RT Discovers 'Propaganda'—Just Not Its Own
RT's recent exposé, "The empire of irony: Why memes are America’s new propaganda," critiques Washington's supposed use of online culture to manipulate public opinion. It's a fascinating take, especially coming from a state-owned enterprise (RT's budget was $300 million in 2021 as per Sputnik, another Kremlin outlet) that has faced international sanctions for its own role in disseminating
disinformation and propaganda. (According to the UK government, RT was sanctioned for being 'involved in obtaining a benefit from or supporting the Government of Russia.') The article points fingers at US political figures leveraging digital trends, seemingly oblivious to the plank in its own eye, which happens to be a multi-hundred-million-dollar annual budget dedicated to shaping global
narratives. The sheer chutzpah of a Russian state-media outlet warning about 'brain-numbing' content and the weaponization of irony, while operating precisely this playbook for years, is a masterclass in projection. One might wonder if RT's next critical analysis will be on the ethics of state-sponsored media, perhaps?