Reuters has announced today that the Russians have indeed named Radio Free Europe and Voice of America as foreign agents who have to register as such in Russia. This is the retaliation for naming Sputnik and RT as representatives of foreign interests in the U.S. making them register. On both sides, this is stupid. Neither country was in the dark about which news outlets are state supported and follow the party line. China has more than either one of them, probably more than both put together. Syria, Egypt, and many others do not have a free press. Look at the map that Freedom House publishes every year and more countries have fewer free press outlets.
Russia and the U.S. have played these games for years without regard to how it looks to the rest of the world. Childish is a word that comes to mind. If we really want to play this game, there are a whole host of state owned enterprises that need to register as agents. They represent their country, not their business interests. Why not just forget this and move along?
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