note label||VOR}} |
|||
*[[ |
* [[Italian language|Italian]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Korean language|Korean]] for [[South Korea]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Latvian language|Latvian]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
*[[ |
* [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]{{note label||ru}} |
||
* [[Malay languages|Malay]] |
|||
⚫ | |||
*[[ |
* [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]{{note label||VOR}} |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
{{div col end}} |
{{div col end}} |
||
==Broadcast languages== |
==Broadcast languages== |
||
In |
In 2023, the Sputnik radio had broadcasts in seven languages, including:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://radiomap.eu/ru/play/sputnik_rus|title=Radio map|website=radiomap.eu|access-date=2 July 2020|archive-date=1 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701234403/http://radiomap.eu/ru/play/sputnik_rus|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
⚫ | |||
{{div col|colwidth=12em}} |
|||
⚫ | |||
*[[ |
* [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] |
||
*[[ |
* [[Russian language|Russian]] |
||
*[[ |
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]] |
||
*[[ |
* [[Serbian language|Serbian]] |
||
*[[ |
* [[Turkish language|Turkish]] |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
*[[Turkish language|Turkish]] |
|||
{{div col end}} |
|||
== See also == |
== See also == |
||
{{Portal|Radio|Russia|Journalism|Internet}} |
|||
{{div col}} |
{{div col}} |
||
* [[Disinformation in the |
* [[Disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine]] |
||
* [[ |
* [[Mass media in Russia]] |
||
* [[Radio Moscow]] |
* [[Radio Moscow]] |
||
* [[Russian–Ukrainian information war]] |
* [[Russian–Ukrainian information war]] |
||
* [[Sputnik (magazine)|''Sputnik'' (magazine)]] |
* [[Sputnik (magazine)|''Sputnik'' (magazine)]] |
||
{{div col end}} |
{{div col end}} |
||
{{clear}} |
|||
==Notes== |
==Notes== |
||
Line 234: | Line 243: | ||
== References == |
== References == |
||
{{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} |
||
== External links == |
== External links == |
||
* {{Official website |
* {{Official website}} |
||
; Links for Radio Sputnik's Washington, D.C. station (W288BS-FM 105.5 MHz) |
|||
* {{FMQ|W288BS}} |
|||
* {{FXL|W288BS}} |
|||
{{World Radio Network}} |
{{World Radio Network}} |
||
{{Washington Radio |
{{Washington Radio}} |
||
{{Portal bar|Internet|Journalism|Radio|Russia}} |
|||
{{Authority control}} |
|||
[[Category:International broadcasters]] |
[[Category:International broadcasters]] |
||
Line 259: | Line 266: | ||
[[Category:State media]] |
[[Category:State media]] |
||
[[Category:Conspiracist media]] |
[[Category:Conspiracist media]] |
||
[[Category:Disinformation operations]] |
Latest revision as of 09:58, 1 December 2024
Type | State media[1] |
---|---|
Country | Russia |
Availability | Worldwide (except Europe) |
Owner | Rossiya Segodnya (owned and operated by the Russian government) |
Launch date | 29 October 1929Radio Moscow) 22 December 1993 (Voice of Russia) 10 November 2014 (Sputnik) | (
Official website | sputnikglobe |
Language | 23 languages (Abkhazian, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani (formerly), Belarusian, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Czech (formerly), Dari, English, Georgian (formerly), Japanese (formerly), Kyrgyz, Ossetian, Persian, Polish (formerly), Moldovan (formerly), Russian, Serbian, Tajik, Turkish, Uzbek, Vietnamese) |
Sputnik (Russian pronunciation: [ˈsputnʲɪk]; formerly Voice of Russia and RIA Novosti, naming derived from Russian спутник, "satellite") is a Russian state-owned[1] news agency and radio broadcast service. It was established by the Russian government-owned news agency Rossiya Segodnya on 10 November 2014.[2][3] With headquarters in Moscow, Sputnik maintains regional editorial offices in Washington, D.C., Cairo, Beijing, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro.[4] Sputnik describes itself as being focused on global politics and economics and aims for an international audience.[5]
Sputnik is frequently described by academics and journalists as a Russian propaganda outlet.[15] In 2016, Neil MacFarquhar of The New York Times wrote: "The fundamental purpose of dezinformatsiya, or Russian disinformation, experts said, is to undermine the official version of events—even the very idea that there is a true version of events—and foster a kind of policy paralysis." The Russian government rejects the validity of such assertions.[16] In early 2019, Facebook removed hundreds of pages on its social media platform passing as independent news sites but were actually under the control of Sputnik employees.[17]
Sputnik operates news websites, featuring reporting and commentary, in 31 languages including English, Spanish, Polish and Serbian.[18] The websites house over 800 hours of radio broadcasting material each day, and its newswire service runs a 24/7 service.[19][20]
Sputnik was banned in the European Union in February 2022 (along with RT) following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[21] Technology companies and social media services responded to the invasion by removing Sputnik from their platforms, while many versions such as the French, the German and the Greek ones have closed their operation.
