MONDAY, JUNE 06, 2005
Russia set to start world TV news channel
AP
MOSCOW: Worried that the West's perceptions of Russia go no farther than stereotypes, a new satellite station — Russia Today — aims to beam made-in-Moscow coverage to countries around the world, newspapers reported on Monday.
Employing as many as 200 reporters, the Russian equivalent of Voice of America is set to begin English-language broadcasts in the winter, realising a long-cherished goal of former media minister Mikhail Lesin.
Lesin once warned Russia must "do propaganda for ourselves — otherwise we'll always look like bears."
The state-controlled RIA-Novosti news agency and television station Rossiya will provide journalists and premises for Russia Today TV, or RTTV, the Vedomosti and Izvestia dailies said.
The aim of the station is to "reflect Russia's position on key issues in world affairs, and inform the foreign audience about the variety of aspects of life in Russia," according to a statement.
Margarita Simonyan, a 26-year-old Kremlin pool reporter for Rossiya, has been named editor in-chief of the project.
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