Russia Today Reporter Resigns Over MH17 Coverage: ‘We’re Lying And Finding Sexier Ways To Do It’
Following Liz Wah’s resignation live on the air earlier this year, Russia Today has been hit by another high-profile staff resignation. Sara Firth, a London-based correspondent for Russia Today, resigned on Friday in protest at the channel’s coverage of the Malaysia Airlines crash, Buzzfeed reports.
Firth told BuzzFeed her decision to resign from the Kremlin-funded news channel was because she felt it was “disrespectfully” attempting to pin the blame for Thursday’s Malaysia Airlines disaster on the Ukrainian government.
Firth announced her resignation on Twitter.
I resigned from RT today. I have huge respect for many in the team, but I’m for the truth. pic.twitter.com/mZ1g0R7N0D
— Sara Firth (@Sara__Firth) July 18, 2014
RT style guide Rule 1: It is ALWAYS *Ukraine’s fault (*add name as applicable) — Sara Firth (@Sara__Firth) July 18, 2014
“When this story broke I ran back into the newsroom and saw how we were covering it already and I just knew I had to go,” Firth told Buzzfeed. “It was the total disregard to the facts. We threw up eyewitness accounts from someone on the ground openly accusing the Ukrainian government [of involvement in the disaster], and a correspondent in the studio pulled up a plane crash before that the Ukrainian government had been involved in and said it was ‘worth mentioning’.”
“It’s not worth mentioning,” she said. “It’s Russia Today all over, it’s flirting with that border of overtly lying. You’re not telling a lie, you’re just bringing something up. I didn’t want to watch a story like that, where people have lost loved ones and we’re handling it like that.”
“I couldn’t do it any more. Every single day we’re lying and finding sexier ways to do it,” she added.
Russia Today’s statement from Anna Belkina, head of communications:
“We were not surprised by Sara Firth’s decision to leave RT after 5 years as a Moscow and London correspondent, as she has recently informed us that she was likely to take an offer from another firm.”
“The plane crash is an absolutely terrible tragedy, there are a lot of questions that surround it and everybody is looking for answers. More than 15 RT journalists are working on this story – from Moscow, from the Russian-Ukrainian border, London, Berlin, Washington. RT Spanish journalist Francisco Guaita was one of the first TV correspondents to get to the scene late last night. Our reporters are in the Netherlands and Malaysia.”
“Sara has declared that she chooses the truth; apparently we have different definitions of truth. We believe that truth is what our reporters see on the ground, with their own eyes, and not what’s printed in the morning London newspaper. In our coverage, RT, unlike the rest of the media, did not draw conclusions before the official investigation has even begun. We show all sides of the story, even if everyone else has already decided which side is to blame.”
We totally believe you RT.
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By: Anomaly100
32 responses to Russia Today Reporter Resigns Over MH17 Coverage: ‘We’re Lying And Finding Sexier Ways To Do It’
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Pistol-Packing July 18th, 2014 at 16:07
Good for her. Sometimes one has to take a moral position and stand by it.
Pistol-Packing July 18th, 2014 at 16:07
Good for her. Sometimes one has to take a moral position and stand by it.
bhil July 18th, 2014 at 16:11
I didn’t know Fox news was in Russia?
Anomaly 100 July 18th, 2014 at 16:13
You can see it from Palin’s porch.
DaddyO_969 July 18th, 2014 at 17:43
Isn’t she a contributing editor?
mea_mark July 18th, 2014 at 16:14
They are worse than FOX. They “are” the propaganda arm of Putin’s government and they have no regard for the truth unless it benefits their/Putin’s agenda.
bhil July 18th, 2014 at 16:31
It does sound familiar they both seem to have the same motives.
DaddyO_969 July 18th, 2014 at 17:42
Pravda means Truth.
Mick Rusk July 19th, 2014 at 14:31
You just described Fox News. Just replace the word Putin worth The GOP .
DaddyO_969 July 18th, 2014 at 17:39
Franchise license.
bhil July 18th, 2014 at 16:11
I didn’t know Fox news was in Russia?
Anomaly 100 July 18th, 2014 at 16:13
You can see it from Palin’s porch.
DaddyO_969 July 18th, 2014 at 17:43
Isn’t she a contributing editor?
mea_mark July 18th, 2014 at 16:14
They are worse than FOX. They “are” the propaganda arm of Putin’s government and they have no regard for the truth unless it benefits their/Putin’s agenda.
bhil July 18th, 2014 at 16:31
It does sound familiar they both seem to have the same motives.
DaddyO_969 July 18th, 2014 at 17:42
Pravda means Truth.
Mick Rusk July 19th, 2014 at 14:31
You just described Fox News. Just replace the word Putin worth The GOP .
DaddyO_969 July 18th, 2014 at 17:39
Franchise license.
Eric Trommater July 18th, 2014 at 16:18
State media and authoritarianism are as old as Russia herself.
Eric Trommater July 18th, 2014 at 16:18
State media and authoritarianism are as old as Russia herself.
NW10 July 18th, 2014 at 16:35
https://7e8c.https.cdn.softlayer.net/807E8C/origin.theweek.com/img/dir_0115/57851_cartoon_main.jpg?206
(((NW10,PATRIOT! ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ))) July 18th, 2014 at 16:35
https://7e8c.https.cdn.softlayer.net/807E8C/origin.theweek.com/img/dir_0115/57851_cartoon_main.jpg?206
Maxx44 July 18th, 2014 at 16:59
She believes in reporting the truth? Guess she won’t be applying to Faux News.
Maxx44 July 18th, 2014 at 16:59
She believes in reporting the truth? Guess she won’t be applying to Faux News.
R.J. Carter July 18th, 2014 at 17:03
She’s the Sheryl Attkisson of RT.
tiredoftea July 18th, 2014 at 17:45
Whatever happened to “when I have nothing nice to say…”?
R.J. Carter July 18th, 2014 at 17:03
She’s the Sheryl Attkisson of RT.
tiredoftea July 18th, 2014 at 17:45
Whatever happened to “when I have nothing nice to say…”?
fancypants July 18th, 2014 at 19:37
the employee walkouts are picking up at RT Congrats !
fancypants July 18th, 2014 at 19:37
the employee walkouts are picking up at RT Congrats !
KarenJ July 18th, 2014 at 20:49
“It’s not worth mentioning,” she said. “It’s Russia Today all over, it’s flirting with that border of overtly lying. You’re not telling a lie, you’re just bringing something up.
If that doesn’t sound like RU-Fox News, I don’t know what does.
KarenJ July 18th, 2014 at 20:49
“It’s not worth mentioning,” she said. “It’s Russia Today all over, it’s flirting with that border of overtly lying. You’re not telling a lie, you’re just bringing something up.
If that doesn’t sound like RU-Fox News, I don’t know what does.