History
[edit]RIA Novosti was Russia's international news agency until 9 December 2013 when it became known as Rossiya Segodnya.[22][23] Dmitry Kiselev, an anchorman of the Russia-1 channel was appointed to be the first president of the reorganized agency.[24] He soon announced that Margarita Simonyan was to be editor-in-chief. Simonyan told The New York Times in 2017 that she choose Sputnik as the new name "because I thought that's the only Russian word that has a positive connotation, and the whole world knows it."[25]
Sputnik was launched on 10 November 2014 by Rossiya Segodnya, which is itself funded through RT, owned and operated by the Russian government, and was created via an Executive Order of the President of Russia on 9 December 2013.[2][3] As well as the RIA Novosti news agency, Sputnik's origins can be traced to 1929 when Radio Moscow was launched as the official international broadcasting station of Soviet Union airing across the country, Eastern Europe and Cuba until it was replaced by Voice of Russia in 1993 along with the foreign language services of RIA Novosti.[26] RT UK was launched a fortnight earlier. According to its editor-in-chief Dmitry Kiselyov, Sputnik was intended to reach a worldwide audience "tired of aggressive propaganda promoting a unipolar world and who want a different perspective".[18][26] The station claims it "tells the untold".[16] However, President Vladimir Putin, while visiting the Moscow base of the RT television network in 2013, said the objective behind both the then forthcoming Sputnik agency and RT was to "break the monopoly of the Anglo-Saxon global information streams."[25]
In April 2017, Sputnik signed a personnel exchange deal with the Global Times, a Chinese Communist Party tabloid.[27]
Radio services
[edit]Radio Sputnik is the audio service of the Sputnik platform operating in 30 languages "for a total of over 800 hours a day, covering over 130 cities and 34 countries on "FM, DAB/DAB+ (Digital Radio Broadcasting), HD Radio, as well as mobile phones and the Internet."[5] It is available on satellite transponders, including a 24-hour English service audible in North America via the Galaxy-19 satellite. Among the station's presenters are Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert who host the weekly talk show Double Down which concentrates on economics.[28] Another talk show is By Any Means Necessary which is hosted by Eugene Puryear, while liberal talk radio host Thom Hartmann presents his own program which is syndicated on Sputnik each day.
Regarding plans for the U.S. broadcast market, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik U.S. said in a June 2017 interview that there were no immediate plans for expansion into markets beyond Washington, D.C.[29] This came on the heels of a late June 2017 announcement[30][29][31] that Radio Sputnik would sublease Reston, Virginia-licensed translator station W288BS (105.5 FM) from Reston Translator, LLC, which transmits from the WIAD tower in Bethesda, Maryland, and begin broadcasting Sputnik on that signal; the station's reach includes DC proper and the western suburbs in Northern Virginia.[32] From November 2017, Radio Sputnik began to be carried on AM in Washington, D.C., on WZHF 1390 AM. The American owners of the stations were required to register as a foreign agent by the United States Department of Justice.[33][34]
Sputnik is blocked from owning an American radio station outright due to Federal Communications Commission rules against foreign ownership of broadcast assets, as enacted in the Communications Act of 1934. Prior to 1 July 2017, Radio Sputnik (initially as its predecessor) had broadcast in the Washington, D.C., area on WTOP-HD2 (103.5-HD2) since June 2013, if not earlier. W288BS translates Urban One's WKYS (93.9)'s digital HD3 signal for analog broadcasting.[29]
Sputnik distributes its programming to American stations via brokered programming, through agent Arnold Ferolito and his holding company RM Broadcasting, LLC. Its availability in Kansas City, Missouri on stations KCXL[35] and KOJH from the beginning of January 2020 was contentious, especially in the latter case because the station has a jazz-centered community radio format and led to a clash on the radio spectrum.[36]
Following the closure of the Echo of Moscow station on 3 March 2022, its frequencies were taken over by Radio Sputnik.[37][38]
Coverage of the United States
[edit]Trump and Clinton
[edit]During the 2016 presidential election campaign, according to former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul writing in The Washington Post, Sputnik made clear publicly its preference for the then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over the Democrat's nominee Hillary Clinton.[39][40]
According to a fake news story circulated by Sputnik,[41] President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton created ISIS; the website praised Trump, before he was elected in 2016, for making such an assertion.[40][42] The website published an article entitled "Secret File Confirms Trump Claim: Obama, Hillary 'Founded ISIS' to Oust Assad", while tweets from Sputnik used the hashtag #CrookedHillary.[39][40][43] Trump revived another discredited conspiracy theory promoted by Sputnik that Google was suppressing bad news about Clinton.[42][44]
In October 2016, Sputnik improperly cited an article written by Kurt Eichenwald for Newsweek misattributing comments to Hillary Clinton confidante Sidney Blumenthal (who quoted Eichenwald in a non-verified email released by WikiLeaks). Sputnik took down the article.[43][45] Aspects of his story as it related to Trump were disputed at the time,[45][46] Sputnik then put up an article reputedly denying its control by the Kremlin and attacking Newsweek and Eichenwald. He wrote that the Trump campaign emailed reporters a link to the Sputnik article and asked them to follow up on the story.[47] The author of the Sputnik article, Bill Moran, successfully sued Newsweek over his assertion that Eichenwald had used bribery and threats.[48]
Forbes reported that Sputnik International reported fake news and fabricated statements by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest during the 2016 presidential election.[49] Sputnik falsely reported on 7 December 2016 that Earnest stated sanctions for Russia were on the table related to Syria, falsely quoting Earnest as saying: "There are a number of things that are to be considered, including some of the financial sanctions that the United States can administer in coordination with our allies. I would definitely not rule that out."[49] Forbes analyzed Earnest's White House press briefing from that week, and found the word "sanctions" was never used by the Press Secretary.[49] Russia was discussed in eight instances during the press conference, but never about sanctions.[49] The press conference focused solely on Russian air raids in Syria towards rebels fighting President of Syria Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo.[49]
