RT invited to join the United Nations as official In-house broadcaster

Published with the permission of the author. First appeared on 21st Century Wire.

A number of Russian dignitaries and media professionals gathered in Midtown Manhattan at the United Nations headquarters on Tuesday evening to mark the occasion. Speaking at the official ceremony in the UN Conference Room 4 were Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin, UN Under-Secretary-General Cristina Gallach, and RT Director General Alexey Nikolov.

RT’s hashtag #QuestionMore could be seen on all of the UN member states’ digital desktop name displays throughout the auditorium.

Under-Secretary-General Gallach welcomed RT’s addition to the UN’s in-house network, “The UN in-house television network is viewed by UN staff members, delegates and visiting officials. It is home to a diverse range of news broadcasting networks from around the world and in different languages, and today welcome the newest member to the network.”

In an earlier press statement, RT head Alexey Nikolov said, “Today, in the era of sweeping, global political changes, it is more important than ever to consider different points of view – to compare them, to draw independent conclusions.  In just 11 years, RT has won worldwide acclaim as a go-to source for alternative perspectives on current events. The diversity of views and stories that we represent is the embodiment of the fundamental principles of the Organization. We are pleased that the voice of RT will now be heard at UN level”.

“People must have the right to know different news coming from different sources – and then make their own judgment,” said Nikolov, in conclusion to a very moving personal speech about his own family’s experience of propaganda during the mid 20th-century Soviet era.

See Nikolov’s full address, along with the other speakers here:

The ceremony also featured the screening of a stunning new film for RT Documentaries entitled, Children of the Front about the role of child soldiers in Central African Republic’s horrific civil war. The film recently won a Omni Award for its production.

This announcement comes in front of a political backdrop in America which has become Anti-Russian after one of the country’s most divisive election cycles in US history, with accusations of Russia “hacking” the US election elevating public fear and partisan angst to near hysterical levels.