Free Press in Russia

[Shadow]

I don't kid myself that anyone thinks as I do. How anyone else "thinks" is of no consequence to me. If there is a confused one here as to the role of a free press in any society, that would be you.

I am not confused about the role of free press, however I am both doubting the freedom of press in any society and the professionalism of journalists.

Are you completely out of your mind? There are literally a million plus professional journalists in the world. A great many of them are in Russia where incidentally, it is much more difficult to be a journalist. Being a journalist under such conditions requires much more professionalism, sense of ethics, honor and loyalty to their respective communities. These people are heroes and you project them as criminals while exonerating the real criminals.

Everyone who calls themself a professional jounalist is a hero ? Seems like you are extremely naieve about human character.
A professional journalists is one who does not let their own opinion or ideas get in the way of the truth, and will write their reports unbiased, and not coloured by their employer. I can state that the number of professionals who match this are a very low percentage of those who call themselves professional journalists, and the proof is in every paper you read.

I won't do your work for you but, I'll will clue you in, there is currently over 200 cases in Russia alone at this moment. People and more specifically governments do, what they are capable and strong enough to do. It is not the responsibility of the press or the journalist to stop them, only to inform you. I have a position of superior authority on this subject of which, I will not justify to the likes of you. Doing so would only dishonor everyone in the profession.

Please give me the evidence. It is not my work, as I did not make the claim.
The person who makes the claim is the one who has to prove it.
Instead of slinging mud, like a journalist would.

You've done nothing but white wash these unpunished and for the most part uninvestigated crimes. You blame the journalist for their own beatings and deaths when their only crime is reporting their findings to the populace. Something in your profound ignorance you still fail to understand, it is not up to the journalist to take anyone to court. You haven't reversed anything nor have you confused me. Your head in the sand along with your Gestapo logic blinds you from seeing or knowing any truth.

If the crimes are unpunished and univestigated, then how can you tell who is responsible for them ? As I said, you put yourself up as judge, jury and executioner.
If a journalists has proof he is beaten on order of any person, it is his obligation to take them to court as much as an official is under the obligation to take a journalist that unfairly blames him to court.
You blame officials for beatings and deaths without proof, which is not Gestapo, but Stalin logic.

[brad5959]

What I wrote is people are aware what happens in Russia when you attack people you should not.  It should be no surprise to people as journalists have been under this treatment for 10 plus years.  People who do not like it don't live there or speak up but expect the consequences.

USA has just as much corruption with lobbyists and politicians but the press stays away from it the USA.  I bet if the press started digging into things they should not people would be taken care of like the Clinton's did.  

Brad said:
USA has just as much corruption with.... but the press stays away from it (in) the USA???  how do you come to this conclusion?  have you not heard that Abrahamov and his cronies are in prison?  was this not clearly reported?  and are you implying that the Clinton's had someone murdered??  very dubious.

[brad5959]

What I wrote is people are aware what happens in Russia when you attack people you should not.  It should be no surprise to people as journalists have been under this treatment for 10 plus years.  People who do not like it don't live there or speak up but expect the consequences.

USA has just as much corruption with lobbyists and politicians but the press stays away from it the USA.  I bet if the press started digging into things they should not people would be taken care of like the Clinton's did. 

(correction)
"USA has just as much corruption.......but the press stays away from it.."
how do you figure this??  haven't you heard that Abrahamov and his cronies have gone to prison??  this was clearly reported.  and are you implying that the Clinton's had someone killed??  very dubious.

[brad5959]

on a side note, more freedom of the press and freedom to travel where you want to without having to get a visa and register, is why I like Ukraine much better.  politicians in Ukraine do not seem to be afraid of criticizing Russia if they are so inclined.
regarding the FSB, I just read that they are being allowed into Crimea supposedly to protect the Russian naval base at Sevastapol.

[Shadow]

on a side note, more freedom of the press and freedom to travel where you want to without having to get a visa and register, is why I like Ukraine much better.  politicians in Ukraine do not seem to be afraid of criticizing Russia if they are so inclined.
regarding the FSB, I just read that they are being allowed into Crimea supposedly to protect the Russian naval base at Sevastapol.

Russian politicians are also not afraid to criticize Ukraine....

[Sculpto]

I have to agree with Shadow here.  