Lee Stranahan was hired by Sputnik News after his departure from Breitbart News and, according to The Washington Post, he is Sputnik's most visible Trump supporter".[50][51][52][53] In early 2020, at the time of the Impeachment of President Trump, Stranahan stated "the entire impeachment is a lie."[36] The Washington Post stated that "many Sputnik hosts profess skepticism that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election," in contradiction to the assessment of the US intelligence community.[50]
Andrew Feinberg's account
[edit]On 26 May 2017, Andrew Feinberg, who had been Sputnik's White House Correspondent since the Trump administration came into office the previous January, announced on Twitter that he would no longer be reporting for the agency.[54][55] He said those in charge were more interested in employing "propagandists" rather than "real journalists".[56] In one tweet he explained the agency's policy in article's attribution: "The truth is they don't want their reporters to have their own reputations, b/c a lie is easier when it doesn't come with a byline."[56] He told Erik Wemple of The Washington Post: "It's the fact that if you don't have bylines on stories and there's no one accountable for words, then you can really print whatever you want.[54][55] Sputnik, in a statement to The Washington Post, accused Feinberg of making "false accusations" and expressed the "hope that the fruits of his rich imagination would not create more conspiracy theories around Sputnik."[57]
Feinberg, in discussing his period at Sputnik, said that Sputnik's editors[55] asked him to write stories and ask questions at the White House press conference about the conspiracy theory between the murder of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich in Washington and the leaking of DNC documents to WikiLeaks. Feinberg wrote of his discomfort as "there was absolutely no factual basis for doing so."[55][56][58] The District of Columbia police believed that Rich had been murdered while being robbed. Feinberg believed that the editors wanted to shift blame for the leaking of the DNC documents from Russian hackers to Rich.[55][54][59] Sputnik News has published articles promoting conspiracy theories about the murder of Seth Rich.[59]
In an interview with Brian Stelter for CNN, Feinberg said that Sputnik management had insisted on approving or dictating questions he would ask at White House press briefings, and wanted him to ask questions to imply that the April 2017 Sarin gas attack in Syria was a hoax: "I was asked to put questions to the White House that framed the issue in such a way that made it seem that the attack didn't happen, that it was staged,"[60] In particular, he was asked to raise at the White House the assertions made by Ted Postol querying Syrian responsibility for the attack. On that occasion, he was not called.[54] Feinberg wrote in a Politico August 2017 article, he had concluded after the request that Sputnik's "mission wasn't really to report the news as much as it was to push a narrative that would either sow doubts about situations that weren't flattering to Russia or its allies, or hurt the reputation of the United States and its allies."[55]
Other United States responses
[edit]In April 2018, journalist John Stanton, who had been Sputnik's Pentagon Correspondent for roughly two years, published a report highly critical of Sputnik News, Sputnik Radio, and RIA Novosti, declaring that both the organizations were part of a larger Russian Information Warfare Operation. His public findings were part of an insider research effort while at Sputnik on behalf of the US government.[61]
In May 2018, the Public Broadcasting Service's NewsHour website published an article by Elizabeth Flock who reported that Sputnik News and Radio reports "seemed intended to polarize" and "to distract and confuse" after listening to them over a week. On a visit to the station, she discovered "a stranger picture than I anticipated, one in which I began to understand how persuasive disinformation could be."[62] According to Flock, Stanton told her "They mix real with unreal, use dubious sources". It was difficult for him to point to the real problem as it "was like pushing a wet noodle." In other words, establishing what can be labelled disinformation is extremely difficult, she concluded.[62]
Foreign Policy magazine has described Sputnik as a slick and internet-savvy outlet of Kremlin propaganda, which "remixes President Vladimir Putin's brand of revanchist nationalism for an international audience... beating a predictable drum of anti-Western rhetoric."[11]
In January 2022, the U. S. State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC) published a report titled "Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik's Role in Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem." Its case studies included one on "false narratives" published by Sputnik and RT justifying Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border.[63]
European coverage and responses
[edit]Ben Nimmo, in a paper for the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), wrote that Sputnik invitations concentrate on a select group of politicians for their east European services, especially those known for their pro-Russian (Tatjana Ždanoka in Latvia) or anti-EU opinions (Janusz Korwin-Mikke in Poland). These two political figures have limited support in their countries; Korwin-Mikke gained slightly more than 3% in Poland's presidential election in May 2015, while Ždanoka is barred from holding public office for her opposition to Latvia's independence from Russia.[12] Sputnik has spread a false claim about Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, who was wrongly said to have posed for a selfie with an ISIS suspect.[64]
In the opinion of Kevin Rothrock, Russia editor for Global Voices, Sputnik "acts as a spoiler to try and disrupt or blur information unfriendly to Russia, such as Russian troops' alleged involvement in the war in Ukraine".[65] Historical comparisons have been made to Pravda, the former official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in particular Sputnik's alleged apologia for Joseph Stalin and denial of the 1932–1933 famine in Ukraine known as the Holodomor.[66]
German journalist and author Michael Thumann describes Sputnik as being part of what he calls Russia's "digital information war against the West".[67] Peter Pomerantsev, in an article for the London Sunday Times, wrote that in the 2017 German elections the Sputnik news agency was negative or neutral about the country's political parties, with the exception of the right-wing nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD).[68]
Alexander Podrabinek, a Russian journalist who works for Radio France Internationale[69][70] (part of French Government's France Médias Monde) and Radio Liberty[71] (supervised by Broadcasting Board of Governors, an Independent agency of the U.S. Federal government) has accused Sputnik of disseminating Russian state propaganda abroad.[72] In a vote urging for the European Union (EU) to "respond to information warfare by Russia", the European Parliament accused broadcasting channels Sputnik and RT of "information warfare", and placed Russian media organisations alongside terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State. The federal agency of Rossotrudnichestvo and the Russkiy Mir Foundation were also seen as tools for Russian propaganda.[73] According to a study by Masaryk University, Sputnik is one of the major sources of Russian propaganda in the Czech Republic.[74]
