Liz Wahl, a reporter for the English-language, Kremlin-backed network RT, quit at the end of a newscast today. Wahl talked about “the ethical and moral challenges” she faces as a reporter for RT. Her grandparents fled to the U.S. as refugees escaping the Soviet occupation of Hungary following WWII. “I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government that white-washes the actions of Putin,” said Wahl.
“I’m proud to be an American, and believe in disseminating the truth and that is why after this newscast, I’m resigning.”
Wahl’s resignation follows yesterday’s on-air denounciation by another RT anchor. “What Russia did is wrong,” said Abby Martin on the Kremlin-backed channel. “Just because I work here, for RT, doesn’t mean I don’t have editorial independence and I can’t stress enough how strongly I am against any military intervention in sovereign nations’ affairs.”
More: Liz Wahl appeared on AC360 tonight, with Anderson Cooper in Kiev, and talked about how RT works. “RT is not about the truth. It’s about promoting a Putinist agenda and I can tell you firsthand, it’s also about bashing America.” Cooper asked about the management structure at the network: “Management is Russian, yes. Middle management, they are American and their role is to make sure — it’s kind of part of that censorship role to make sure we’re in line.”
More: RT has released a statement about Wahl’s resignation: “When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt. We wish Liz the best of luck on her chosen path.”