THE Russian government is spending millions of dollars to push its propaganda on Australian audiences, with Foxtel and Fairfax doing deals with the volatile regime.
Following revelations Russian President Vladimir Putin is infiltrating Australia with spies at levels not seen since the Cold War, The Australian can reveal Russia is paying Foxtel an estimated $2 million a year to broadcast its state-owned channel, Russia Today.
The channel launched on Tuesday, with Foxtel’s executive director of television, Brian Walsh, issuing a press release describing the channel as “an important voice in bringing another perspective to world affairs, with an impressive roster of compelling programs from award-winning journalists”.
Russia Today has a long history of disgraceful news reports amounting to propaganda, including broadcasting claims the September 11 terror attacks in New York were committed by the CIA. Journalists have resigned claiming it is a “propaganda instrument” of the Russian government.
Foxtel refused to answer questions about how much payment it was receiving from Russia Today or any affiliated organisation as part of the deal.
But senior television industry sources told The Australian Russia Today would be paying Foxtel about $1.5m a year for satellite and transmission fees and at least half a million dollars a year for extras, including a listing in Foxtel’s EPG magazine.
The Australian also asked Foxtel how it would ensure the channel did not broadcast Russian propaganda, including material that was highly offensive to western values, anti-semitic or anti-democratic.
“It is well-known that Russia Today is a Russian state-funded channel which features stories and opinions from a Russian perspective,” a Foxtel spokesman said. “As with all international news channels available on our service, Foxtel has no day-to-day editorial involvement in the news and stories that the channel broadcasts. We leave it for viewers to come to their own conclusions on the material that is broadcast, as we do for all of our news channels.”
This comes at a time when British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said he is “worried about Putin”, warning the Russian president poses a “real and present danger”.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations’ public affairs director, Pete Shmigel, has expressed dismay at the decision to broadcast Russia Today.
“In so doing, Foxtel appears to effectively support Vladimir Putin, including the aggressive and illegal invasions of Crimea and eastern Ukraine, because RT is a state-funded international communications vehicle for Mr Putin’s policies and actions,” he wrote in a letter to Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein.
Foxtel said it would monitor Russia Today’s compliance with the subscription television code of conduct. But its spokesman said Russia Today was a multi Emmy nominated news and current affairs channel and “complements” Foxtel’s international news channels, including Al Jazeera, BBC World News, CNN, CNBC, CTV and Fox News “which provide our subscribers with varied perspectives on world affairs”.
“Each of these channels has a different editorial approach, and Foxtel neither endorses nor disavows any of their content.’’
It comes after a major print advertising spend by Fairfax, which distributed a lift-out, Russia Beyond the Headlines, in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in September.
At the time, Crikey reported it was part of a “major international attempt by the Putin government to influence Western opinion”, with The Sydney Morning Herald editor Darren Goodsir telling Crikey it was a “commercial arrangement” and “wasn’t an altruistic activity”.
