Rossiya Segodnya

Rossiya Segodnya (Russian: Росси́я сего́дня, IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə sʲɪˈvodʲnʲə], English: Russia Today) is a news agency owned and operated by the Russian government, created by an Executive Order of the President of Russia on December 9, 2013.[1] It should not be confused with the TV network RT, which was known as Russia Today prior to 2009. However, the network is still sometimes referred to as "Russia Today" or the "New Russia Today" in foreign media.[2][3][4]

Not to be confused with RT (TV network) or Russian Federation Today.

Rossiya Segodnya
Federal State Unitary Enterprise
IndustryNews media
Founded9 December 2013
HeadquartersZubovsky Boulevard 4, Moscow, Russia
Key people
Dmitry Kiselyov
Margarita Simonyan
ProductsWire service, international radio, internet website
OwnerGovernment of Russia
SubsidiariesSputnik
RIA Novosti
Websiteроссиясегодня.рф
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Rossiya Segodnya incorporates the former RIA Novosti news service and the international radio service Voice of Russia (formerly Radio Moscow). According to the Decree of the President of Russia, the mandate of the new agency is to "provide information on Russian state policy and Russian life and society for audiences abroad." Vladimir Putin's chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, said that Rossiya Segodnya was being created in order to increase the cost efficiency in Russian state media.[5] However, RIA Novosti's own report about the move speculated it was an attempt to consolidate state control over the media sector[6] and Western news outlets stated that this was also a move by Putin to propagate a more pleasant image of Russia abroad.[4]

According to a report on the RT news channel, Rossiya Segodnya is "in no way related" to the RT news channel despite the similarity in name (RT was known as Russia Today prior to its rebranding in 2009). However, a report by the BBC states that it "seems likely [...] that [Rossiya Segodnya] will complement the work of the state-funded foreign-language TV station, RT."[7] On 31 December 2013, Margarita Simonyan was appointed editor-in-chief of the news agency, as well as being RT's news channel editor-in-chief. She will serve in both positions concurrently.[8]

On 10 November 2014, the agency launched the Sputnik multimedia platform with Radio Sputnik as its audio component, replacing the Voice of Russia. The radio service is available internationally on FM, digital DAB/DAB+ (Digital Radio Broadcasting), HD-Radio, as well as mobile phones and the Internet. Within Russia itself, Rossiya Segodnya continues to use the RIA Novosti brand as its Russian-language news agency using the website ria.ru.

Following his transfer from Ukraine to Russia on 7 September 2019 as part of the Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchanges,[9] Kirill Vyshinsky became the executive director of Rossiya Segodnya on 9 September 2019.[10]

Controversy

Allegations of homophobia

This organisatation is headed by Dmitry Kiselyov, a pro-Putin[4] news presenter on the domestic Russia-1 television channel, who has gained significant controversy in the Western media with his remarks claiming foreign conspiracies against Russia and verbally abusing homosexuals.[5]

Dmitry described as the "spearhead" of such anti-LGBTQ propaganda on the network,[3] making various provocative comments regarding the Russian LGBTQ community. He has stated that a gay person's organs are unworthy of being transplanted heterosexual, and that gay men should be prohibited from donating blood or sperm. The Russian LGBTQ community has also been referred to by Kiselyov as an "aggressive minority" opposed to "parents fighting to give their children a healthy upbringing", stating falsified statistics that "40% of children brought up by homosexuals have venereal diseases".[3]

Operations

See also
  • Media of Russia
  • Freedom of press in Russia

References
  1. Pizzi, Michael (December 9, 2013). "Putin dissolves RIA Novosti news agency". Al Jazeera America.
  2. Pizzi, Michael (9 December 2013). "Putin dissolves RIA Novosti news agency". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  3. Ennis, Stephen. "Homophobia spreads in Russian media". bbc.co.uk. BBC Monitoring. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  4. "Putin appoints homophobic presenter to head state news agency". theguardian.com. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  5. Myers, Steven Lee (9 December 2013). "With No Notice, Putin Scraps Kremlin News Agencies". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  6. "RIA Novosti to be liquidated in state-owned media overhaul". RIA Novosti. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013. The move is the latest in a series of shifts in Russia’s news landscape, which appear to point toward a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector.
  7. "Putin's RIA Novosti revamp prompts propaganda fears". BBC News. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  8. "RT editor Simonyan to head Kremlin-backed news agency". BBC News. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  9. "Kremlin welcomes exchange of detainees conducted between Russia and Ukraine: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Director of RIA Novosti Ukraine Kirill Vyshinsky is among those who have returned to Russia". TASS. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  10. "Вишинському дали посаду в Росії" [Vyshinsky was given a position in Russia]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 7 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
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