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RUSSIA-BRITAIN-MEDIA-RT-BBC-POLITICS
Russia probes BBC after British regulator warns RT
MOSCOW, Dec 21, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Russia’s broadcasting watchdog on Friday
said it was probing the BBC in retaliation after the British regulator said
Kremlin-funded RT television broke broadcasting standards.
The Roskomnadzor watchdog said it is “starting control measures” into the
compliance with Russian law of BBC World News, an international channel
available in Russia, and the BBC’s websites.
The BBC’s Russian-language service is online only.
Roskomnadzor said the checks were “due to the situation over the issuing of
a decision by the British regulator on violations by RT channel.”
Britain’s Ofcom regulator said Thursday it had found violations of
impartiality rules in seven of RT’s shows broadcast after the Salisbury nerve
agent attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter
Yulia.
“We have told RT that we are minded to consider imposing a statutory
sanction,” Ofcom said. “The broadcaster now has an opportunity to make
representations to us, which we will consider before proceeding further.”
RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan criticised Britain’s claims of
violations as “drivel” on Twitter on Friday.
“Yesterday the British media watchdog rolled out SEVEN warnings against us,
absolutely out of the blue. And they made it clear to us that they will take
away our licence,” she wrote.
She said that in her view Roskomnadzor will have to use a microscope to
find an alternative point of view on the BBC.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1521 hrs