In the world of the Russia Today news channel, the Chechen capital, Grozny, is a leafy, clean city on the mend--with an affable, democratic family man at its helm. The secession of Kosovo, ancient territory of Serbia, unleash Muslim extremism and a "Pandora's box" of secessions from Canada to Cyprus. Oh, and Russia's alcoholism is nothing compared to the thuggish behavior of young British and Scandinavian drinkers.
This 24-hour, English-language channel is broadcast on cable stations in the U.S. and via satellite to audiences around the world. It's been operating since 2005, but as Russia's widely criticized presidential elections approach (and its image abroad is deteriorating) the government-funded channel is evidently increasing efforts to charm its foreign audience.
Since the channel was founded by the mouthpiece of the Russian state, RIA-Novosti, and is funded by the government, there are no commercials, though between segments, the name of a prominent Russian company, such as state-owned Rosneft, or, more puzzlingly, the oligarch-owned Renova, appears on-screen for 30 seconds or so.
The channel has a tall order. Even though Vladimir Putin can point to 8% annual GDP growth in Russia, on average, since 2000 and a rapidly expanding middle class, Russia's image is shaped largely by negative stories of political and business pressure. A few that come to mind are the recent travails of Royal Dutch/Shell and Exxon in Sakhalin, as well as the seizure of millions of dollars of
So in the spirit of great marketing, the Kremlin is using charm, good photography and a healthy dose of sex appeal to appeal to a diverse, skeptical audience. The result is entertaining--and ineffably Russian.
Typical for the channel was a recent piece on an ancient Eastern Orthodox monastery in Kosovo, under threat, according to the reporter, from nearby radical Islamists. The poignant, beautifully shot segment showed bearded monks hand-fashioning guitars and preparing meals in a pristine monastery deep in the countryside. The story suggested that Kosovo's secession from Serbia would leave the monastery's music-playing, wine-brewing monks vulnerable to attack from vengeful Muslim Kosovars.
Slick, fast-moving and well-produced (and with theme music suspiciously similar to the BBC's), Russia Today is mysteriously compelling. My boyfriend has begun watching it several times a week; he laughs at the earnestness with which the young Russian reporters--usually attractive and fluent in English--strive to conform to the official stance on various issues. And yet we find ourselves wanting to keep watching.
To show divisions within the U.S. political establishment, the producers dug up Mike Gravel, a former Democratic senator from Alaska who served during the 1970s. Sen. Gravel, dressed all in white and reclining on a cushy leather couch, clearly tried to prolong his conversation with the pretty young journalist.
He rambled on at length about the Democratic contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, saying he wouldn't endorse either of them because "they're both sustaining American imperialism and the military-industrial complex that goes along with it."
The Chechen story was one of the channel's more blatant examples of propaganda. Suggesting careful editing by government officials, a British reporter who narrated the story never appeared on camera, only reading a script as footage played.
Yet even this piece was compelling: The Putin-designated leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, often accused of "overlooking" reports of kidnappings and brutality at the hands of Russian soldiers stationed in Chechnya, was shown playing with his children in his modest home. In a clear attempt to convey Russia's acceptance of Muslim traditions, he later prayed and performed a Chechen Muslim dance with local residents--footage not seen in Western news reports.
An apparently American reporter promised a serious look at alcoholism in Russia in a two-part "special" on the problem. Instead, he mocked the issue, pretending to force young Muscovites in a fashionable bar to drink. He interviewed an expat bar-owner from the U.K., who helpfully pointed out that young drinkers in London get in more fights than their Russian peers.
To prove that beer is becoming more popular than vodka (and thus that drinking is now somehow less of a problem), the reporter marched into an expensive restaurant and asked diners to choose between free vodka or beer.
Days later, the channel broadcast a lighthearted story on a Ukrainian company that is selling berry-flavored vodka in anatomically correct, penis-shaped glass bottles. Footage showed two beefy, short-haired men in a Ukrainian liquor store saying they weren't planning to buy it since "they had their own." They then bought four bottles. The factory women who make the product declined to be appear on camera holding the fruits of their labor.
By delivering the Kremlin's unvarnished point of view in an easily consumed, Western-style package, Russia Today manages to accomplish its goal: Get foreigners to at least consider the Russian viewpoint--however eccentric it may be--on world politics, culture, and yes, social problems.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch some more Russia Today. For the presidential elections March 2, the network is promising round-the-clock coverage. And the suspense is killing me.