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14 Oct, 2016 16:45

The Menace of Unreality: US state media reporter scores bizarre Twitter own goal

The Menace of Unreality: US state media reporter scores bizarre Twitter own goal

Christopher Miller is a reporter at RFE/RL, the US state broadcaster, which is controlled by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).

You might remember them as the guys who believe RT is a massive threat  to civilization (read Western control of the airwaves), despite the fact that this network’s budget is about a third of their own.

With all the largesse enjoyed by the BBG, it’s always been curious as to how RT  manages to achieve around 74 times more monthly visits (103 million, according to similarweb) ) than RFE/RL.org can boast (1.4 million, but their Russian language Svoboda.org can claim 8.3 million) However, things became a little clearer this week, when it emerged that Miller, the American network’s main man in Kiev, apparently doesn’t understand some basic tenets of journalism. Like how to conduct a good old-fashioned scoop, for instance.

Miller was so shocked at RT’s ability to produce an exclusive story before mainstream outlets that he seems to believe that only collusion with the source - in this case WikiLeaks - would explain it. Of course, that fits with a long-term angle from western conspiracy theorists which suggests that the whistleblowing agency works hand-in-hand with the Kremlin. This is despite WikiLeaks releasing lots of negative stuff about Russia and its government - something that's essentially ignored by the popular press because it doesn't fit the neat little narrative box. 

Of course, that fits with a long-term narrative from western conspiracy theorists which suggests the whistleblowing agency works hand-in-hand with the Kremlin. This is despite WikiLeaks releasing lots of negative stuff about Russia, such as completely unverified allegations about the President’s wealth.

At the time of writing, Miller’s tweet has been shared 3,400 times on Twitter.

Furthermore, although he’s basically admitted that his tweet is erroneous and has been corrected by both RT’s Head of Social Media and WikiLeaks itself, the reporter has failed to remove his original post.

What makes this funnier is that RFE/RL’s Interpreter smear-blog once based an entire lengthy dissertation on the notion that RT specialized in pedaling conspiracy theories. That was called ‘The Menace of Unreality.’ Touché, indeed.

To help Christopher in his journalism training, and because RT has nothing to hide, the newsroom has a small bit of free advice.

While not going as far as Hilary Clinton when she told Donald Trump to delete his account; they suggest you delete the tweet. Getting thousands of retweets is cool, but where's the glory when the message is total fiction, Christopher? 

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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