After journalists caught wind that William Shatner has a new show on RT, the infamously state-funded propaganda network for the Kremlin, the Star Trek actor spent the bulk of Thursday raging on Twitter at any and all criticism of what he calls a simple “distribution deal.” While the Q&A show titled I Don’t Understand doesn’t air until later in July, journalists have attempted to explain to Shatner that his mere presence on RT will be used as a propaganda for Vladimir Putin.
Shatner was hearing none of it.
Perhaps instead of rebuking me with facts that have zero influence on my show; a better use of your time @Alexey__Kovalev would be to move?
It would seem that you being in Moscow means you are directly supporting via taxes the very regime you are berating me about.#Hypocrite
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 1, 2021
Dramatic much?
Let me help ease your pain…
https://t.co/OzRA97cQAg
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 1, 2021
If you are berating me that the RT network picked up distribution rights to my show as a horrible thing while you are sitting in Russia, contributing to the economy & paying taxes to them: it is hypocritical. https://t.co/dJohJUWAhN
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 1, 2021
Then @meduza_en should find better editors who can spend time on real issues & not berate an actor in a distribution deal, right? All he’s doing is showing how petty his professionalism is. He should watch the first episode & then tell me his thoughts if he thinks it’s propaganda https://t.co/I5nv2rBT4M
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 1, 2021
One of Shatner’s largest critics was independent Russian journalist Alexey Kovalev who wrote a thread on how RT works and why Shatner can’t feign ignorance because he’s just an actor getting paid for work.
Be under no illusion, @WilliamShatner: if you’re taking their money, they won’t let you keep your hands clean. That’s the point. They’ll now use your name and face to whitewash everything else they’re doing and I’m going to make sure that you know exactly what it is.
— Alexey Kovalyov (@Alexey__Kovalev) July 1, 2021
According to The Daily Beast, RT is a well-known “propaganda machine” for the Kremlin:
The various news shows featured on the network are largely packed with Putin loyalists dedicating significant amounts of airtime denigrating the U.S—and any Putin rivals, for that matter.
The head of RT, Margaret Simonyan, has warned of an “inevitable war” with the U.S., is a staunch supporter of a “sovereign” state-controlled Russian internet, and once tweeted that she was “jealous” of Belarus over their abhorrent nabbing of a dissident journalist mid-flight.
However, efforts to educate Shatner on his new TV home fell on deaf ears:
Yes dear, whatever you say… https://t.co/Q9OoTIIsTU
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 1, 2021