I didn't pay any attention to that object opposite. I just visualised the girl fully dressed. To hear the interview without seeing the pictures, one would never have guessed her state of undress. Sergei Moskvin, who invented the show, said the secret of its success was combining straight treatment of the news with the presenters' semi-nudity. Together it is comedy.
Viewers stop listening and just watch open-mouthed.
Intellectuals have argued that Naked Truth is a satire on Russia's notoriously grasping politicians and journalists. But Svetlana Pesotskaya, the blonde actress who reads the news while playfully taking off her top or having it removed by a pair of hairy male arms, insists that the programme is a serious news show. The goal is to make us stand out and force people to take notice. The show, which is broadcast just before midnight, may not top the ratings but so far one major party leader has granted an interview to its topless reporters and more are due to appear soon. Mr Saliyi, an expert on electoral fraud, justified his appearance by claiming it was an attempt to breach the taboo on discussing vote-rigging in Russia's mainstream media.