Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the spread of misinformation, or (2) interference in the internal affairs of foreign states, through the activities of Russia Today.

The Russian government has a poor record of respecting freedom of expression and enjoys a near monopoly over Russian language media across the post-Soviet region. This provides an avenue for the spreading of disinformation and propaganda.

Where media plurality exists such as that enjoyed by broadcasters in the UK, the impact is low. Russia Today, for example, has a limited audience share in the UK and we have judged that there is little to no impact measurable from its activity in the West.