NewsTucker Carlson's new show on banned Russian state TV: What's next?

Tucker Carlson's new show on banned Russian state TV: What's next?

Tucker Carlson is now the host of a program on Russian state television
Tucker Carlson is now the host of a program on Russian state television
Images source: © PAP
Ewa Sas

22 May 2024 06:44

Tucker Carlson lost his job at the American station Fox News over a year ago. Known for his pro-Russian and pro-Putin remarks, he soon conducted a one-on-one interview with Vladimir Putin. Today, Carlson has a job in television again. He has his show on the state-run Russian TV channel Russia 24.

Russia 24, a government propaganda channel, is under sanctions, which means it is banned from broadcasting in the EU.

The former Fox News journalist has his show titled "Tucker" on the channel. Its first episode was broadcast on Monday evening at 7:00 PM EST.

It was nothing more than a repeat of the material that Carlson had previously shared on his social media.

The episode discussed ticks and Lyme disease. Carlson linked this illness to research conducted by the US government on biological weapons.

Fox News lost millions because of Tucker Carlson's theories

While working for Fox News, Carlson was a staunch critic of American aid to Ukraine. Even before the invasion, he suggested that America should side with Russia.

At Fox News, Carlson hosted a popular talk show. On his program, he suggested election fraud in the US. For spreading false theories, Fox News had to pay nearly CAD $1 billion to a voting machine manufacturer.

After parting ways with Fox News, Carlson started his own show on social media.

This one interview

In February 2024, Carlson conducted a one-on-one interview with Vladimir Putin. He thus became the first Western commentator to speak with the Russian dictator since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Others had not been accepted by the Kremlin.

Russian state media extensively covered this interview, while Western media criticized it for lies and manipulations. Vladimir Putin claimed in it that the invasion of Ukraine was caused by NATO's expansion. He also accused Poland of collaborating with Hitler and being responsible for the outbreak of World War II. These accusations prompted reactions from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister Radosław Sikorski.

Russia 24 was placed on the list of channels banned from broadcasting in the EU by the Council of the European Union in June 2022.

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