Should the Democrats have a rule against giving interviews to RT, the Russian television network?

[pnwmom]

Interviews, town halls, or whatever?

Doesn't appearing on RT validate the network that is the propaganda station of the country that interfered in our last election?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-russian-effort-to-target-sanders-supporters--and-help-elect-trump/2019/04/11/741d7308-5576-11e9-8ef3-fbd41a2ce4d5_story.html?utm_term=.b2336963d0fb

One reason that Sanders was on Russia’s radar has been little noted: he, like Trump, opposed trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Russian President Vladimir Putin had been critical of the TPP, saying it was secretive and “hardly facilitates sustainable development of Asia Pacific.”

During the primaries, Sanders gave at least three interviews to a Russia-controlled television network, RT, in which his trade stance was highlighted. The network in February 2016 criticized MSNBC for breaking away from Sanders after he said he was “helping to lead the opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.” The network posted a story headlined, “Bernie Sanders 'censored' by MSNBC while criticizing trade deal.”

Around the same time that Sanders was featured on RT, Russian employees at the Internet Research Agency were given a document explaining how to influence the U.S. election. The workers were told to “use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump — we support them),” according to Mueller’s indictment of the Russians.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. A rule? No, that would infringe on their right to free speech. However,

anyone who does that should be ready to be slagged hard for it.

[pnwmom]

2. Does the right to free speech extend to anything? For example, hate speech?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. There are limits to free speech but they are very narrow and are restricted to things like

most kinds of defamation; speech that is likely to cause imminent harm, which is usually described as something like "shouting fire in a crowded theatre" (unless, of course, there really is a fire); pornography, which is subject to time, place and manner restrictions (except for child porn, which is illegal in all circumstances). The United States does not have hate speech laws, and in 2017 the Supreme Court held unanimously in Matal v. Tam that there is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment.

[pnwmom]

9. Right -- but I mean, under the banner of the Democratic party. Can anyone run as a Democrat

no matter what they do or say, or can the party withhold its resources?

I know what the standard is for running as President -- age of 35, etc. I'm wondering if there are any additional standards for running as a Democrat. And for getting financial help, contact lists, or other assistance from the party?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. I guess that would be up to the DNC.

As far as I know, the only thing they require is that all candidates register and run as Democrats. Since the DNC isn't a branch of the government, technically they wouldn't be violating the First Amendment if they had a rule about which media outlets a candidate could appear on, but I really doubt that they want to do something like that. It's a slippery slope. It's something that should be left up to voters, and I know how I'd feel about a candidate who turned up on RT.

[Hortensis]

7. This. And this time it won't be ignored by the media.

A grand opportunity to explore the whole of Russia's support for Sanders from 2015 right on through, well, to today. They knew he continued running after 2016, of course, and what's changed? Nothing.

[PeeJ52]

3. Who watches RT? Why would you watch RT?

I know when I was younger I used to get high and watch Ernest Angley. Is RT funny like that?

[pnwmom]

4. Bernie must think some people were or else why waste his time there?

As I implied, I think RT's purpose in inviting him might be more about getting Bernie followers to take RT seriously than the other way around. I don't think any Democrat should play into RTs hand.

[KayF]

5. they air a lot of dissent

their motives are obvious in doing it.

But to answer why people would watch, some people want to hear dissent, and RT is one of the few where they can.

[MrsCoffee]

10. RT is Putin's Fox News.

[TwilightZone]

12. Dissent? lol, no.

RT is quite literally a Putin/state-owned propaganda network.

[KayF]

13. our dissenters can fit with their propaganda

since they are antagonistic to us.

And vice versa, we use other countries' dissenters for our purposes.

[stonecutter357]

6. lol fuck putin!

[Gothmog]

14. Russia used these interviews

Link to tweet

?s=20