In August 2016, Sputnik opened offices in Edinburgh, Scotland,[75] its headquarters in the UK.[76] The agency established its radio studio and bureau in the city.[77] In April 2021, The Times reported Russian sources had said Sputnik's London and Edinburgh offices were closing with the outlet's English language staff being concentrated in Washington DC and Moscow.[78][79]
A January 2017 report by The Swedish Institute of International Affairs found that a Swedish-language version of Sputnik News website was one of the main tools used by the Russian government to spread false information in Sweden including publicizing documents posted on little-known Swedish and Russian websites which were found to be forgeries.[13][80] According to the report, Sputnik News frequently focused on negative stories about NATO and the EU, consistent with Russia's foreign policy interest of minimizing NATO's role in the Baltic region and keeping Sweden out of NATO.[16][80] A research analysis done by Martin Kragh and Sebestian Asberg at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, found that Swedish Sputnik focused on depicting Russia as under attack by aggressive Western governments, describing EU as being in "terminal decline", and NATO as a dangerous military threat.[81][82] These efforts were believed to try to change how the public in Sweden viewed its government and the EU.[82] The Swedish-language version ran for a year from April 2015 to spring of 2016, where it was forced to shut down and removed from the internet in that year.[83][81]
In April 2017, Emmanuel Macron's campaign team banned both RT and Sputnik from campaign events. A Macron spokesperson said the two broadcasting outlets showed a "systematic desire to issue fake news and false information".[84] A report claiming the pro-Russian candidate, François Fillon, had returned to the lead prior to the election was the subject of a reprimand from the country's election commission. Sputnik had falsely attributed the result to an opinion poll, whereas the assertion had actually originated from Brand Analytics, a Moscow-based company.[85][86] A few weeks after Macron won the presidential election, President Putin visited the Versailles Palace. During a joint press conference with the Russian leader, Macron himself accused Sputnik and RT of having "produced slanderous countertruths".[87]
In June 2019, it was found that Serbian language outlet of Sputnik has infiltrated a disinformation hub in Bosnia And Herzegovina. These findings were published by internationally recognized fact-checking platform Raskrinkavanje,[88] which wrote reports about Sputnik bias towards spreading disinformation,[89] in a 106-page document.[90]
With the intention of protecting democratic values and to combat Russian disinformation campaigns utilizing RT and Sputnik, the European Union established The East StratCom Task Force in 2015.[91][2]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sputnik republished an RIA Novosti article titled "The arrival/attack of Russia and the new world" ("Наступление России и нового мира"), which falsely claimed that Russia had won the Russo-Ukrainian War, lauded Putin's invasion for solving the "Ukrainian question", and declared the end of "Western global domination" with the start of a "new world order" that joined Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine against the rest of Europe. The article remained available on Sputnik's website after RIA Novosti took it down from its own.[92][93]
COVID-19 disinformation
[edit]A report by Sputnik's Belarusian service claimed the virus was an "Anglo-Saxon" plot to counter China while Sputnik's associated outlet in South Ossetia (currently occupied by Russian armed forces) said the COVID-19 virus was created as a weapon in the West for information warfare.[94][95] Its Armenian affiliate insisted the virus had been created in a US laboratory. A Sputnik-associated outlet in Latvia, suggested it might have been created in Latvia.[94]
Middle East coverage
[edit]In the Middle East, Russia used Sputnik and RT Arabic to promote its foreign policy goals through "informational warfare".[96] Russia tried to increase its power and presence in the Middle East as well as reduce United States influence in the region, fight terrorism, and establish allies in Syria with Bashar al-Assad.[96]
In April 2017, Sputnik and RT reported little to no information on the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack in Syria.[96] During the attacks, Sputnik and RT did not report on the incident; there was no coverage provided on the survivors or their testimonies, and the history of violence in the area such as massacres, bombings, and chemical attacks that have occurred in the Syrian regime were not recorded.[96] After the massacre, Sputnik and RT widely questioned the cause and the history of the massacre through daily reports; false and missing information was frequently cited as the identities of the claimed "experts" were not shared, and alternative versions of the event were falsely reported as they claimed that the attacks were done by the White Helmets, a Syrian civil volunteer organization.[96] Journalist Finian Cunningham wrote that the White Helmets were "propaganda conduits for al-Qaeda terror groups" which contributed to the controversy and negative news that the White Helmets faced.[97] Published reports by Sputnik at the time were considered biased and did not consist of reliable sources or experts.[97] These statements were shared by Sputnik and RT throughout social media platforms as well as other news outlets that supported the Syrian regime.[98]
International bans and restrictions
[edit]In March 2016, access to Sputnik's online content was blocked by Turkish authorities, as well as denying the Turkish bureau chief Tural Kerimov access to the country. The development was thought to have been in response to comments by the Russian leadership critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government's record on human rights and freedom of speech.[99] The website was unblocked later that same year.[100] In 2018, the agency shut down its website in the Kurdish language without mentioning any particular reason for the decision. Former employees of Sputnik said that the news agency decided to shut it down at Turkey's request, as part of both anti-Kurdish political movement and pro-Russian politics of Erdoğan.[101]
