French version of the Russian international news channel RT
Television channel
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]
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]
RT France to close in 2023
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]
