 Logo between December 2017 to April 2023 | |
 Logo after April 2023 | |
| Type | State media |
|---|---|
| Country | Russia France |
| Broadcast area | EMEA |
| Network | RT |
| Headquarters | Boulogne-Billancourt, France (2017-2023) Moscow, Russia (2023-) |
| Programming | |
| Language | French |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (downscaled to16:9576i for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | (ANO) TV-Novosti |
| Sister channels | RT International RT America RT Arabic RT Documentary RT en Español RT UK RT Deutsch |
| History | |
| Launched | December 18, 2017 (2017-12-18) |
| Links | |
| Website | francais |
RT en Français, also known asRT France between December 2017 to April 2023, is the French version of the Russianstate-controlled news channelRT, funded by the Russian government.[1] Before the production activities relocated to Moscow in April 2023, The channel was based in theParis suburb ofBoulogne-Billancourt.
Similar to other RT channels, the accuracy and objectivity of RT France's information was regularly questioned.
RT revealed in late 2015 it was planning to develop a network for the French-speaking audience in countries such as France, Belgium and Switzerland.[2]
The channel was launched on December 18, 2017, broadcasting in France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland and the Mediterranean.[3] The channel, like other RT channels, cycled around 30 minutes of news and 30 minutes of other features, 24/7, and was able to provide rolling coverage on breaking news events when warranted.
Following the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, RT France's activities were banned in the European Union and in Canada.[4][5] However, the channel continued to broadcast online and via the Russian satelliteEkspress AM8, which coversEMEA countries.[6][7][8][9]
On 8 March 2022, RT France challenged the EU ban of its activities in theGeneral Court of theCourt of Justice of the European Union.[10] After refusing to "urgently" consider the case on 30 March,[11] the General Court dismissed the case on 27 July 2022, ruling that the ban against RT was justified.[12]
In January 2023, following the freezing of their bank accounts by theDirection générale du Trésor, its president Xenia Fedorova announced the closure of the French branch of the channel.[13] The last news bulletin live from Boulogne-Billancourt was broadcast on 19 January 2023,[14] before the channel began to rebroadcast archived programs throughout the day.
The new channel is still a mix of the newscasts and rolling-broadcast documentaries with some regular programs.
| Program | Presenter | Note |
|---|---|---|
| POLIT’MAG | Magali Forestier | Inherited from RT France Update paused after September 2023 |
| AFRICONNECT | Samantha Ramsamy | Inherited from RT France |
| L’ÉCHIQUIER MONDIAL | Xavier Moreau | Inherited from RT France |
| LA GRANDE INTERVIEW | Inherited from RT France | |
| CONVERSATION AVEC CORREA. COUPS D’ÉTAT | Rafael Correa | French dubbed Spanish program From RT en Español |
| LE POINT AVEC ALEXIS POULIN | Alexis Poulin | Broadcast inside the newscasts every Tuesday and Thursday |
| ICI MOSCOU! | Xavier Moreau | |
| LES RÉVOLTÉS AVEC DIDIER MAÏSTO | Didier Maïsto |
The political science researcher Maxime Audinet discussed onL'Express the neutrality of RT France by stating: "Today it's not easy at all to find "fake news", or at least gross attempts at misinformation on the sites of RT, for example. They certainly have a conspiratorial past, but it definitely seems more interesting to observe the nature of their editorial line, which is highly selective and consistent with the Moscow-based view of the world."[3]
In 2017, French presidentEmmanuel Macron accused RT France of spreading "propaganda" during his 2017 presidential campaign and banned RT reporters from his campaign headquarters. He described the channel as a tool for "influence-peddling."[15]
On June 28, 2018, RT France was found in breach by the CSA for "failures of honesty, the rigor of the information and the diversity of the viewpoints" in a subject on the Syria. In a topic broadcast on April 13, "disputing the reality of chemical weapons attacks in theSyrian city ofDouma", the CSA observed that the channel "had not faithfully translated comments of Syrian witnesses". The CSA imposed no sanctions on RT, but the regulator has the authority to fine a broadcaster or suspend its licence.[16] However, RT acknowledged that these actual words were spoken by the witness, but in a longer version of the interview that was not broadcast on air. RT France then apologized for the technical error, claiming "not to have invented a piece of evidence by means of a deliberately fraudulent translation as many media believe" with evidence as full testimony. Its president Xenia Fedorova claimed that "RT France covers all subjects, including the Syrian conflict, in a totally balanced manner, by giving all sides a chance to comment."[15] As a result, RT France appealed a week later to theConseil d'État to overturn the decision of the CSA.
On July 18, 2018, theSyndicat national des journalistes (SNJ) wrote a blog stating that RT France journalists were denied access on numerous occasions to cover major events, such as presidential elections. The main reason was that "RT is regularly blamed at the highest level as a tool for propaganda and misinformation."[17]
On October 17, 2018, during an interview with a Puremedia journalist, French government spokespersonBenjamin Griveaux re-affirmed the state's refusal to open its press room to RT France and Sputnik, saying: "They are not news organizations. They are propaganda funded by a foreign state."
In November 2018, RT France was accredited to allow access to some Elysée press conferences. But in February 2019,LREM refused to allow the channel to cover its European campaigns, on the basis that RT and Sputnik, "are not news organizations but propaganda in the service of the Kremlin. They should not be considered to be media, since they do not verify or cross-check information".[18]
On 23 February 2022,Frédéric Taddeï stopped hosting the showInterdit d'interdire in response to Russia's recognition of theDonetsk andLuhansk breakaway states immediately prior to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[19][20]
On 27 February 2022, theEuropean Union (EU) announced that in response to the invasion of Ukraine RT andSputnik (another Russian state-run news outlet) were banned in all languages throughout all their member states.[4] RT France appealed the ban to theEuropean Court of Justice for a temporary suspension on 30 March 2022 which was rejected.[21] A subsequent appeal to theGeneral Court was also rejected.[22]
On 16 March 2022, theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission removed RT networks, including the French version, from itslist of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution.[5] To circumvent the ban, the channel continued to broadcast online and via the Russian satelliteEkspress AM8, which coversEMEA countries.[6][7][8][9][23]
On 8 March 2022, RT France challenged the EU ban of its activities in theGeneral Court of theCourt of Justice of the European Union.[10] After refusing to "urgently" consider the case on 30 March,[11] the General Court dismissed the case on 27 July 2022, ruling that the ban against RT was justified.[12]
In January 2023, following the freezing of their bank accounts by theDirection générale du Trésor, its president Xenia Fedorova announced the closure of the French branch of the channel.[13]
