It’s important to remember the context in which Sputnik was operating in 2016.
The UK had just voted to leave the European Union and David Cameron had stood down as prime minister, to be replaced by Theresa May.
Brexit dominated UK politics, and in Scotland that, in turn, contributed to the SNP dominating the 2015 and 2016 Westminster and Holyrood elections.
Despite losing the 2014 referendum, the pro-independence movement appeared to be on the front foot.
Sputnik made much of the pro-indy credentials of its leading journalists. Looking back, Carolyn believes that was always the strategy.
“I realise now that I think their entire point was let these slightly left-wing progressive types do the show that they want,” she says.
“They gave us free rein because that might build some legitimacy so that one day, when they’ve got an audience, they can just flip to their own agenda.
“And I see now in hindsight, that’s kind of what I think their aim perhaps was.”
Stewart McDonald was one of 56 SNP MPs elected in 2015. He would become his party’s defence spokesman, and one of Sputnik’s most high-profile critics.
From quite early on, he wanted to put “clear blue water” between it and the SNP.
“We very deliberately set about making RT and Sputnik as toxic as possible,” he says.
“People knew that going on it, I would openly criticise them.
“I think that’s partly why so few people did go on it, because they understood this is not a good thing for us to be seen to be engaging with.”