State satellite TV channel to repackage Russia for West
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-06-06 21:29

Worried that the West's perceptions of Russia go no farther than stereotypes, a new satellite station - Russia Today - aims to beam made-in-Moscow coverage to countries around the world, newspapers reported Monday.

Employing as many as 200 reporters, the Russian equivalent of Voice of America is set to begin English-language in the fall, realizing a long-cherished goal of former Media Minister Mikhail Lesin. Lesin once warned Russia must ``do propaganda for ourselves - otherwise we'll always look like bears.''

The state-controlled RIA-Novosti news agency and television station Rossiya will provide journalists and premises for Russia Today TV, or RTTV, the Vedomosti and Izvestia dailies said.

The aim of the station is to ``reflect Russia's position on key issues in world affairs, and inform the foreign audience about the variety of aspects of life in Russia,'' according to a statement distributed by RIA-Novosti's New York bureau last week.

Margarita Simonyan, a 26-year old Kremlin pool reporter for Rossiya, has been named editor in chief of the project, the papers said.

Simonyan on Monday refused to comment on the launch, saying that the project details would be unveiled at a press conference Tuesday.

Vedomosti said that the project is being coordinated by Lesin and President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Alexei Gromov.

In 2001, it was Lesin who bemoaned the negative coverage of Russia in the West, promising to promote Russia's image through advertisements in Western media.

Citing one of the project's organizers, Vedomosti reported that a US$25 million to US$30 million (euro20.34 million to euro24.41 million) loan issued to RTTV by commercial banks would be sufficient to fund the station - which will broadcast in Europe, America and several Asian countries - through to the new year.

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