RT anchor Liz Wahl quit live on air yesterday, saying she could no longer stand the Russian government channels 'whitewashing.'


RT anchor Liz Wahl's decision to quit live on air yesterday, citing its 'whitewashing' of the actions of President Vladimir Putin's government, is an opportunity to revisit the Russian government-owned channel's true purpose: A layered propaganda and disinformation operation.

The channel isn't subtle, and is unlikely to convince anyone closely following the events it covers. But for self-styled 'anti-imperialists' who view the US as the greatest threat to world peace and security, its often farcical reports are waved like a bloody shirt to prove American perfidy.

And then there's the great middle where most news consumers reside. Most people don't follow foreign affairs intensely and are often unaware of the reputation and agendas behind the stories they click on. The Kremlin changed the channel's name from 'Russia Today' to 'RT' a few years ago to make scrutiny even less likely. Last summer it crowed that its official Youtube channel was the first news service to reach 1 billion views.

Much of RT's output is part of the flotsam and jetsam of the internet, convincing some, perplexing others. But with Russian troops (or 'volunteer self-defense forces') in Ukraine's Crimea and a l.