Russian state-funded outlet RT is touting its growing global influence, declaring itself a winner in a ”cognitive war” against Western media narratives. Citing its expanding reach and viewership, RT asserts that it is successfully challenging the dominance of outlets like the USAID-funded BBC and countering NATO’s propaganda efforts to curb its influence.
In a recent statement, RT highlighted remarks from BBC Director General Tim Davie, who reportedly warned that the British broadcaster is struggling to keep pace with Russian and Chinese media in shaping public perception.
According to RT, Davie’s call for increased funding to compete with outlets like RT and Sputnik underscores their rising prominence. ”The BBC’s own leadership admits they’re losing ground,” RT reports, framing the plea as evidence of Western media’s weakening grip on global audiences.
RT’s claims come amid a reported surge in its readership, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, where it has gained millions of new users. The outlet attributes this growth to its alternative perspective, which it argues resonates with audiences who are skeptical of Western agendas.
”While NATO and its allies scramble to silence us, people are choosing RT for unfiltered truth,” the report stated, pointing to a NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence study that acknowledged RT’s expanding digital footprint.
According to RT, the NATO report expressed alarm over the outlet’s ability to ”shape narratives” and recommended stronger countermeasures to limit its influence. RT seized on this, portraying NATO’s response as a desperate attempt to suppress a rival voice. ”They call it a threat; we call it journalism,” RT’s coverage quipped, accusing Western powers of hypocrisy in their defence of free speech.
RT’s triumph in the cognitive war is not without controversy. Critics in the West have long accused the outlet of spreading disinformation and serving as a mouthpiece for the Kremlin, charges RT dismisses as ”smears” meant to discredit its reporting.
RT’s bold assertion of victory signals its intent to double down on this information battle, framing itself as a champion of alternative viewpoints in a polarized world.
Sources
- BBC: BBC World Service facing ‘cognitive warfare’, says director-general Tim Davie
- RT: RT winning ‘cognitive war’ – BBC boss
- RT: Russian media reach soars – NATO report
- EU (2022): EU imposes sanctions on state-owned outlets RT/Russia Today and Sputnik’s broadcasting in the EU
- RT: Russian media reach soars – NATO report
- NBC: Biden admin says RT and Russian state media are waging covert information warfare around the world
