RT and Sputnik

Sputnik

The Sputnik name may appear familiar to many people who grew up during the Cold War. It was the name for the first satellite launched to orbit Earth, and Sputnik effectively began the space race in 1957. As a symbol of success and past Soviet glory, the name was given new life as a Russian news agency, website, and radio service.

Prior to the start of Sputnik in 2014, RIA Novosti functioned as a comparatively well-regarded news agency. As RIA Novosti dissolved in 2013, Sputnik emerged and rose in importance. Operating under Rossiya Segodnya as a subsidiary, Sputnik has resembled the old Soviet Union propaganda efforts rather than the more professional [Page 1425]TASS and RIA Novosti. Sputnik presents itself as an alternative source of news, while attempting to undermine public trust in established sources of news reporting. This lends support to Russian intelligence operations of disinformation that tend to be cost efficient and benefit from those who spread lies framed as alternative facts.

One of Sputnik’s more notable disinformation campaigns was pushing false claim that Seth Rich, a staff member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) who was murdered in 2016, was involved in leaking DNC emails during the 2016 presidential campaign, fueling conspiracy theories about his murder. Russian intelligence used Sputnik to encourage others to believe that Rich was responsible for providing emails to WikiLeaks, despite U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russian intelligence officers hacked and leaked the emails.

Sputnik’s Internet orientation gives it an advantage over traditional news production outlets. It has operated in 30 cities around the world producing content in as many languages. This orientation enables it to provide significant coverage to politicians in various countries who support Russia, or to politicians who challenge their own countries’ ways of doing things on issues such as health care, education, or immigration. These political outliers have their views presented, often without a counter or mainstream perspective. Sputnik has not been successful in every location, however, as some Scandinavian sites did not survive more than a year or so. In some cases, governments have taken action against Sputnik. Lithuania, in 2019, decided that Sputnik should be banned for violating its copyright law. That same year, the United Kingdom Foreign Office would not issue press credentials for Sputnik and RT to attend a media freedom conference because of their efforts to spread disinformation. In contrast, Sputnik has been more successful with its local sites in the Balkans, such as in Serbia. Sputnik may be more influential than RT because of these local sites being freely available and appearing familiar because of their native Internet style.

RT

The name RT is based on the television outlet’s original name, Russia Today. It was established in 2005 to serve as an information weapon for the Russian government and as an expression of Putin’s propaganda strategy. RT’s content has shifted as the Russian economy and international politics have necessitated revised alliances with individuals and governments.

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