Russia Today Anchor Sarah Firth Resigns, Admits To Spreading Lies In Favor For Vladimir Putin
When it comes to someone in politics being “the most powerful figure,” according to Forbes, that title belongs to Vladimir Putin. In between mini-vacations catching pike and being honored by the WWE, the Russian president has recently been in the news for his association with BRICS, signing that gay adoption in his country is illegal, and of course his association with the MH17 tragedy.
Now, numerous articles are being reported that what Russia Today, the news company, is saying about Vladimir Putin, is nothing more than lies to support him. How this came to light is the big story however as Sarah Firth, a news anchor for Russia Today, resigned her position because she got tired of spreading the lies.
According to The Guardian, the London-based correspondent of Kremlin-funded news channel Russia Today resigned in protest of coverage of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Sara Firth, who worked at Russia Today for about five years, described that the reporting of the crash that killed 298 people, including a former BBC journalist, as the last straw that broke the camel’s back. It is also reported that Russia Today has been criticized as a propaganda mouthpiece for the Russian government. Some of what they’ve reported includes suggesting that Ukraine was to blame for the crash. This is contrary to most media organizations, who report that the airline was suspected to be shot down by a Russian-made missile. Firth enforces this by saying:
“It was the most shockingly obvious misinformation and it got to the point where I couldn’t defend it anymore.
When this story broke that was the moment I knew I had to go. I walked into the newsroom and there was an eyewitness account making allegations [against Ukraine] and analysis, if you can call it, from our correspondent in the studio.
It was just appalling, in a situation like that where there are families waiting to be informed and a devastating loss of life.”
In a parallel article by Huffington Post, Sara Firth stood her ground by taking her side of the story to social media, primarily with Twitter.
@Polly_Boiko@ukTanos Lies hun. We do work for Putin. We are asked on a daily basis if not to totally ignore then to obscure the truth
— Sara Firth (@Sara__Firth) July 18, 2014
Also, Firth kicked Russia Today where it hurt the most right before resigning with the following Tweet shown below.
RT style guide Rule 1: It is ALWAYS *Ukraine’s fault (*add name as applicable)
— Sara Firth (@Sara__Firth) July 18, 2014
Sara Firth now becomes the third news anchor for Russia Today to publicly criticize them. Earlier this year, Liz Wahl quit while on air, stating that she could not support a network that “whitewashes the actions of Putin” and asks her to “promote Russian foreign policy.” After Wahl, Abby Martin used her air time to speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In conclusion, Sara Firth is officially no longer a part of Russia Today. Being “asked to burn the facts and not tell the truth” or “be a goner” probably was the breaking point because that means Russia Today is suspected of threatening their employment. In response, Firth’s final statement sums it up the best:
“And so I’m gone. It’s [Russia Today] not a nice organization either.”
[Image via Bing]
