A Win for WaPo. Good Riddance to RT. The Latest Horrors from Ukraine. | Winners & Losers in Today’s Green Room
MEDIA WINNER: The Washington Post
The phrase “bombshell report” has been thrown around a lot in recent years, and usually with a partisan tinge. Bombshell is in the eye of the beholder, so to speak, and whether or not it’s damaging to one’s political opponents is often a deciding factor.
But a new report from The Washington Post’s Dalton Bennett and Jon Swaine published on Friday, The Roger Stone Tapes, truly deserves the bombshell label.
Roger Stone, the longest-serving political adviser to former President Donald Trump, was filmed by a Danish film crew for more than two years for the upcoming documentary A Storm Foretold.
Stone spoke directly to the camera throughout the documentary and even allowed filmmakers to capture “fly-on-the-wall footage of his actions, candid off-camera conversations from a microphone he wore and views of his iPhone screen as he messaged associates on an encrypted app.”
Post reporters reviewed more than 20 hours of footage filmed for the documentary, finding clips that featured Stone’s efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election results, secure preemptive pardons for himself and Republican lawmakers, and even rail against Trump himself. Particularly notable footage includes Stone’s activities on Jan. 5 and 6, 2021 — especially since Stone has refused to cooperate with the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6.
MEDIA LOSER: Russia Today
RT America is effectively shuttering after the cable station laid off most of its staff, CNN reported on Thursday, and it’s only the latest blow for the Kremlin-backed network.
Formerly known as Russia Today, RT has several sister stations around the world, including in the United Kingdom and France. RT America launched in 2010 and has since offered a steady diet of pro-Russia coverage.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, the network has come under increasing scrutiny and pressure given its ties to Moscow. On Tuesday, DirecTV said it would be dropping RT from its list of channels.
Facebook, TikTok, and Google have also all announced restrictions on RT’s content. Apple removed the RT app from its app store in all countries except for Russia.
RT America’s production company, T&R productions, announced it will cease operations “as a result of unforeseen business interruption events.” In a memo to staff, T&R general manager Misha Solodovnikov told employees, “Unfortunately, we anticipate this layoff will be permanent, meaning that this will result in the permanent separation from employment of most T&R employees at all locations.”
CNN described the layoffs as “an effective end to RT America.” Good riddance.
Links We Like:
In a divided nation, a rare moment of unity on Ukraine
– Joanna Slater, Deborah Lynn Blumberg, and Taylor Killough, Washington Post
Putin Is Determined to Destroy What He Cannot Possess
– Jim Geraghty, National Review
A Taxonomy of Right-Wing Dog Whistles
– Molly Jong-Fast, The Atlantic
Hot Takes Are Making the Ukraine Invasion Worse
– Nick Gillespie and Regan Taylor, Reason
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