RT France

RT France, also known as RT en français, was the French version of the Russian state-controlled news channel RT. The channel was based in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and was funded by the Russian government.[1]

For the biblical scholar and Anglican cleric, see R. T. France.
RT France
TypeState media
CountryRussia
France
Broadcast areaEMEA
NetworkRT
HeadquartersBoulogne-Billancourt, France
Programming
Language(s)French
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
(downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner(ANO) TV-Novosti
Sister channelsRT International
RT America
RT Arabic
RT Documentary
RT en Español
RT UK
RT Deutsch
History
LaunchedDecember 18, 2017 (2017-12-18)
ClosedJanuary 21, 2023 (2023-01-21)
Links
Websitefrancais.rt.com

Similar to other RT channels, the accuracy and objectivity of RT France's information was regularly questioned.

RT revealed in late 2015 it was planning to develop a network for the French-speaking audience in countries such as France, Belgium and Switzerland.[2] The channel was launched on December 18, 2017, broadcasting in France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland and the Mediterranean.[3]

The channel, like other RT channels, cycled around 30 minutes of news and 30 minutes of other features, 24/7, and was able to provide rolling coverage on breaking news events when warranted.

Following the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, RT France's activities were banned in the European Union and in Canada.[4][5] However, the channel continued to broadcast online and via the Russian satellite Ekspress AM8, which covers EMEA countries.[6][7][8][9]

On 8 March 2022, RT France challenged the EU ban of its activities in the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union.[10] After refusing to "urgently" consider the case on 30 March,[11] the General Court dismissed the case on 27 July 2022, ruling that the ban against RT was justified.[12]

In January 2023, following the freezing of their bank accounts by the Direction générale du Trésor, its president Xenia Fedorova announced the closure of the French branch of the channel.[13]

Assessments and responses

The political science researcher Maxime Audinet discussed on L'Express the neutrality of RT France by stating: "Today it's not easy at all to find "fake news", or at least gross attempts at misinformation on the sites of RT, for example. They certainly have a conspiratorial past, but it definitely seems more interesting to observe the nature of their editorial line, which is highly selective and consistent with the Moscow-based view of the world."[3]

In 2017, French president Emmanuel Macron accused RT France of spreading "propaganda" during his 2017 presidential campaign and banned RT reporters from his campaign headquarters. He described the channel as a tool for "influence-peddling."[14]

On June 28, 2018, RT France was found in breach by the CSA for "failures of honesty, the rigor of the information and the diversity of the viewpoints" in a subject on the Syria. In a topic broadcast on April 13, "disputing the reality of chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian city of Douma", the CSA observed that the channel "had not faithfully translated comments of Syrian witnesses". The CSA imposed no sanctions on RT, but the regulator has the authority to fine a broadcaster or suspend its licence.[15] However, RT acknowledged that these actual words were spoken by the witness, but in a longer version of the interview that was not broadcast on air. RT France then apologized for the technical error, claiming "not to have invented a piece of evidence by means of a deliberately fraudulent translation as many media believe" with evidence as full testimony. Its president Xenia Fedorova claimed that "RT France covers all subjects, including the Syrian conflict, in a totally balanced manner, by giving all sides a chance to comment."[14] As a result, RT France appealed a week later to the Conseil d'État to overturn the decision of the CSA.

On July 18, 2018, the Syndicat national des journalistes (SNJ) wrote a blog stating that RT France journalists were denied access on numerous occasions to cover major events, such as presidential elections. The main reason was that "RT is regularly blamed at the highest level as a tool for propaganda and misinformation."[16]

On October 17, 2018, during an interview with a Puremedia journalist, French government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux re-affirmed the state's refusal to open its press room to RT France and Sputnik, saying: "They are not news organizations. They are propaganda funded by a foreign state."

