Russia confirmed Thursday it is investigating The New York Times and the Financial Times newspapers amid a dispute over the number of people killed in the country by the coronavirus.
State-run media outlets reported that Roskomnadzor, the Russian government’s media regulator, is studying articles published by the newspapers in accordance with a law that prohibits reporting “inaccurate, socially significant information distributed under the guise of reliable messages.”
Each newspaper recently reported that the number of people to die in Russia from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is 70-80% higher than what Moscow has said.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova subsequently accused the outlets Wednesday of spreading “disinformation” and said Russian would ask for a retraction from each.
State media has since reported that Roskomnadzor, Russia’s chief media censor, is reviewing whether the papers ran afoul of the law against spreading dangerous misinformation.
Messages requesting comment from The New York Times and the Financial Times were not immediately answered Thursday.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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