Russian TV Show 'Fake News' Deconstructs Kremlin's ...

On Russian TV, there's almost no alternative to the barrage of government propaganda, except for one little show that deconstructs the world according to the Kremlin.(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)KIM: The show's name is "Fake News," and it airs every weekend on Russia's last independent television channel, TV Rain.(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FAKE NEWS")MASHA BORZUNOVA: (Speaking Russian).KIM: In this particular episode, host Masha Borzunova will skewer state TV for its newfound obsession with opposition politician Alexei Navalny and warnings of an imminent attack on Russia.(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FAKE NEWS")BORZUNOVA: (Speaking Russian).UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Russian).KIM: Here, she explains how state TV repeatedly brings up the threat of war with the United States to distract from more pressing issues at home. She says she watches the main TV news programs and then decides what the most important themes are to debunk.BORZUNOVA: (Speaking Russian).KIM: Propaganda isn't just about fake news and outright lies, she says, but about showing only that part of the truth that's convenient for the government.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: (Speaking Russian).KIM: Her show also pokes fun at Putin, in contrast to the sycophantic treatment he gets from state media. Here's a montage of him clearing his throat during a recent speech and the audience's adoring response.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)PUTIN: (Clearing throat).(APPLAUSE)KIM: Television critic Anna Kachkayeva says Borzunova's show has become an integral part of Russia's media ecosystem because it helps Russians understand how government propaganda works.ANNA KACHKAYEVA: (Speaking Russian).KIM: As for the TV Rain news channel, she says, it's played a unique role ever since its founding a decade ago when Dmitry Medvedev was Russia's president and people hoped he would allow for a more open political environment.