In October 2017, Twitter banned both RT and Sputnik from advertising on their social networking service following the conclusions of the U.S. national intelligence report the previous January that both Sputnik and RT had been used as vehicles for Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election.[102] It prompted a stern response from spokeswoman Maria Zakharova of the Russian Foreign Ministry. It said the ban was a "gross violation" by the United States of the guarantees of free speech. "Retaliatory measures, naturally, will follow".[103] In November, Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt announced that Google will be "deranking" stories from RT and Sputnik in response to "weaponised" content and allegations about election meddling by President Putin's government, provoking claims of censorship from both outlets.[104]
To reduce the spread of disinformation, Facebook and Google implemented fact-checking tools throughout their platforms.[105] In January 2019, Facebook removed 289 pages and 75 accounts that the company said were used by Sputnik for misinformation on Facebook.[106] The removed pages posed as independent news sites in eastern Europe and elsewhere but were actually run by employees at Sputnik. It was another in a series of actions taken by Facebook against Russian disinformation.[17][107] Along with Chinese and other Russian state media outlets, Twitter attached a "state-affiliated media" label to Sputnik's account.[108]
In July 2019, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office banned both RT and Sputnik from attending the Global Conference for Media Freedom in London for "their active role in spreading disinformation". The Russian Embassy called the decision "direct politically motivated discrimination".[109] European Union External Action East StratCom Task Force and separate fact-checkers have discerned reoccurrences of Sputnik and RT publishing false information.[110]
In January 2020, the Estonian offices of Sputnik were closed after police warned its journalists about potential criminal charges. The action taken by the Estonian government was a result of European Union sanctions imposed on Dmitry Kiselyov. Banks in Estonia suspended Sputnik related accounts in October 2019.[111]
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the banning of Sputnik, along with RT and their subsidiaries, from the European Union.[21] Social media services including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube blocked Sputnik and RT content for their European Union users,[112] while Reddit blocked outgoing links to Sputnik's and RT's websites in all regions.[113] On 2 March, an EU regulation was published, which put the ban in force.[114] Microsoft and Apple Inc. responded by removing the Sputnik and RT apps from the Microsoft Store and the App Store, respectively.[115][116] On 11 March, YouTube blocked Sputnik and RT worldwide.[117]
On 13 September 2023, the bureau chief of Sputnik Moldova, Vitaly Denisov, was deported and banned entry into the country for 10 years.[118][119] Moldova's General Inspectorate for Migration stated that Denisov's presence in Moldova "endangers the informational security of our country." Daniel Voda, the Moldovan press secretary, stated that Sputnik was "constantly dealing with informational attacks, lies, propaganda and disinformation." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the deportation "ugly" and promised "retaliatory measures."[120] Moldova believes Denisov is a Russian Colonel and GRU officer.[121]
Other operations
[edit]Wire services
[edit]As a news agency, Sputnik maintains the following news wires:[122]
- English
- Sputnik News Service
- Sputnik News Service: Russia
- Sputnik News Service: Russia, Ukraine & the Baltics
- Sputnik Exclusives
- Sputnik Defense and Space
- Spanish
- Sputnik Nóvosti
- Sputnik Hispano (news from Spain, Latin America and other Spanish-speaking communities)
- Sputnik Rusia y CEI (Russia and the CIS)
- Sputnik Economía (economy)
- Chinese
- Sputnik Chinese News Service
- Russian-Chinese relations
- News about Russia
- International news
- Arabic
- Sputnik Arabic News Service
- Sputnik Middle East
- Sputnik Russia in the World
- Sputnik Telling The Untold (exclusive reports and interviews)
- Persian
- Sputnik Farsi News Service
Online news
[edit]List indicator(s)
|
Apart from wire services, Sputnik also operates online news in following languages:
- Abkhazru
- ArabicRIA VOR
- Armenianru
- Azerbaijaniru
- Belarusianru
- ChineseRIA VOR
- DariVOR
- EnglishRIA VOR
- English for IndiaVOR
- English for AfricaVOR
- French for AfricaRIA VOR
- Georgianru
- HindiVOR
- JapaneseRIA VOR
- Kazakhru
- Kyrgyzru
- Ossetianru
- PersianRIA VOR
- Portuguese for BrazilVOR
- Romanian for Moldovaru
- (edition for Romania, hosted by the Moldovan edition)
- SerbianVOR
- Spanish for Latin AmericaRIA VOR
- Tajikru
- TurkishVOR
- Uzbekru
- VietnameseVOR
Sputnik previously operated the following editions, which were later shut down (some as effect of sanctions):
Broadcast languages
[edit]In 2023, the Sputnik radio had broadcasts in seven languages, including:[123]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Romanova, Tatiana; David, Maxine (25 July 2021). The Routledge Handbook of EU-Russia Relations: Structures, Actors, Issues. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-00624-8. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2022 – via Google Books.
Because of the centralisation of statue authority and greater state influence over the media in Russia as compared to the EU, it is relatively easy for Moscow to project a coherent and unified interpretation of events. For Russia, an important vehicle is the state-owned Sputnik and associated RIA Novosti media and news outlets, as well as the RT news and internet channel, which, besides the Russian version, is broadcast in English, French, German, Spanish and Arabic.
- ^ a b c Missiroli, Antonio; Andersson, Jan Joel; Gaub, Florence; Popescu, Nicu; Wilkins, John-Joseph (2016). "Strategic Communications from the East". Strategic Communications: 7–24. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ a b Pizzi, Michael (9 December 2013). "Putin dissolves RIA Novosti news agency". Al Jazeera America. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Quiénes somos" [Who are we] (in Spanish). Sputnik Mundo. 15 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ a b "About Us". Sputnik News. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Benkler, Yochai; Faris, Rob; Roberts, Hal (October 2018). "Epistemic Crisis". Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation and Radicalization in American Politics. Oxford University Press. p. 358. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190923624.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-092362-4. OCLC 1045162158. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
The emphasis on disorientation appears in the literature on modern Russian propaganda, both in inward-focused applications and in its international propaganda outlets, Sputnik and RT (formerly, Russia Today). Here, the purpose is not to convince the audience of any particular truth but instead to make it impossible for people in the society subject to the propagandist's intervention to tell truth from non-truth.
