David McCullagh's takedown of the Russian Ambassador to Ireland continues to garner a massive reaction, and the six minute interview has spread further than these shores.
The six-minute interview from Friday's Six One News on RTÉ has garnered four million views across social media in less than 24 hours, and has seen a positive reaction worldwide.
Political correspondents, journalists, and military men from the UK, Estonia, Sweden, Canada, and the United States have all praised McCullagh for the interview.
David McCullagh interview: Acclaim worldwide
David McCullagh was given the opportunity to speak to the Russian Ambassador to Ireland, Yuriy Filatov, on Friday evening, as the crisis in Ukraine worsens.
Russian forces continue to advance into their sovereign Eastern European neighbours, with missile strikes hitting the capital city of Kyiv.
McCullagh did not hold back, as he disputed several incorrect claims by Filatov, including one claim that the conflict had been started by the Ukrainian government.
He went on to grill Filatov on his previous assertion that Russia would not invade Ukraine, and his attempts to defend the invasion. He closed by asking Filatov why the Irish government should tolerate his presence while he continues to act as "an apologist for slaughter."
The interview has received acclaim worldwide, with journalists from several major powers commending McCullagh's grilling of Filatov. From the UK, Andrew Neil of the BBC and Susanna Reid of ITV praised McCullagh, while Tory MP Tom Tugenhadt also commended the interview and pushed for the Russian Ambassador to the UK to be expelled.
This is how you interview a Kremlin apologist. https://t.co/zZ2Te7dEoX
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) February 26, 2022
Powerful interviewing skills. https://t.co/rfwBGvVKQB
— Susanna Reid (@susannareid100) February 26, 2022
This is why we should expel ambassadors and downgrade relations. The one in Britain @mfa_russia is lying for a tyrant and an apologist for war crimes too. https://t.co/5L2k8qerRW
— Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) February 25, 2022
There was also a strong reaction from American and Canadian journalists. David Begnaud of CBS News shared the video and praised it as "devastatingly effective" - drawing a response from former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
More Hague-bait but not the brightest bulb in the @mfa_russia war criminal docket https://t.co/CM7kz3LPTz
— toomas hendrik ilves (@IlvesToomas) February 26, 2022
Good show from RTE here. https://t.co/3UctwZYb8C
— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) February 25, 2022
I sometimes forget that outside of this country, televised news is sometimes done quite well so whenever I talk about cable news or Sunday shows being brain poison and the entire industry worthy of being thrown in a woodchipper please remember I'm talking about the U.S. https://t.co/pWs3yUavlj
— Jason Linkins (@dceiver) February 26, 2022
Irish television journalist @mcculld dissects disinformation offered by Russian ambassador. Must watch. #journalist @rte https://t.co/uXBC5skA9h
— 𝚂𝚎á𝚗 𝙾’𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚊 Global News (@ConsumerSOS) February 26, 2022
Even the contentious Fox News were among those to share the video, with a story about David McCullagh's interview posted on their site on Saturday, and the "apologist for slaughter" quote shared prominently on their social media.
'APOLOGIST FOR SLAUGHTER': Russian ambassador GRILLED in TV interview for comments on Ukrainehttps://t.co/qV0cQegzZZ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 26, 2022
David McCullagh's interview with Yuriy Filatov is a marker of exemplary journalism - and has clearly inspired many in similar situations worldwide to consider their role in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.
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