In recent days, it's had two big viral hits, both concerning what it says is the Western media's disinformation campaign surrounding the Syrian civil war.



What's not immediately clear to viewers of In The Now is that it's the latest venture from RT, the Russian state-funded news channel formerly known as Russia Today. It's news served hot with a side of smile and a big dollop of propaganda.



In The Now began its life as a regular show on the RT channel, and transitioned to a standalone project in the spring of 2016. But other than a page buried on the RT website, there are few signs that In The Now is connected to the Russian government at all. Its videos live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, and nowhere on each platform is there branding or descriptions that connect them to RT.

The In The Now website — inthenow.media — also has no obvious clues about its ownership. On Thursday, its lead story asked if the Dalai Lama was a CIA agent.