For Mendy

[Boethius]

Mendy, I would like your perspective on this interview with Evgeny Kiselev -


http://imrussia.org/en/opinions/2093-evgeny-kiselev-russian-media-are-becoming-showpieces-from-a-kunstkamera


Of course, everyone else is welcome to chime in, but I thought Mendy may know Mr. Kiselev.

[AC]

Great article.  I would like to meet that guy someday and pick his brain.  I had posted a link to that here:

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=17542.msg384768#msg384768

[mendeleyev]

I fight nothing of substance to disagree with this distinguished gentleman.

I wrote on this first in 2013 when the government announced the consolidation of a majority of the media outlets in Russia: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/putin-tightens-screws-on-media/



Dmitry Kiselev was made the head of all Kremlin controlled media in December 2013 as the government consolidated Kremlin owned and operated media organizations under one new umbrella known as Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today). The television empire formerly called "Russia Today" was rebranded as "RT."

Today three persons coordinate the entire news and operations of a vast majority of Russian TV, print and radio. They are Kiselev, Margarita Simonyan, and Alexei Nikolov.

In October of 2014 the president signed a new law limiting foreign media ownership to 20% of any media organization by 2017. This will greatly impact the Dutch led publications such as the Moscow Times and Saint Petersburg Times.



As the government began a massive overhaul of media, one which put two people in particular in charge of 95+% of all news generated in Russian media, I wrote this in regards to the closing of the Moscow News: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/putin-tightens-screws-on-media/

Excerpts:
The real reason for discontinuing the feature is that the newspaper itself is in danger. As the food writer explained, "If life was like a restaurant, it would be like Hub Bar. It's confusing. Surprising. It's hard to find your way. There's not enough food. It's disappointing at times, yet somehow, the experience is too short. Thankfully, though, there's plenty of alcohol, so if the company is good, you're more or less set"

"Had I known this would be The Moscow News' final restaurant review, I would have picked someplace outrageously, sickeningly expensive. (As the newspaper is part of RIA Novosti, which is in the process of liquidation, the money for dining on the company dime has run dry)."
As for the RIA Novosti empire, this includes an institution known globally as the Voice of Russia radio, "the BBC of Russia" or the Russian version of the Voice of America. Earlier this month President Putin ordered the group to be dismantled and reorganized under direction of Dmitry Kiselev, a known history revisionist and certainly no friend to legitimate journalism.

As reported in the Economist, in a recent live broadcast from Kiev on Russian state television, a protester pushed his way onto camera.  As the Russian reporter, standing in the middle of Independence Square, the stage of the latest protest in Kiev, tried to describe the scene, the protester handed him a little statue, resembling an Oscar. “Pass this Oscar to the Russian Channel and to Dmitry Kiselev for the lies and nonsense you are telling people about Maidan.

Two weeks ago Mr. Kiselev met with the RIA staff and the tweets afterward were telling. My guess is that those brave enough to speak their minds about the changes knew that they were about to be shown the door anyway. One staff member tweeted that Kiselev came across as a "frothing rabid propagandist." No surprise there, that is why he got the job.

Make no mistake, Dmitry Kiselev was chosen by Mr. Putin for his hardline views. When he was at Russia Channel One television, Kiseley made news by saying that if a homosexual died in a car accident, his or her heart should be buried or burned, but never given to someone as a transplant since the organs would be "unsuitable for extending the life of another."So, farewell restaurant reviews, probably.

As to the entire RIA Novosti family, a great news organization and the last true independent news gathering voice under Kremlin control, we're sorry to see you go. It seems that restaurant reviews are not the only thing about to end at the Moscow News.

[AC]

So did this Kiselev suddenly change his ways and become pro-Ukrainian?  Because his opinion about Crimea was certainly pro-Ukrainian.  Now I'm quite confused as you say that he was very pro-Putin before.  How many years before was this?  Because the story he tells now is that he is persona non gratis in Russia.  Is this all just a trap, or a lie to fool people?

[mendeleyev]

AC, I think that you have confused Dmitry Kiselev with the article's Evgeny Kiselev.

Dmitry is a hate-spewing Nazi blowhard and mouthpiece of the Kremlin. I would label him as a clown, but never as a journalist.

Evgeny is the journalist who now lives in Ukraine, featured in the Institute of Modern Russia article.


They are easy to confuse because they share a last name.

Perhaps it is even more confusing because of the way Russians are lax on writing the letter ё (yo). Russians often just write e (ye) because it is understood by context. Both men have the family name of Киселёв which correctly should be transliterated as Kiselyov. But most don't both with the "yo" letter.

[AC]

AC, I think that you have confused Dmitry Kiselev with the article's Evgeny Kiselev.

Dmitry is a hate-spewing Nazi blowhard and mouthpiece of the Kremlin. I would label him as a clown, but never as a journalist.

Evgeny is the journalist who now lives in Ukraine, featured in the Institute of Modern Russia article.


They are easy to confuse because they share a last name.

Perhaps it is even more confusing because of the way Russians are lax on writing the letter ё (yo). Russians often just write e (ye) because it is understood by context. Both men have the family name of Киселёв which correctly should be transliterated as Kiselyov. But most don't both with the "yo" letter.

Thanks for clarifying.  What was the purpose of mentioning Dmitry, since the IMR article is about Evgeny?  (I'm sure you had a reason, I'm just tired and haven't figured it out yet-thanks)

[mendeleyev]

Dmitry Kiselev was made the head of all Kremlin controlled media in December 2013 as the government consolidated Kremlin owned and operated media organizations under one new umbrella known as Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today).

 

[lordtiberius]

Half way through this article.  It is very damning.

[AkMike]

Mendy,
 I'd like to thank you for always sharing an on the scene perspective from Russia as well as your wonderful articles on your website!
 Dyakuku!