Former Eastern Europe correspondent Geert Jan Hahn has said that banning Russian state-run media outlets such as Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik reduces freedom of expression and worsens knowledge about Russia. “Russia’s knowledge in this country stands or falls short of understanding the country, so you can not shut down such media.”
However, the former reporter understood the arguments used by the EU to introduce sanctions against the media. “I’m ready for counter – arguments, I understand from the sense that it’s not the media, it’s weapons and poison. But it’s still an act of diminishing freedom of expression.” Many major Internet providers today block access to Russian state media sites due to sanctions.
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Foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg agrees with Hon. ‘The arguments are very understandable, but I wholeheartedly agree with Kirt John Hahn.’ Hummelberg compares to American Fox News. “If you look at what happened to Trump in the United States, you can say that you are banning Fox News. It’s a channel that is largely irrelevant to objective news.
Russian perspective
Hummelberg believes that the information provided by RT and Sputnik should be available to journalists, but also to people interested in the Russian perspective. ‘We want to determine for ourselves what is true, and we need as many stories as possible from all sides.’
