Russia: State-owned news agency RIA Novosti shut down

New network to be headed by anti-gay Kremlin supporter


Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree announcing the shutdown of state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, a move that stunned its editors and staff, BuzzFeed reports.

Dmitry Kiselyov, known for his anti-gay remarks and support of Putin, has reportedly been selected to run a new network, Rossiya Segodnya.

The Telegraph notes in an Aug 13 story that during a 2012 televised debate, Kiselyov said, “Banning gay people from distributing propaganda to children is not enough. I think they should be banned from donating blood or sperm, and if they die in a car crash, their hearts should be burnt or buried in the ground as unsuitable for the continuation of life.” According to the report, Kiselyov’s critics called for him to be fired from Russia 24 TV, while others wanted an investigation into the matter.

The BBC cites a Kremlin official as saying that the new network was created to save money and expand its reach. According to CBS News, Putin’s decree says the network’s main focus is to project Russia’s policies and public life internationally.

In a brief analysis, the BBC’s Daniel Sandford observes that “of all the state-owned media organisations, RIA Novosti has made the greatest attempt to produce balanced coverage in recent years” and carried the views of Kremlin opponents.

In response to the shutdown, RIA Novosti says the move is the latest phase in what appears to be a bid “towards a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector.”

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

Keep Reading

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose