MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. Groundless accusations and ongoing attacks on Russian journalists have become a growing trend in Western countries, TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman said.
"These accusations of propaganda activities have already become a negative trend against Russian journalists and Russian media. <...> Personally, I regularly see Channel One's news stories from Germany, and I have never read a report that violated journalistic rules, traditions, or laws of that country," the member of the presidium of the International Program for the Development of Communication said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, commenting on the situation with the closure of Channel One's office in Germany.
Earlier, the German authorities decided to shut down the German office of Channel One and expel two employees of the Russian broadcaster's bureau in Berlin, allegedly due to visa-related matters. In response, Moscow decided to expel two journalists of the German media group ARD.
"When you want to find a black cat in a dark room, but the cat is a myth, you can find fault with anything. And this, I think, is what this story with Channel One is about," Gusman emphasized. "These are all slander, incitements, and pseudo-political resonances. This attitude stinks," he concluded.