Does RT have a hidden agenda?

I haven't seen this posted anywhere else, so I am wondering: Does no one but me find it strange that the most informative, most honest, most provocative voice out there right now is RT (Russia Today)?

Don't get me wrong, I love RT, with their straight-dope reporting (whereas the mainstream media these days is totally bought and paid for by the government/banks/corps that are all in bed with each other); I find it very refreshing. I'm watching a lot of the financial shows on there, with Lauren Lyster, Max Keiser, etc., and there's a lot of truly eye-opening stuff.

BUT... I can't help but wonder, why would a Russian media channel do all this? I don't know, but I find it weird that no one else seems to find this weird. In short, there's a Russian TV channel broadcasting on the Internet specifically FOR and ABOUT non-Russian topics, such as global finance, central bank schemes, how the markets are rigged, how the prices of gold and silver are manipulated, how the gold Germany tries to repatriate might not even be there anymore, and so forth. All very controversial issues that, of course, as a conspiracy-minded person, I love to watch. Now, do the Russians do this out of the kindness of their hearts, or what is the agenda here?If you watch RT a lot, you'll notice that they NEVER talk about Russia. While they criticize Wall Street and the CIty of London, the US, the UK, the Eurozone countries, etc., they never, ever talk negatively (or at all) about Russia.

So I started thinking, is it possible that RT is a covert propaganda channel to further the cause of communism? After all, in the financial shows I'm watching, there's always a lot of ranting about how capitalism has been perverted by the banksters, who seem to be above the law, how people like Tim Geithner, Jamie Dimon, etc. are fleecing the public while stuffing their own and their cronies' pockets. (Not that I think that's not true, I'm convinced it is.) If you listen, say, to the Max Keiser show for a long time, you start feeling like we need a whole new system and do away with the old one because it's so irreparably corrupt. Also, knowing that RT is Russian and that they are one of the few channels who tell you the truth about what's going on, you can't help but feel a certain admiration and gratitude towards them. Is this intentional?

I also noticed that Russia has other "campaigns" going... for example, when famous actor Gerard Depardieu fled France because the government was gonna make him pay 75% income tax, Putin offered him Russian citizenship, and since they have an income tax of about 30%, he happily accepted. Now, doesn't that make Russia all of a sudden look good, that a world-class French actor wouldn't hesitate to accept their citizenship, and that they have such a "reasonable" tax rate? Remember, this story has been spread through the media like crazy.

Is this communist psyops, "winning the hearts and minds of Westerners," so to speak? What do you guys think?

reply to post by sylvie


RT= Russian Tweet piece
/

reply to post by sylvie

s it possible that RT is a covert propaganda channel to further the cause of communism?

Russia is a semi-presidential republic. Unless they have reverted back into the CCCP without us noticing...

Is this communist psyops, "winning the hearts and minds of Westerners," so to speak? What do you guys think?

No.

Russia is still very hard for those not born of privilege.

Russia, with the Putin regime is looking more and more dictatorial then ever before.So i am not sure where you are getting Red fever from...

I to find the stories offered up by RT enlightening as it overs a different perspective on current issues. Mind you i did not say accurate or truthful reports, but when be critical is best to take all into account.

RT could be trying to wake up the average western citizen to how the world really sees the actions of western nations, which is generally unsupported.

RT (English) is the most effective propaganda outlet, and psychological operation the Russians have ever ran.

It's so good that some Russians involved don't deny this.

Well, I am sure that the Russians have their own propoganda policies. The concept of Communism isn't bad but it seems like it always gets hijacked by powerful people and gets corrupted. If there were no power hungry people or greedy people in the world it could work.

That said, I doubt if Communism will ever be what it was intended to be. It doesn't help when Rich Capitalistic countries try to take control and force the Communist countries to build an excessive military. Then we have to spend all our money on military too. Why can't people just get along.

RT is one of the most successful KGB programs of all time.

Can you imagine a foreign news station being more popular in the US than a national one?

Say it ain't so!!

Can the Kremlin then extend their political ideology, opinions and diplomatic goals through this TV medium, that I say again, is widely popular n the US?

Yes, yes they can.

Clever KGB and your propaganda news channel. ( although the reporting is better than most MSM..which says alot since it's still a bunch of crap overall.)

