Kontrpropaganda today: The roots of RT’s defensive practices and countering ethic

Abstract

This article argues that the institutional practices and journalistic ethics on RT, formerly Russia Today, have been influenced by the Soviet kontrpropaganda tradition, a defence mechanism against anti-communist narratives. RT’s post-Soviet institutional structure has enabled the continuation of inherently ‘defensive’ practices in a way that they form a ‘countering’ ethic on the network. While kontrpropaganda informs the journalistic culture of RT’s Russian staff, its international journalists are socialised into it. This article uses historical texts, archival materials and interviews with current and former journalists of RT and the Rossiya Segodnya network to examine how these defensive practices have become an everyday norm. In their strive for broadening the audience and for changing public opinion in the West, RT’s staff adopts reactive, patriotic or legitimising practices. The countering ethic on RT informs the journalists’ scramble for legitimacy not only of Russia as a country but also of RT as their employer. By analysing the underpinnings that organise the work of RT journalists, the article sheds light on broader problems of countering as a status-seeking effort in the international media ecosystem and contributes to ongoing research on self-censorship and conspiracy theories.