Russia Warns of Crackdown on U.S. Media, Including CNN<br />By Michael M. Grynbaum<br />In the latest round of tit-for-tat sparring between the United States<br />and Russia, the authorities in Moscow warned on Friday of a coming crackdown on American media outlets that operate in Russia, including CNN.<br />The Russian minister of communications, Nikolai Nikoforov, said this week<br />that the treatment of RT in the United States was the result of an undeserved animosity toward Russian interests.<br />The move was explicitly intended as retaliation for an apparent American censure of RT, the state-run news organization<br />formerly known as Russia Today, which American intelligence sources have accused of being used as a propaganda outlet.<br />On Thursday, RT agreed to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent<br />in the United States, despite vehement objections from the network’s leadership.<br />In addition, the Russian authorities had previously warned that any American censure of RT would be met with a response.<br />RT had particular influence on YouTube, where its 2.2 million subscribers rivaled the totals for major American news outlets.