~Tenth

reply to post by MDDoxs


And you think they have no agenda whatsoever doing this? Just because Russia is not the Soviet Union anymore doesn't mean they aren't still communist, or did I miss anything here? I really love the RT stories, but I always have this little voice in the back of my mind saying, "Why are they doing this?" I just don't believe that they've suddenly turned into the world's benefactor, or that they're in principle more honest than the Western governments. I don't trust any government per se, and Russia has always been a very sleek and clever player in the global power machinations. Did they suddenly stop and have become the flower-children of the world? I don't think so.

Originally posted by ausername
RT (English) is the most effective propaganda outlet, and psychological operation the Russians have ever ran.

It's so good that some Russians involved don't deny this.

That's what I'm thinking. When you say some Russians involved don't deny this, do you have any links on that?

Ok firstly yes RT does have a “agenda” but it has nothing to do with winning hearts and minds to further the communist cause.

I mean Russia is no longer a Communist state

In reality RT is owned by the Russian state, in the same way as the BBC and the British state (the details might differ). RT has a very anti-western and pro-Russian agenda as such many conspiracy theorists view it as reliable and trustworthy, but not because this is true, but because both have the same agenda. Many conspiracy theories have a anti-western theme often against current governments of the west and RT has a similar view of the western world. It is incredibly bias against the west (particularly America) it does this to boost ratings and also because it does have a anti-western agenda.

I am always very sceptical when it comes to RT, they do have some good stuff but with such a strong political bias, like any media outlet, I take it with a pinch of sault, well in the case of RT usually a sack full of sault.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
RT is one of the most successful KGB programs of all time.

Can you imagine a foreign news station being more popular in the US than a national one?

Say it ain't so!!

Can the Kremlin then extend their political ideology, opinions and diplomatic goals through this TV medium, that I say again, is widely popular n the US?

Yes, yes they can.

Clever KGB and your propaganda news channel. ( although the reporting is better than most MSM..which says alot since it's still a bunch of crap overall.)

~Tenth

That's exactly my feeling. I imagine the logic (in people's minds) goes something like this:
If A) Russia uncovers the inconvenient truths that the US and other Western media/governments try to cover up (i.e., Russians = good guys, US/West = bad guys),
and if B) Russia is communist,
then C) it must follow that communism can't be so bad, right?

Is this what they try to do with RT?

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Phew ,, they didn't get past you then, that's a relief!
Most people on here think RT is a clean and honest littlr
operation.

My opinion is on post 2

It certainly has an agenda, the cool thing is they only have to tell the truth to show the corruption where mainstream US media resort to fabricating stories to make their side look better. RT makes the US look bad, good for Russia. But also notice that they rarely cover corruptions of Russia. They do sometimes, but its nothing compared to the US.

reply to post by sylvie


No, I don't it was the result of a conversation with a "journalist" working for RT in my case.

IMHO, RT is no more or less harmful than the MSM in the USA, especially CNN, Fox, MSNBC/NBC. Though the US versions are more interested in influencing and/or winning the hearts and minds of the domestic population of Americans. Their foreign bureaus don't have the funding and support that RT enjoys from their government.

That said, most of the information released through the U.S. MSM is controlled, and filtered for desired effects.

No less sinister than what RT does.

Originally posted by MDDoxs
reply to post by sylvie

 

s it possible that RT is a covert propaganda channel to further the cause of communism?

Russia is a semi-presidential republic. Unless they have reverted back into the CCCP without us noticing...

Is this communist psyops, "winning the hearts and minds of Westerners," so to speak? What do you guys think?

No.

Russia is still very hard for those not born of privilege.

Russia, with the Putin regime is looking more and more dictatorial then ever before.So i am not sure where you are getting Red fever from...

I to find the stories offered up by RT enlightening as it overs a different perspective on current issues. Mind you i did not say accurate or truthful reports, but when be critical is best to take all into account.

RT could be trying to wake up the average western citizen to how the world really sees the actions of western nations, which is generally unsupported.

Could not have put it better myself - star for you.

I just found an interesting website claiming that RT is an Illuminati proxy.

That website is very conspiratorial, but hey, this is ATS and I'm posting in Skunk Works, so why not go all out in discussing theories here?

The site owner basically claims that RT's "Western governments are scoundrels" theme is to sidetrack people from the NWO/one-world government scheme which Russia/RT allegedly is part of.

RT promotes psy ops, fake protest movements and intelligence assets. This reveals that Russia's External Intelligence Service (SVR) collaborates with the CIA to advance the NWO. The KGB is an Illuminati instrument and works closely with the CIA. Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenov revealed that 85% of KGB activity was the promotion of communism (aka liberalism) in America. The CIA promoted the very same movements, e.g. feminist-icon Gloria Steinham received CIA funding. These collaborative projects are still ongoing.