In November 2018, RT France was accredited to allow access to some Elysée press conferences. But in February 2019, LREM refused to allow the channel to cover its European campaigns, on the basis that RT and Sputnik, "are not news organizations but propaganda in the service of the Kremlin. They should not be considered to be media, since they do not verify or cross-check information".[17]

On 23 February 2022, Frédéric Taddeï stopped hosting the show Interdit d'interdire in response to Russia's recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk breakaway states immediately prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[18][19]

Bans

On 27 February 2022, the European Union (EU) announced that in response to the invasion of Ukraine RT and Sputnik (another Russian state-run propaganda outlet) were banned in all languages throughout all their member states.[4] RT France appealed the ban to the European Court of Justice for a temporary suspension on 30 March 2022 which was rejected.[20] A subsequent appeal to the General Court was also rejected.[21]

On 16 March 2022, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission removed RT networks, including the French version, from its list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution.[5] To circumvent the ban, the channel continued to broadcast online and via the Russian satellite Ekspress AM8, which covers EMEA countries.[6][7][8][9][22]

On 8 March 2022, RT France challenged the EU ban of its activities in the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union.[10] After refusing to "urgently" consider the case on 30 March,[11] the General Court dismissed the case on 27 July 2022, ruling that the ban against RT was justified.[12]

In January 2023, following the freezing of their bank accounts by the Direction générale du Trésor, its president Xenia Fedorova announced the closure of the French branch of the channel.[13]

References
  1. "Arab News." arabnews.com. Retrieved on March 10, 2022. "RT France bids farewell to its European audience."
  2. "Russia Today va se renforcer en France". Le Monde.fr (in French). 6 October 2015.
  3. Audinet, Maxime (2017-12-17). "Russia Today se lance en France: "Ce n'est pas une propagande grossière"". L'Express (in French).
  4. "EU tightens Russian sanctions and buys weapons for Ukraine". Reuters. February 27, 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
  5. Zimonjic, Peter (2022-03-16). "CRTC bans Russian state-controlled TV channels RT, RT France from Canadian airwaves". CBC News. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  6. Kayali, Laura (13 October 2022). "With RT still live, France's hands are tied". Politico Europe. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  7. Lair, Noémie (2022-10-11). "Malgré l'interdiction, RT France diffuse ses programmes en direct et en français via la plateforme Odysee" [Despite the ban, RT France broadcasts its programs live and in French via the Odysee platform]. France Inter (in French). Radio France.
  8. "RT France - Change Log". en.kingofsat.net. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  9. "RT France". lyngsat.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  10. Chee, Foo Yun (2022-03-08). "RT challenges EU ban at Europe's second top court". Reuters.
  11. Bodoni, Stephanie (2022-03-30). "Kremlin-Backed RT Loses Court Bid to Suspend EU Sanctions". Bloomberg News.
  12. Bodoni, Stephanie (2022-07-27). "RT Loses Court Fight Over EU Ban Following Ukraine Invasion". Bloomberg News.
  13. "La chaîne d'information russe RT France annonce sa « fermeture »". Le Monde (in French). 21 January 2023.
  14. "Russia Warns French TV After France Calls Out Falsified RT Report". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  15. "RT France avertie par le CSA pour un sujet sur la Syrie". L'Obs (in French). Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  16. "Syndicat National des Journalistes | Premier syndicat français de journalistes". www.snj.fr (in French). Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  17. "LREM refuse d'accréditer Sputnik et RT pour les européennes". LExpress.fr (in French). 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  18. Goy, Héloïse; Patri, Alexis (23 February 2022). "Frédéric Taddeï quitte son émission sur RT France "par loyauté envers la France"" [Frédéric Taddeï leaves his show on RT France "out of loyalty to France"]. Europe 1 (in French). Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  19. "Frédéric Taddeï: «Par loyauté envers la France, je quitte la présentation de mon émission sur RT France»" (in French). 22 February 2022.
  20. "EU court rejects RT France's call for sanctions reprieve". Reuters. March 30, 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
  21. Chee, Foo Yun (July 27, 2022). "Russia Today loses fight against EU ban, Moscow warns of retaliation". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  22. "RT France : Les jours de la chaîne d'information russe sont désormais comptés". Le Monde.fr (in French). 19 January 2023.
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