Russian state TV takes politics out of Putin's pipeline turnabout.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Editorial analysis of Russian TV coverage by Stephen Ennis of BBC Monitoring

The lead story on Russian state channels on 26 April featured President Putin's "sensational" decision to divert the Eastern Siberian-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline away from the shores of Lake Baykal. These reports made no mention of the popular protests against the original pipeline route, conveying the impression that the president's decision was prompted solely by scientific advice. By contrast, privately owned Ren TV implied that Putin had bowed to public pressure. Comments on NTV hinted at commercial rather than environmental concerns behind the opposition to the pipeline, and suggested that Putin's alternative route may not be the right one.

State TV strongly …