Inside RT training for journalists for Africa wey Kremlin dey back

BBC News

21-02-2025

Addressing journalists from across Africa, di director of Kremlin-funded global news channel RT say: "We be one of di best in fact-checking and add say nobody don catch dem bifor dey distribute false information."
Im statement, wey dem pre-record and wey hundreds of journalists watch online, na part of a free international training scheme wey Russian broadcaster bin launch last year.
One BBC journalist bin join di course to investigate dia content.
Tori be say dem push RT, out of Europe and United States and sanction dem for spreading disinformation, but e no stop dem to repeat falsehoods to di journalists wey attend di programme.
Di world according to RT
Afta UK label dem as "Russian state propaganda vehicle" and dem chop ban for EU, Canada, and US for spreading disinformation about di war for Ukraine, di Kremlin-run RT (formerly Russia Today) bin roll out one training scheme for journalists from Southeast Asia, China and Africa.
RT say di course for Africa na dia most successful yet, e attract ova 1,000 journalists and bloggers from 35 kontris. We no fit verify dis number but we witness ova 300 pipo for one Telegram channel wey dem bin set up for di participants of di programme.
Dem bin accept one BBC journalist to do di course, wey bin hold online for one month.
Dis give us access to live webinars and daily pre-recorded lessons wey di participants bin get to watch.
Di videos – almost 30 – bin dey professionally produced, dem feem dem for RT studios and galleries. Leading RT presenters and senior managers teach di lessons.
"We welcome you from dis RT studio hia for Moscow. E dey a bit colder dan wetin you dey used to, but we go try to dey warm," na wetin RT's general director announce for di course first video lesson.
Di programme include wetin pesin go expect from any introductory journalism training course, like how to conduct interviews, search for story ideas, report on breaking news, and work for conflict zones – all dis dey happun as dem dey promote Kremlin viewpoints dem use RT's own reports and interviews as course material.
One lesson on covering breaking news, for example, bin include one RT report from occupied Mariupol, wia dem describe Ukrainians wey don surrender as "neo-Nazis and radicals of all shapes and flavours".
Anoda lesson bin focus on mainstream media. One RT presenter describe journalism wey "Western media" produce to "political warfare wey dem pump inside room."
Throughout di course, staff describe RT as an "alternative news source".
One of di seminars teach on how to debunk fake news.
During dis session di host bin repeat well-known Kremlin falsehoods.
Di instructor say di chemical weapons attack for Douma, Syria, for 2018 by di Russian-backed Bashar al-Assad regime, na a "canonical example of fake news".
Im bin ignore di findings of a two-year investigation by di Organisation for di Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wey bin confam di attacks by di Syrian forces.
Di report bin say a Syrian army helicopter bin drop toxic chlorine gas cylinders on civilian areas, wey kill 43 pipo.
Di RT host also dismiss di mass killing of Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces for di Ukrainian town of Bucha for 2022, dem call dat one "di most well-known fake".
E say: "Russia bin reject dis accusations. Di Ukrainian side neva still provide details regarding dis tragedy. Di permanent representative of di Russian Federation to UN for two years now don ask for di list of names of those wey die."
However evidence boku of di kill-kill of civilians for Bucha by Russian forces, wit investigations from multiple independent sources including di UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Di Ukrainian fact-checking organisation StopFake bin debunk RT's claim for 2022, dem say Bucha City Council bin confam di existence of one verified list of victims, wey dey available on request.
Di names of di pipo wey Russian army kill dem inscribe am for di memorial for Bucha.
Some of di journalists wey participate for di course for Africa no seem to mind di false information RT share.
For interview wit BBC, Dereje Yiemeru, one Ethiopian journalist wey dey admire di Russian President – im use Vladimir Putin photo as im social media profile picture – repeat RT claims, e call di Bucha killings a "staged event". Im say im join di course out of curiosity sake of how RT dey operate and wetin make dem different from oda media.
Ishmael Koroma, one participant from Sierra Leone, say even though im see misinformation and disinformation as serious problems, im believe say evri media institution dey operate wit dia own "news value and style."
At di end of di training, di journalists wey bin take part dem tell dem to submit report on topic wey mainstream media no cover but align wit RT "alternative" narrative.
Di BBC bin ask RT about di koko of di course and some of di claims wey di host bin make. Dem no respond directly to di questions, instead dem say: "For our training course we attempt to teach how to recognise subtle and sometimes not so subtle propaganda."
Shift towards Africa
For di end of 2024, RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan cite di "continuing Western assault against RT" as reason "to redirect funding and focus dia efforts elsewhere". Since RT no dey available anymore for many Western kontris, Dem dey do dia programmes for environments wey dey friendly.
Anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist sentiment and di legacy of Soviet support for liberation movements during di Cold War make am relatively common for many Africans to align wit Russia. Several nations also see di kontri as a pragmatic partner for military and diplomatic collaboration.
Russian state media reports say RT now dey get at least seven African bureaux, dem sign contracts wit ova 30 local African TV channels to air dia content, and dem don increase dia daily reports from African kontris.
In addition to broadcasting in English and Arabic, RT don also transfer dia French-language channel to target French-speaking African nations, according to Madam Simonyan.
In collabo wit Russian Houses - official representatives of di Russian goment abroad – RT recently organise screenings of dia pro-Russian documentaries for some African kontris.
Di propaganda documentary "Why I Moved to Russia" show Americans dey discuss reasons for dia relocation, for one example dem allege without evidence say schools for US secretly dey promote "transgender classes" while dia parents think say dia children dey attend art lessons.
'Conduits for Russianness'
RT no dey alone for hosting training courses for African journalists. China don dey do am for ova a decade, dem dey frequently invite journalists to di kontri. Western outlets – including BBC World Service and BBC independent international charity Media Action – also dey offer dia own lessons.
Philip Obaji Jr, a Nigerian journalist wey don cover Russian influence for Africa, believe say di RT training scheme na part of Russian strategy to "sway opinions" on di continent.
"Wetin Russians dey do hi na to try to ensure say di narratives wey dey come out of political spots [di Kremlin] di average African fit relate wit am. And dem dey do dis by reaching out directly to di pipo wey dey spread di news – journalists."
At di end of di RT course, dem promise di graduates say dem go give dem updates on future job opportunities wit RT.
Oga Obaji Jr observe say RT fit not dey recruit only for diaself, but for broader Kremlin-backed information campaigns or Russian media organisations for di continent.
Yevhen Fedchenko, head of Ukrainian fact-checking organisation StopFake, agree, wit drawing parallels wit Soviet-era tactics. Im explain say creating loyal networks through dis training na strategy Russia don dey use for long.
"You fit use dem [di graduates] to promote your narratives, influence public opinion, and affect decision-making. Pipo become conduits for Russianness for dis region."