Spinning Russia is not an easy task, admits Margarita Simonian. First there are the stereotypes of bears, vodka and mafia hoodlums. Then there are the accusations from abroad of corruption and authoritarian government.
But for Ms Simonian, 26, chief editor of Russia Today, the English-language satellite television channel launched by the Kremlin in December, it is a daily challenge she claims to relish. 'We're not dealing in propaganda,' she said. 'We're just trying to give the world a better idea of what Russia is really like.'
As a dip in relations with the US threatens to sour President Vladimir Putin's leadership of the G8 group of industrialised nations, there are signs the Kremlin is stepping up efforts to burnish Russia's image abroad.
On April 13, the foreign ministry's diplomatic academy established a Centre of the State Image to map out strategy for the makeover.
RIA Novosti, the official state information agency which is also charged with public diplomacy efforts, is opening a new office in Beijing later this month, while Russia Today is soon to expand its network of foreign bureaus.
The channel - beamed by satellite to North America, Asia, Africa and Australia - is kitted out with state-of-the art technology and a US$40 million annual budget. It churns out feel-good features about the country's diverse culture and ethnic minorities, and news bulletins with a Russian slant.