Tracy Quan recaps Julian Assange’s exclusive series after it wraps up the 12-episode run on RT, discusses the show’s efficacy and its criticism in other media outlets.
“It's addictive, lively, wide-ranging, and informative, suggesting a well-rounded (by computer-geek standards) host.”
“RT is, in fact, licensing the show, not producing it, and, with studios in Moscow and Washington, D.C., it’s a far more interesting network than some care to admit. If you watched RT's lively coverage of the Supreme Court's Obamacare decision, you were treated to the spectacle of Americans actually well-versed in the history of Canadian health care. (Where did they find these freaks? It might be a first, even for cable.) One of RT's most popular vehicles is The Alyona Show, where girl-power aesthetic meets American liberalism—but libertarian Reason editor Brian Doherty is a frequent guest. (The newscasters in Moscow reporting on Putin's state visits are more predictable, and where RT critics get their ammo.)”
“Perhaps some Assange-bashers are envious. Despite his legal problems, he's the host, director, and producer of a program that makes us care about his predicament—even if you're not a full-fledged fan. We're finally getting a chance to know this guy, through the questions he asks and the way he asks them.”
Read more here.
“Al-Jazeera, which is owned by the Qatari royal family, has already been a standout in state-run media, with a wealth of coverage across various media available for free online. Hot on its heels is Russia Today (RT) News, controlled by the Kremlin, and China Daily, run by the Communist Party of China, who have both exploded in terms of how much content they’ve provided (again, for free!) online and worldwide. Which is great, until you get to that whole “state-run” part.”
Mark Mackinnon analyses the implications of the growing availability of the news coverage from the emerging media companies in China, Russia and the Middle East as they go global, at the time when traditional Western media is shrinking its presence.
“As Western newspapers and broadcasters close bureaus, cut staff and erect paywalls, the emerging media companies owned by the Communist Party of China, the Emir of Qatar and Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin continue to expand their influence and reach.”
“Throughout the recent crisis in Syria, and before that in Libya and Egypt, Xinhua and RT News have thrown unprecedented money and resources at reporting from the scene, even as Western media scale back on their own efforts. It’s not too far-fetched to imagine a near future where it’s Xinhua or RT, rather than the Associated Press or BBC, that have the only correspondents on the scene of an international crisis, meaning the world will only get Beijing or Moscow’s version of what’s happening.”
Read more here.