- ^ Karlsen, Geir Hågen (5 August 2016). "Tools of Russian Influence: Information and Propaganda". In Matláry, Janne Haaland; Heier, Tormod (eds.). Ukraine and Beyond. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 199. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-32530-9_9. ISBN 978-3-319-32530-9. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2022 – via Google Books.
The propaganda apparatus proper consists of four means: media, social media, political communication and diplomacy, and covert active measures, all tied together in a coordinated manner. The main international media channel is the RT broadcaster and website, formerly known as Russia Today. It is complemented by Sputnik radio and website, news and video agencies, and the Russia Beyond the Headlines news supplement, making up a news conglomerate operating in almost 40 languages.
- ^ Ižak, Štefan (January 2019). "(Ab)using the topic of migration by pro-Kremlin propaganda: Case study of Slovakia" (PDF). Journal of Comparative Politics. 12 (1). University of Economics in Bratislava / University of Ljubljana / Alma Mater Europaea: 58. ISSN 1338-1385. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
Almost all important media in Russia are state controlled and used to feed Russian audience with Kremlin propaganda. For international propaganda Kremlin uses agencies like RT and Sputnik. Both are available in many language variations and in many countries (Hansen 2017). Aim of this propaganda is to exploit weak spots and controversial topics (in our case migration to the EU) and use them to harm integrity of the West (Pomerantsev and Weiss 2014).
- ^ Golovchenko, Yevgeniy (11 December 2020). "Measuring the scope of pro-Kremlin disinformation on Twitter". Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 7 (1). Springer Nature: 1–11. doi:10.1057/s41599-020-00659-9. ISSN 2662-9992.
When it comes to overt reach, the Russian government openly funds English-speaking outlets, such as Sputnik News and RT. These outlets serve as a frequent source of pro-Kremlin disinformation both according to scholars, fact-checkers and Western authorities (BBC, 2019; Elliot, 2019; Thornton, 2015).
- ^ Fletcher, Richard; Cornia, Alessio; Graves, Lucas; Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis (1 January 2018). "Measuring the reach of "fake news" and online disinformation in Europe" (PDF). Australasian Policing. 10 (2). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022 – via Mediterraneo Cronaca.
For comparative purposes, we also included two prominent Russian news sites which have featured in European policy discussions around disinformation, namely Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik. These Russian state-backed organisations are clearly different from sites that engage in for-profit fabrication of false news, but both independent fact-checkers and the EU's European External Action Service East Stratcom Task Force have identified multiple instances where these sites have published disinformation.
- ^ a b Groll, Elias (10 November 2014). "Kremlin's 'Sputnik' Newswire Is the BuzzFeed of Propaganda". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ a b Nimmo, Ben (January 2016). "Sputnik. Propaganda in a New Orbit: Information Warfare Initiative Paper No. 2". Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Report: Russia spread fake news and disinformation in Sweden". Sveriges Radio. Radio Sweden. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "RT a Sputniku nebyla povolena účast na konferenci o svobodě médií" [RT and Sputnik were not allowed to attend the conference on media freedom]. Centre Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats (in Czech). Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
- ^ a b c MacFarquhar, Neil (28 August 2016). "A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ a b O'Sullivan, Donie (17 January 2019). "Facebook takes down anti-NATO pages linked to Russian news agency Sputnik". CNN Business. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ a b Godzimirski, Jakub M.; Østevik, Malin. "How to understand and deal with Russian strategic communication measures?" (PDF). Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. S2CID 169624599. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2020.
- ^ "Russian news agency Sputnik sets up Scottish studio". BBC News. 10 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ Hilburn, Matthew (10 November 2014). "Russia's New World Broadcast Service is 'Sputnik'". Voice of America News. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ a b Kayali, Laura (27 February 2022). "EU to ban Russia's RT, Sputnik media outlets, von der Leyen says". Politico. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ Country profile: Russia – Media Archived 25 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, last updated 6 March 2012.
- ^ "Указ о мерах по повышению эффективности деятельности государственных СМИ". Kremlin.ru. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Путин ликвидировал РИА Новости". Lenta. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ a b Rutenberg, Jim (13 September 2017). "RT, Sputnik and Russia's New Theory of War". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ a b Ennis, Stephen (16 November 2014). "Russia's global media operation under the spotlight". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Kurlantzick, Joshua (19 March 2023), "The Soft Power Toolkit: Media and Information Coming Through the Front Door", Beijing's Global Media Offensive: China's Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World, Oxford University Press, pp. 137–180, doi:10.1093/oso/9780197515761.003.0006, ISBN 978-0-19-751576-1
- ^ Double Down Archived 14 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Sputnik, Retrieved: 7 June 2016
- ^ a b c "Russian-Funded News Station Replaces Bluegrass on 105.5 FM". 30 June 2017. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.(replaced discontinued dcist.com link)
- ^ "Good Morning, America! Radio Sputnik Goes Live in FM in Washington DC". sputniknews.com. 30 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Russian radio takes over local DC station". The Hill. 30 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "FCC licensing data for radio broadcasting station W288BS". fccdata.org. 15 September 2011. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "A U.S. Station Switched From Bluegrass to Radio Sputnik—and Got Threats From the Feds". Bloomberg.com. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017 – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ Moyer, Justin Wm (1 December 2017). "D.C.'s Russia-funded FM station expands to AM after partners register as foreign agents". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ Vockrodt, Steve (17 January 2020). "Kansas City radio station agrees to broadcast Russian-owned 'propaganda' program". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ a b MacFarquhar, Neil (13 February 2020). "Playing on Kansas City Radio: Russian Propaganda". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Russia to Broadcast State-Run Sputnik Radio on Banned Liberal Station's Frequency". The Moscow Times. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022.
