Russia Today US anchor Liz Wahl quitted on the air Wednesday afternoon, saying the Kremlin-funded network “whitewashes” the actions of President Vladimir Putin.
Liz Wahl, who works out of the network’s Washington, D.C. offices, began her televised resignation by referencing co-worker Abby Martin, who made headlines by denouncing Russian intervention in Ukraine earlier this week.
“Indeed as a reporter on this network I face many moral and ethical challenges,” Liz Wahl said.
Liz Wahl said that her grandparents came to the US during the Hungarian Revolution to escape Soviet forces, and she feels lucky to have grown up in America.
“I’m the daughter of a veteran,” she continued.
“My partner is a physician at a military base where he sees every day the first-hand accounts of the ultimate prices that people pay for this country.
“That is why personally I cannot be part of [a] network funded by the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of Putin.
“I’m proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth. And that is why after this newscast I am resigning.”
A day before she quit, Liz Wahl had tweeted sympathy for Abby Martin, who was offered a posting in Crimea after she criticized Russia on the air.
Abby Martin still has a job.
RT said in a statement to Buzzfeed that Liz Wahl was trying to become an “overnight sensation” like Abby Martin.
“When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional,” the statement said.
“But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt.”
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