Russia Today Anchor Resigns, Admits To Spreading 'Lies' For Putin

Russia Today Anchor Admits Spreading 'Lies' For Putin

Another Russia Today anchor has resigned from her post at the Kremlin-funded TV network.

Corespondent Sara Firth's announcement came nearly two hours after she stated on Twitter that RT anchors "do work for Putin" and spread "lies," in a conversation with RT London correspondent Polly Boiko. Firth alleged that the network asks its anchors to "obscure the truth," and now she is saying she's had enough.

Also before resigning, she took a hit at RT's coverage of Ukraine:

Russia Today's Liz Wahl also publicly criticized the network earlier this year. Wahl quit while on air, stating that she could not support a network that "whitewashes the actions of Putin" and asks her to "promote Russian foreign policy." In March, RT anchor Abby Martin used her air time to speak out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, boldly stating that "what Russia did is wrong." The network did not fire her for speaking out, and Martin later told the AP, "I think that, honestly, it would look really bad if I got fired. I think they probably just weighed their options and just knew that keeping me on would be best."

UPDATE (9:52): Firth spoke to Press Gazette about the moments that led to her decision to leave. She described what it was like at the network on Thursday after news broke of the Malaysian Airlines plane crash in Ukraine, suspected to have been shot down by pro-Russian separatists.

“Yesterday when the story broke you get the kick in your stomach when you’re going to get the facts and it’s this huge story,” she said. “And I walked into the newsroom and they were running an eye-witness account of God-knows who the person was blaming the Ukrainian government, and it is such a volatile situation.”

Firth said that if she was "asked to burn the facts and not tell the truth" then she would "be a goner."

"And so I’m gone," she said, adding, "it's not a nice organisation either."

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