France lifts ban on RT and Sputnik reporters

Reporters from Russia's RT and Sputnik channels have been granted permission to work again in France. Photo: TASS

One of French President Emmanuel Macron's advisers said that several RT and Sputnik reporters had their licenses revoked due to their involvement in a "wave" of fake news during the 2017 French presidential election campaign.

"In fact, RT France and Sputnik became channels for distributing information that was detrimental to candidate Macron at that time," said the French President's advisor.

The adviser recalled that RT France is licensed by the Supreme Audiovisual Council (EAC) and, like Sputnik, is free to distribute information throughout France.

The lifting of the ban was initiated by the Élysée Palace when journalists and reporters from RT and Sputnik were allowed to work at the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in Paris on November 11. French politicians said that this was a positive signal and hoped that Russian news agencies would act properly when recognized and correct their mistakes.

Previously, in September 2018, the Élysée Palace had rejected proposals to grant operating licenses to RT and Sputnik reporters in France, due to concerns that these media channels were spreading "false information". Even the Center for Analysis, Forecasting and Strategy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute for Strategic Research under the French Ministry of Defense drafted a document of more than 200 pages titled "Manipulation of information: a challenge to democracy".

The document has caused considerable damage to the reputation of Russian media outlets. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Foreign Ministry staff were shocked by the French statements and stressed that "Russia has never received any payments for disseminating disinformation."