It’s so brazenly hypocritical, it could be a joke. The US and the European Union rushed to condemn Russia’s new media laws restricting foreign entities. At the same time, they assume the unilateral right to hound Russian news outlets as “foreign agents.”
Do as we say, not as we do, is the arrogant mentality here.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation into law last weekend, the Kremlin described the measures as a “symmetrical response” to moves in the US earlier this month forcing Russian state-owned broadcaster RT to register as a foreign agent.
Under Russia’s new law, any foreign-sponsored news outlet operating in Russia may be required to register as a foreign entity, disclosing its financial details and journalistic activities, in the same way RT’s affiliate in America has been compelled to do by the Department of Justice.
No Western news organizations have yet been officially affected by the Russian regulations, but there are reports of US government-owned Radio Free Europe and Voice of America as potential subjects. The Russian law does not seem to distinguish between government or privately owned media outlets. America’s cable TV network channel CNN, as well as German state-owned Deutsche Welle, have also been reported as possible entities liable under the new media registration law.
Testy reactions from the US and EU reveal a staggering doublethink.
John Lansing, head of the US Broadcasting Board of Governors, which controls RFE and VOA, said in a statement that “any characterization of such steps as reciprocity for US actions severely distorts reality.”
EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said the Kremlin’s “legislation goes against Russia's human rights obligations and commitments.”
She added that the law is “a further threat to free and independent media and access to information” and “yet another attempt to shrink the space for independent voices in Russia.”
As the Kremlin explained, the new laws only apply to foreign-owned media operating in Russia. It does not apply to news outlets based in Russia. So it seems a tenuous assertion indeed by the EU that the move “shrinks space for independent voices in Russia.”
Отсюда
Как регистрировать РТ и Спутник в качестве иностранных агентов в США - это законно и правильно, а как в ответку получать ну абсолютно тоже самое относительно своих СМИ в России - этожесовсемдругоедело! Хуцпонавты, грёбаные. Ну как, КАК можно про этих мудаков что-то нормальное написать? Это такая хуцпа и лицемерие, что даже американцы с нормальным взглядом на мир начинают возмущаться.