American 'RT' Anchor Quits in Protest of Network's Putin Coverage

 by DYLAN BYERS at Politico

A Washington-based anchor for the Kremlin-backed RT news channel announced her resignation on-air Wednesday, saying she "could not be part of a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashed the actions of Putin."

"I'm proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth," Liz Wahl, an anchor in RT's D.C. bureau, told viewers, after explaining how her parents had fled Soviet persecution during the Hungarian revolution. "That is why after this newscast, I'm resigning."

Wahl's public resignation came two days after another anchor Abby Martin, condemned the military intervention during her own broadcast.

"What Russia did is wrong," Martin said on Monday. "Military intervention is never the answer, and I will not sit here and apologize or defend military aggression."

In the wake of Martin's remarks, RT (formerly Russia Today) released a statement saying that all RT journalists are "free to express their own opinions, not just in private but on the air" and that "there will be absolutely no reprimands made against Ms. Martin."

However, RT also announced that Martin would be sent to Crimea, the site of the Russian invasion: "In her comment Ms. Martin also noted that she does not possess a deep knowledge of reality of the situation in Crimea," an RT spokesperson said. "As such we'll be sending her to Crimea to give her an opportunity to make up her own mind from the epicentre of the story."

Martin later said she would not be going to Crimea, "despite the statement RT has made."

Martin will appear on CNN's "Piers Morgan Live" on Wednesday night.