- ^ "На частоте "Эха Москвы" будет вещать радио Sputnik". Kommersant (in Russian). 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022.
- ^ a b McFaul, Michael (17 August 2016). "Why Putin wants a Trump victory (so much he might even be trying to help him)". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ a b c Matthews, Owen (29 August 2016). "How Vladimir Putin Is Using Donald Trump to Advance Russia's Goals". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ Weiss, Michael (15 August 2017) [August 15, 2016]. "The Putin-Trump Mind Meld, A Wondrous Enterprise". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ a b Applebaum, Anne (28 October 2016). "Why is Trump suddenly talking about World War III?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ a b Hartmann, Margaret (11 October 2016). "Trump Knows 'Nothing About Russia,' He Just Repeats Their Propaganda". New York. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ Corasaniti, Nick (26 September 2016). "Donald Trump Pushes Debunked Theory That Google Suppressed Rival's Bad News". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ a b Bump, Philip (11 October 2016). "The Trump-Putin link that wasn't". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ "Russia Was Not Behind Donald Trump's False Blumenthal-Benghazi Claim". Bellingcat. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ Eichenwald, Kurt (4 November 2016). "Why Vladimir Putin's Russia is Backing Donald Trump". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ Concha, Joe (24 July 2017). "Newsweek settles with Sputnik writer". The Hill. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Rapoza, Kenneth (7 December 2016), "Fake News In Russia: 'Obama Threatens Sanctions Due To Russia's Role In Syria'", Forbes, archived from the original on 17 November 2020, retrieved 10 December 2016
- ^ a b Moyer, Justin Wm (12 July 2017). "From the Kremlin to K Street: Russia-funded radio broadcasts blocks from the White House". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ Dickerson, Caitlin (26 September 2017). "How Fake News Turned a Small Town Upside Down". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ Gray, Rosie. "From Breitbart to Sputnik". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ Balluck, Kyle (6 April 2017). "Former Breitbart reporter joins Russian propaganda network: 'I'm on the Russian payroll now'". The Hill. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ a b c d Wemple, Erik (26 May 2017). "White House correspondent bolts Sputnik over the obvious". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Feinberg, Andrew. "My Life at a Russian Propaganda Network". Politico. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ a b c Khan, Shehab (27 May 2017). "Sputnik's White House correspondent quits, claiming they would rather have 'propagandists' than 'real journalists'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ Wemple, Erik (30 May 2017). "Sputnik blasts former White House correspondent for 'rich imagination'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ Rozsa, Matthew (11 September 2017). "The FBI is looking into Sputnik, the Russia-sponsored propaganda news outlet". Salon. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ a b Palma, Bethania (25 May 2017). "The Seth Rich Conspiracy Theory". Snopes. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ Wattles, Jackie. "Ex-reporter for Russian news agency Sputnik says he was 'fed' questions". Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "Putin's Information Warfare, Open Source Intelligence Operations in Washington, DC" (PDF). Cryptome. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ a b Flock, Elizabeth (2 May 2018). "After a Week of Russian Propaganda I was Questioning Everything". PBS NewsHour. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ "Kremlin-Funded Media: RT and Sputnik's Role in Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem" (PDF). United States Department of State. 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
Russian state-funded and state-controlled media began spreading disinformation narratives describing the Ukrainian government, and a significant portion of the population, as either fascists or Nazis...Sputnik also worked alongside RT to spread this inflammatory narrative.
- ^ Dearden, Lizzie (11 February 2017). "Nato accuses Sputnik News of distributing misinformation as part of 'Kremlin propaganda machine'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ Haldevang, Max de (7 September 2016). "A Russian state news organization has suddenly become obsessed with UFOs". Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Young, Cathy (31 October 2015). "Russia Denies Stalin's Killer Famine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- ^ Thurman, Michael (9 August 2015). "Und...Action!". Die Zeit (in German). Hamburg. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Pomerantsev, Peter (9 September 2018). "The Kremlin's conspiracy machine nourishes the narcissist and the disaffected". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Davidoff, Victor (13 October 2013). "Soviet Psychiatry Returns". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ Judan, Ben (1 October 2009). "Reporter says criticism of Soviets brought threats". The San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Автор: Александр Подрабинек" (in Russian). Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ Laetitia, Peron (20 November 2014). "Russia fights Western 'propaganda' as critical media squeezed". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ^ "EU Strategic Communications With A View To Counteracting Propaganda" (PDF). European Parliament. 20 November 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ Analýza „prokremelských" webů: šíří vlnu zloby a půl procenta soucitu Archived 11 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Czech). Mladá fronta DNES. 13 June 2016
- ^ Johnston, Neil (11 August 2016). "Kremlin news service opens in Edinburgh". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Kennedy, Dominic (14 April 2018). "To Edinburgh with love: Moscow's Scottish links". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Kennedy, Dominic (30 July 2016). "Kremlin sows discord with new weapon at heart of UK". The Times. London. Retrieved 26 February 2020. (subscription required)
- ^ Cameron, Greig; Leask, David (2 April 2021). "Russia's propaganda agency quits 'hostile' nation". The Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.(subscription required)
- ^ "Russia's Sputnik news agency halts operations in Britain: media group". Reuters. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ a b Henley, Jon (11 January 2017). "Russia waging information war against Sweden, study finds". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ a b Kragh, Martin; Åsberg, Sebastian (19 September 2017). "Russia's strategy for influence through public diplomacy and active measures: the Swedish case". Journal of Strategic Studies. 40 (6): 773–816. doi:10.1080/01402390.2016.1273830. ISSN 0140-2390. S2CID 157114426.