My former journalist girlfriend... It took a long time but I was finally able to get her to send me her stuff.  What she was writing was not journalism.  It is the same sort of propaganda you find on Pravda and RT that is exaggerated and designed to elicit a specific response from the reader.  I actually had to bite down pretty hard to not absolutely destroy her once I read her stuff.  The thing is.. that kind of writing is not only popular in Russia but is the norm.  

If there are journalists that are really writing from an objective standpoint and doing true investigative journalism than we would be hearing a lot more about Chechnya and Dagestan and Ingushetia.  And what we would be hearing would not be laced with the words "terrorist" in every reference.  

I will say however.. there are two parts of the world that consistently produce independent and heroic journalists.. Latin America and Africa.  

Journalism in the USA is a joke at this point.  We may not have government mandated censorship.. what we have is worse.. we have voluntary censorship.  We also have editors that are afraid to piss off corporate sponsors who therefore adopt certain policies that are detrimental to the truth, and finally, and this is the worst part of all.. is that what passes for journalism has become a certain kind info entertainment.  Talk show hosts have become increasingly polarizing and extreme in their commentary which they believe they need to do to keep their audience interested.  The net results of this have been a mass brainwashing of a large portion of the population and one of the basic parts of that brainwash is to convince people they haven't been brainwashed.  The ability for people to have their own actual independent and original thoughts is so far gone as to likely never return.  

Once again the convergence of corporate and governmental interests has crushed truth.

That is not a right or left argument.. its just the truth.

I am not confused about the role of free press, however I am both doubting the freedom of press in any society and the professionalism of journalists.
Everyone who calls themself a professional jounalist is a hero ? Seems like you are extremely naieve about human character.
A professional journalists is one who does not let their own opinion or ideas get in the way of the truth, and will write their reports unbiased, and not coloured by their employer. I can state that the number of professionals who match this are a very low percentage of those who call themselves professional journalists, and the proof is in every paper you read.
Please give me the evidence. It is not my work, as I did not make the claim.
The person who makes the claim is the one who has to prove it.
Instead of slinging mud, like a journalist would.
If the crimes are unpunished and univestigated, then how can you tell who is responsible for them ? As I said, you put yourself up as judge, jury and executioner.
If a journalists has proof he is beaten on order of any person, it is his obligation to take them to court as much as an official is under the obligation to take a journalist that unfairly blames him to court.
You blame officials for beatings and deaths without proof, which is not Gestapo, but Stalin logic.

[Boethius]

There is no proof that either Politkovskaya or Litvenenko were murdered by the Russian government.

[groovlstk]

My former journalist girlfriend... It took a long time but I was finally able to get her to send me her stuff.  What she was writing was not journalism.  It is the same sort of propaganda you find on Pravda and RT that is exaggerated and designed to elicit a specific response from the reader.  I actually had to bite down pretty hard to not absolutely destroy her once I read her stuff.  The thing is.. that kind of writing is not only popular in Russia but is the norm.  

Sculpto, no offense towards your ex-special lady friend, but if I recall you spent quite a lot of time praising her courage and stoicism for publishing truths that exposed her to great danger at the hands of powerful people. Aside from the breakup part, what changed?

[Tim22]

The press is not free at all - I agree. Putin - the guy pulling the strings in Russia does not like criticism. Whether he be President or Prime Minister he is still in charge and he was the one who organised the war against Georgia, atrocities in Chechniya and the camapaign against former Chess champion Gary Kasparov. Anyone  in Russia who criticizes Putin has to watch their back.

[Shadow]

The press is not free at all - I agree. Putin - the guy pulling the strings in Russia does not like criticism. Whether he be President or Prime Minister he is still in charge and he was the one who organised the war against Georgia, atrocities in Chechniya and the camapaign against former Chess champion Gary Kasparov. Anyone  in Russia who criticizes Putin has to watch their back.

Yes, Putin the reincarnation of Stalin is watching you. Ifyou marry a Russian woman you will help him getting a KGB spy in to your country. Do not fall for his tricks.

And please keep sending money to Kasparov, support the future dictators to be removed, and import those poor muslim refugess (not those terrorists from Arab countries, they are bad).

[Sculpto]

Sculpto, no offense towards your ex-special lady friend, but if I recall you spent quite a lot of time praising her courage and stoicism for publishing truths that exposed her to great danger at the hands of powerful people. Aside from the breakup part, what changed?

thats what she told me.. when she finally sent me some stuff to read.. different story.. I had to bite my tongue.

[groovlstk]

I had to bite my tongue.

You had me until this, man.