If you just turned on the news for the first time in a while, you might have noticed a lot of chatter about RT.
RT, aka Russia Today, is an English-language news channel funded by the Russian government, that launched in 2005 to counter “Western news bias against Russia.” Recently, RT has made headlines — especially after one of its anchors, Liz Wahl, quit the network live on the air over RT’s pro-Putin bias in the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine.
Also read: Russia Today Anchor Quits On Air: Network ‘Whitewashes the Actions of Putin’
Wahl isn’t the only RT anchor making waves. Earlier this week, Abby Martin, host of RT’s “Breaking the Set,” slammed Russia’s military action against the Ukraine during a broadcast.
With the situation in the Ukraine not going away anytime soon, here are 5 things you need to know about the network covering it:
1. The network is available to over 86 million American cable subscribers.
Steven Seagal has made frequent appearances on the network
2. Larry King hosts two shows on RT – Larry King Now and PoliticKing With Larry King.
3. RT’s English language Facebook page has recorded over 1 million “Likes.”
4. RT’s YouTube channel has more than 1 billion views, becoming the first news channel to reach this mark. RT’s YouTube page has also recently gained more than 1 million subscribers.
5. Oddly, RT is prone to broadcasting the views of conspiracy theorists — especially 9/11 truthers. Watch the video below: