Recently, Putin announced his support for Donald Trump, and Russia Today lionized Trump as a proficient diplomat, while denouncing Hillary as an inept warmonger.

RT, as Russia Today is often abbreviated as, is a television network funded by the Russian government, mainly directed at audiences outside of Russia. Why does it exist? At the time of RT’s founding, the West’s main perception of Russia could be expressed with just three words: communism, snow, and poverty. Aiming to change that, Mikhail Lesin, the media minister, conceived the idea of RT, which would show a more complete picture of life in Russia. But it seems to have strayed from that original mission.

RT attempts to seem like a gritty CNN or BBC, delivering unbiased, unvarnished news and commentary, using a mostly young and hip cast, such as King, Ed Schultz, and Jesse Ventura. However, it’s quite obvious that underneath that facade, the television network is little more than Putin’s megaphone; it’s a poorly disguised propaganda machine. It unequivocally supports Russia’s actions and paints those who oppose them as the villains. For example, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, RT claimed Russia was right in doing so, that the Ukrainians were in the wrong. It also loves to discuss America’s foreign policy failings in the Middle East, the apparent futility of NATO strategy, and how horrible of a president Barack Obama is. The final nail in the coffin would be the fact that Simonyan, the network’s editor-in-chief, has a secure line directly to the Kremlin in her office. It’s glaringly obvious that RT is no more than a spout for a torrent of putrid, pro-Putin propaganda.

RT’s logo is quite easy to recognize. If you ever spot the letters RT on a sickly, pale Jell-O green background, be prepared take anything you see with a very, very large grain of salt.

<Michael Linde La Canada High School 11th Grade>