An extraordinary interview on RT International that must have the producers scratching their heads
Long ago, to be precise in 2016, when I appeared multiple times on different domestic Russian talk shows, I saw firsthand that Russia does not censor those who appear on live television, nor do they make cuts when the videotaped programs are put up on the internet.
That freedom of expression stands in stark contrast to the production methods in the USA. In the USA, you give 15 minutes of interview to CNN and maybe they put on air 2 minutes of what their producers want to hear.
When in 2015 I said on air on a Euronews panel discussion that Russian media were freer with respect to Ukraine coverage than US media, my fellow panelist, Elmar Brok, chairman of the European Parliament committee on foreign affairs, said rudely, offensively: how much did the Kremlin pay you to say that?
What I said in 2015-2016 I repeat today with regard to RT. My answers to their prepared questions in this afternoon’s interview about the US-Russia summit in Alaska next week must have left some of the producers gasping. BUT not a word of what I said has been cut in the video they just posted on the internet.
I hope that the Community will find value in this and share my appreciation for freedom of expression in Russia today.
Gilbert Doctorow's latest book, "War Diaries. The Russia-Ukraine War, 2022-2023" is a unique contribution to literature on the war thanks to the author's reports on the Russian home front written during his periodic visits to St Petersburg at a time when Russia no longer issued visas and nearly all Western journalists had left the country. Doctorow's two-volume "Memoirs of a Russianist" published in 2020 also constitutes a category of its own, consisting largely of diary entries rather than reminiscences written decades later.. Volume 2 focuses on the community of 50,000 expatriate managers working and living in Moscow during the 1990s, about which none of his peers has yet to write.
Gilbert Doctorow is a professional Russia watcher and actor in Russian affairs going back to 1965. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College (1967), a past Fulbright scholar, and holder of a Ph.D. with honors in history from Columbia University (1975).
After completing his studies, Mr. Doctorow pursued a business career focused on the USSR and Eastern Europe. For twenty-five years he worked for US and European multinationals in marketing and general management with regional responsibility.
From 1998-2002, Doctorow served as the Chairman of the Russian Booker Literary Prize in Moscow. During the 2010-2011 academic year, he was a Visiting scholar of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University.
Mr. Doctorow is a long-time resident of Brussels.
View all posts by gilbertdoctorow
Published
4 thoughts on “An extraordinary interview on RT International that must have the producers scratching their heads”
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and opinion on this issue. I hope you are correct and that the conflict in Ukraine will be resolved with security guarantees for both Russia and the rest of Europe.
Your optimism about ending the war is nice to hear and I hope you are correct. I have my doubts about being able to achieve peace. I fear for Putin’s safety. Hopefully I am just a nut in the woods.
…… Say it ain’t so Ethel .. 😦 ……CBS NEWS: Zelensky says Trump-Putin summit will achieve nothing, vows Ukraine will not give up……THE NEW YORK TIMES: Zelensky Rejects Ceding Territory to Russia After Trump Suggests a Land Swap……HINDUSTAN TIMES: Zelensky says Vladimir Putin is trying to sell Russia-Ukraine ceasefire for a price……ABC NEWS: Zelensky rejects formally ceding Ukrainian territory, says Kyiv must be part of any negotiations
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and opinion on this issue. I hope you are correct and that the conflict in Ukraine will be resolved with security guarantees for both Russia and the rest of Europe.
Arthur
Sweden
LikeLike
Your optimism about ending the war is nice to hear and I hope you are correct. I have my doubts about being able to achieve peace. I fear for Putin’s safety. Hopefully I am just a nut in the woods.
LikeLike
…… Say it ain’t so Ethel .. 😦 ……CBS NEWS: Zelensky says Trump-Putin summit will achieve nothing, vows Ukraine will not give up……THE NEW YORK TIMES: Zelensky Rejects Ceding Territory to Russia After Trump Suggests a Land Swap……HINDUSTAN TIMES: Zelensky says Vladimir Putin is trying to sell Russia-Ukraine ceasefire for a price……ABC NEWS: Zelensky rejects formally ceding Ukrainian territory, says Kyiv must be part of any negotiations
LikeLike