But media experts critical of the Kremlin’s misinformation campaigns warned that a ban could be counterproductive because state misinformation circulates via numerous outlets and the Kremlin could retaliate against Western reporters in Russia.
“I also think our media environment is mature enough to see and expose Russian propaganda for what it is,” said Peter Greste, a former journalist and professor at Macquarie University. “Some people will buy into it, but those folks will seek it out regardless and banning state media is simply going to reinforce their own prejudices.”
“In short, I think banning it is likely to be counterproductive.”
Bermet Talant, journalist and researcher at the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, who spent more than four years working in Ukraine, said the solution was not to ban state-based media.
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“Blanket censorship isn’t a good approach,” she said. “What social media should do in this case is enforce their policies … and those outlets should be vetted for disinformation, threats and other violations of social media policies. Russian propaganda is not limited to RT [and] Sputnik.”
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, declined to comment other than to point to a statement on its actions in Europe from its global head of public policy, Nick Clegg. TikTok and Twitter, which has labelled Russian state-linked content and diminished its reach, also did not comment. YouTube did not respond to a request for comment.
Federal Labor supported the moves by Foxtel and SBS and has asked for a briefing from the government on its consultation with social media companies on the conflict, a representative of the party’s communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week said the Russian outlets “spread their lies to justify Putin’s war” after they described Russia’s invasion as a “special operation” and portrayed it as being in response to purported Ukrainian aggression.
In Britain, both the conservative government and Labour opposition have taken a harder line against RT, which was formerly known as Russia Today. The government has argued it “is demonstrably part of Russia’s global disinformation campaign” prompting an investigation from the country’s media regulator, though it has also cautioned that action against RT could trigger reciprocal Russian bans on the BBC. Britain’s Labour leader Keir Starmer has branded the station Putin’s “personal propaganda tool”.
RT says on its website that it is an autonomous, non-profit organisation that covers stories overlooked by the mainstream media and provides an alternative perspective on current affairs.
In its coverage of the restrictions placed on its social media presence, Sputnik quoted from Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzya, who said the state faced an “information war”.
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