This
is from RT's channel with comments that I find difficult to fault.
My
gut reaction is that perhaps some pressure was brought to bear, by
whom we don't know. But we can guess.
RT America's Liz Wahl resigns live on air
RT America's Liz Wahl resigns live on air
Ms.
Wahl's resignation comes on the heels of her colleague Abby Martin's
recent comments in which she voiced her disagreement with certain
policies of the Russian government and asserted her editorial
independence. The difference is, Ms. Martin spoke in the context of
her own talk show, to the viewers who have been tuning in for years
to hear her opinions on current events, the opinions that most media
did not care about until two days ago.
For
years Ms. Martin has been speaking out against US military
intervention only to be ignored by the mainstream news outlets -- but
with that one comment, branded as an act of defiance, she became an
overnight sensation. It is a tempting example to follow.
When
a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her
organization, the usual course of action is to address those
grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit
like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a
personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt.
We
wish Liz the best of luck on her chosen path.
This
is from the unfailingly anti-Russian the
Guardian
Russia
Today news anchor Liz Wahl resigns live on air over Ukraine crisis
An
American anchor for the Kremlin-funded news channel RT has quit on
air and accused the network of "whitewashing" Moscow's
military intervention in Crimea.
5
March, 2014
Liz
Wahl, a Washington-based correspondent for RT-America, part of the
network formerly known as Russia Today, told viewers on Wednesday she
was resigning because of its coverage of President Vladimir Putin's
actions in the Ukrainian region.
Veering
off script, Wahl said: "I cannot be part of a network funded by
the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of Putin. I'm
proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and
that is why, after this newscast, I'm resigning."
As
the daughter of a military veteran and the wife of a military base
physician the network's coverage of a potentially explosive crisis
presented ethical and moral dilemmas, she said.
Wahl
cited another RT host, Abby Martin, who made headlines on Tuesday
when she declared: "Russian intervention in the Crimea is
wrong." In a tweet she later called Martin "my girl"
and commended her for going "spectacularly off-message".
Wahl,
a self-described "Filipina-Hungarian-American", also
alluded to Moscow's bloody intervention in Hungary in 1956. "Just
spoke to grandparents who came to US as refugees escaping Soviets
during Hungarian revolution. Amazing to hear amid new Cold War
fears," she tweeted.
RT,
a predominantly English-language network aimed at a global audience,
broadcasts news, documentaries and talk shows with a distinctly
pro-Russian slant. RT-America provides several hours of US-produced
content a day, including a show hosted by former CNN star Larry King.
Unlike
other international broadcasters who have reported the presence of
Russian troops in Crimea the station has echoed the Kremlin line
about the troops being local self-defence forces.
In
a statement, RT denounced Wahl's actions as a "self-promotional"
stunt. It drew a distinciton between her role as a newscaster and
Martin's position as an opinion host.
"When
a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her
organization, the usual course of action is to address those
grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit
like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a
personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt,"
it said.
"It
actually makes me feel sick that I worked there," Wahl told the
Daily Beast.
She
had planned the move for some time, she said. "When I came on
board from the beginning I knew what I was getting into, but I think
I was more cautious and tried to stay as objective as I could
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