Jame Kirchick, a frequent critic of Russia Today on the subject of gay rights, has put out a piece on the berzerk reaction he's getting since Putin's invasion of the Ukraine (and anchor Liz Wahl's on-air resignation), especially from a certain Kevin Gosztola. Gosztola was representing himself as being on staff of First Look Media (not accurate), but he is a mainstay at the leftie blog FireDogLake, and has blogs or webpages on The Nation and Salon.
Are they stuck in obsolete anti-US-so-pro-Russia thinking? Does their anger over US actions in Iraq totally cloud their judgment, and they project? Or does this have something to do with Snowden, like Snowden-in-Russia-so-Russia-good?
Or in the case of Gosztola, is there a Kremlin paycheck involved, or does he just have the hots for RT's Abby Martin?
(Don't forget Thom Hartmann.)
Over the past week, I have been the recipient of a deluge of attacks on Twitter from RT fans alleging that I was somehow behind Wahl’s resignation. This afternoon, a gentleman identifying himself as Kevin Gosztola, who writes for the left-wing website FireDogLake, left a message on my cell phone. He claimed to be working on a project for First Look Media -- the high-profile investigative journalism start-up that employs, among others, Glenn Greenwald. (First Look's top editor says the Gosztola has nothing to do with the outlet. More on that in a second.)
...
The call’s threatening tone is appropriate, though, for someone determined to defend the reputation of the Kremlin. What’s less understandable is why First Look Media—a new journalism venture that’s supposedly dedicated to investigating the excesses of government and corporate power—would join in.
That's because First Look is not, in fact, involved. "Kevin [Gosztola] doesn’t work for First Look Media. He apparently spoke to Glenn [Greenwald] about the possibility of doing a story for [First Look], but Glenn hasn’t given him an assignment or a contract," Eric Bates, executive editor of First Look Media, told The Daily Beast in an email. "Glenn let Kevin know that he shouldn’t be representing himself as acting on behalf of First Look."
Greenwald isn't exactly a RT critic, it should be noted. Last week, when RT host Abby Martin (a 9/11 Truther who believes that water fluoridation is a government plot to poison Americans) briefly spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Crimea, Greenwald took to the website’s blog to defend RT’s editorial integrity, citing her act of pseudo-dissidence as evidence of the network’s editorial independence from the Kremlin. Greenwald even compared the network favorably to American media outlets.