- ^ a b Watanabe, Kohei (2018), Conspiracist propaganda: How Russia promotes anti-establishment sentiment online, ECPR General Conference, Hamburg, S2CID 158733395
- ^ Parfitt, Tom (13 January 2017). "Putin accused of driving a wedge between Sweden and Nato". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ "Emmanuel Macron's campaign team bans Russian news outlets from events". The Guardian. Reuters. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ Bremner, Charles (19 April 2017). "Macron is main target of Russian interference". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Higgins, Andrew (17 April 2017). "It's France's Turn to Worry About Election Meddling by Russia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ Sage, Adam (30 May 2017). "Macron confronts Putin over lies in Russian media". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ "How Serbian Sputnik Infiltrated a Disinformation Hub in Bosnia And Herzegovina". EU vs DISINFORMATION. 14 June 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ ""Sputnik" o Bosni: Medijski "zastupnik" Milorada Dodika". Raskrinkavanje.ba. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ Cvjetićanin, Tijana; Zulejhić, Emir; Brkan, Darko; Livančić-Milić, Biljana. "Disinformation in the online sphere: The case of BiH" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "About". Euvsdisinfo. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Coleman, Alistair (28 February 2022). "Ukraine crisis: Russian news agency deletes victory editorial". BBC News. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Lozano, Sergio (1 March 2022). "Una agencia de noticias rusa publica por error el editorial de la victoria sobre Ucrania" [A Russian news agency mistakenly publishes editorial of victory over Ukraine]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ a b "'Russophobic': Kremlin Denies Evidence of Russian COVID-19 Disinformation Campaign". polygraph.info. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ "Disinfo: Coronavirus is an attempt by the Anglo-Saxons to control China". EUvsDisInfo. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Jensen, Donald N. "11. Russia in the Middle East: A New Front in the Information War?." RUSSIA IN THE (2018): 265. https://jamestown.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Russia-in-the-Middle-East-online.pdf?x75907#page=278 Archived 2 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Czuperski, Maksymilian, et al. Disinformation. Atlantic Council, 2017, pp. 54–61, Breaking Aleppo, JSTOR resrep03700.14. Accessed 15 May 2020.
- ^ Jensen, Donald N. "Russia in the Middle East: A New Front in the Information Was?." https://jamestown.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Don-Jensen-WS2-Media-Tactics.pdf Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Russian state news agency Sputnik says site blocked in Turkey". Reuters. 15 April 2016. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Turkey lifts ban on Russia's Sputnik news website - LOCAL". Hürriyet Daily News. Istanbul. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ "Russian Sputnik shuts down Kurdish website at Turkey's request". Ahval News. 30 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Dwoskin, Elizabeth (26 October 2017). "Twitter bans Russian government-owned news sites RT and Sputnik from buying ads". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "Twitter Bans Ads From Russia Today and the Sputnik Network, Citing Election Meddling". Time. 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ "Google to 'derank' Russia Today and Sputnik". BBC News. 21 November 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ Benková, Lívia. "The Rise of Russian Disinformation in Europe." (2018). https://www.aies.at/download/2018/AIES-Fokus_2018-03.pdf Archived 26 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Drozdiak, Natalia (17 January 2019). "Facebook Accuses Staff at Russia's Sputnik of Fake Accounts". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior from Russia | Facebook Newsroom". 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Twitter Labels State Media, Government Officials' Accounts". The New York Times. Reuters. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Russia's RT banned from UK media freedom conference". BBC News. 9 July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Measuring the reach of "fake news" and online disinformation in Europe". Digital News Report. February 2018. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Bennetts, Marc (3 January 2020). "Britain is poisoning Estonia against us, says Kremlin". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Dwoskin, Elizabeth; Zakrzewski, Cat; De Vynck, Gerrit (1 March 2022). "Major social media platforms ban Russian state media in Europe". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (3 March 2022). "Reddit Bans Links to Russian State Media Across Entire Site". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "European Union Publishes Regulation Banning Russia Today and Sputnik". Tech Policy Press. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ Fingas, J. (28 February 2022). "Microsoft is the latest to ban Russian state media from its platforms". Engadget. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Mayo, Benjamin (1 March 2022). "Apple on Russian invasion of Ukraine: all product sales paused, RT and Sputnik News apps pulled". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "YouTube blocks Russian state-funded media, including RT and Sputnik, around the world". France 24. 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Moldova Expels Director Of Russia's Sputnik State News Agency". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Moldova Deports Local Bureau Chief of Russia's Sputnik News Agency". The Moscow Times. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Russian journalist who headed news outlet in Moldova is declared a security threat and expelled". Associated Press. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Insider: Deported Moldova Sputnik chief revealed as career GRU spy". 16 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Products and services". Sputnik. Rossiya Segodnya. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Radio map". radiomap.eu. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
External links
[edit]- International broadcasters
- Internet properties established in 2014
- Internet radio stations
- Mass media companies of Russia
- Multilingual news services
- Multilingual websites
- News agencies based in Russia
- Propaganda radio broadcasts
- Russian companies established in 2014
- Russian news websites
- Russian propaganda organizations
- State media
- Conspiracist media