He's also talking about Occupy Wall Street and how that played into Russia's hands:

Occupy Wall Street - RT heavily promotes Occupy, which focuses on economic disparities in the USA: the one per cent versus the 99% RT has gone so far to provide an iPhone application that allows you to track where other activists are congregated, so you know where to stand. Occupy is false opposition, a left-wing version of the Tea Party, featuring communists, hippies, anarchists, and socialists spouting vague slogans. George Soros funds seven of the main groups in New York to the tune of $3.5 million. These groups have been calling for pro-NWO policies. Adbusters, the anti-capitalist group that initiated the movement, call for a global carbon tax! Soros has ties with the Russian power elite dating back to the late 80s. He worked with the Gorbachev regime to engineer glasnost: the liberalization movement that was designed to bring down the Soviet Union. Glasnost (Eng: openness) was the loosening of censorship in the Soviet Union, which allowed the media to expose and mock the government. The social actors of glasnost - journalists, historians, artists' -were trained at The Cultural Initiative Foundation formed by George Soros in Moscow in 1987.

Quite fascinating.

The stated intent at the formation of RT was to improve Russia's image to outsiders. It was created by the Kremlin and, although it is purportedly autonomous, it is a part of RIA-Novosti, the state-run news agency in Russia. Although some may differ in opinion, the Cold War was more of a propaganda war with occasional military exchanges at times from what I have seen and learned. My grandfather was a former chief of staff and went to the USSR while in that position in 1973 during one of the "closest times that we have come to all out war with the USSR"--the Yom Kippur War. He was not there because of Yom Kippur but instead, there with members of the USDA according to his own documents, to probably assist in the negotiations of the sale of wheat to the USSR. You can fact check all that information (except for my personal claim, obviously) on the net. It occurred. He also acquired books and toys for me to play with (so much for purported monstrous enemies, eh?) as a child and funded a trip for me to the USSR in the 80's so that I could see what Communism was like in practice (and it was BAD).

This should thoroughly explain my opinion as to why I would say that the "Cold War" was more likely a "Lukewarm" propaganda war that allowed both sides an excuse to fund a variety of wish list projects to beat their adversary. However, that isn't to say that there weren't actual hostilities that grew from it as it was a very effective propaganda war of which you can still see many people fearing Communism and the Russian Federation today. If you can see it here, then odds are, it happens there, too. Hence why RT probably very gleefully reports and provokes if they are, in fact, truly autonomous. That is a very big "if" though. I also note a lot of sarcastic and humorous barbs being launched by Russian politicians in regards to our own government popping up from time to time.

reply to post by sylvie


Funny... i was just looking at the Makow story too.

I think they do indeed have an agenda - just like every other news org, watch with usual diligence I guess.

Interestingly though, if you take a look at their about page: RT/About you'll see their partners, one of which is WhatreallyHappened.com

RT is just an alternate news source unbiased by western politics. I'm sure they have an agenda and bias
but I've yet to see it strongly represented.

If you think they promote communism or are a KGB backed propaganda news outlet...please find some
supporting evidence; one of their videos or something. I'm interested in the OP's premise
and think we should look into it...

Originally posted by Severin
reply to post by sylvie

 

Funny... i was just looking at the Makow story too.

I think they do indeed have an agenda - just like every other news org, watch with usual diligence I guess.

Interestingly though, if you take a look at their about page: RT/About you'll see their partners, one of which is WhatreallyHappened.com

Funny you say that, because I'm just googling around a bit and found this webpage by Hack Wilson saying,

No, the Cold War never quite ended. There is a reason why Russia Today has embraced the Alex Jones/Jesse Ventura/Ron Paul conspiracy crowd with all it's 9/11 Trutherism. It absolves them of accepting the threat of Islamic extremism so they can continue to wheel and deal with said Islamists in a perpetual open war against the state of Israel and a quiet, covert war against America. Not only that, it is psychological propaganda war gold. Fuel civil unrest in your enemy's land. The Commies that never quite let go must love Infowars and the conspiracy nuts who want to bring about violent revolution in the United States. They also seem to have embraced Ron Paul's rise to stardom here, as it has challenged the status quo, shaken up the establishment a tad, and changed the political atmosphere in the United States. I wonder how many Russian agents are facilitating this phenomenon.

I can totally see how siding with Alex Jones et al. could further Russia's agenda. Plus, they're winning over the entire conspiracy crowd at the same time -- after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? (not)