Being a Journalist in Russia

[ECOCKS]

Media freedom in Russia
Smashing the messengers
Another brutal assault on a reporter shows the dangers to media freedom

Nov 11th 2010 | MOSCOW

Interesting excerpts.....

As Mr Kashin’s peers related it, the attackers smashed his fingers so the journalist could not write, broke his jaw so he could not talk and broke a leg so he could not walk. Doctors had to put Mr Kashin into an induced coma to avoid a pain shock.

Two years ago Mikhail Beketov, a journalist from Khimki who wrote about local corruption and accused the mayor of “political terror”, was beaten up so severely that he had to have his leg and several fingers amputated. He is still in a wheelchair and cannot talk. This week he was brought into a courtroom with his doctors, where the mayor, flanked by bodyguards, sued him for libel. The court found against Mr Beketov and symbolically fined him.

Both Mr Beketov and Mr Kashin are lucky to be alive. At least 22 journalists have been murdered in Russia in the past ten years, according to Reporters Without Borders, a human-rights group. Many more have been injured. In the index of press freedom, Russia ranks below Turkey and Iraq and only just above Afghanistan.

As the Russian edition of Forbes said in a statement: “Whoever stands behind this crime, responsibility for it rests with the leaders of the state. It is with their consent or encouragement that the atmosphere of moral terror against dissidents has been created, censorship restored, civil control over the security service and the police removed and honest competition made impossible.” Unsurprisingly, Russian state television did not report this.

http://www.economist.com/node/17472862

[acctBill]

And people wonder why Russia is getting more and more corrupt. 

[Shadow]

Unsurprisingly, Russian state television did not report this.

http://www.economist.com/node/17472862

Another false accusation. TV1 and Russia 24 have been showing reports almost all of last week.

[ECOCKS]

And people wonder why Russia is getting more and more corrupt. 

You see things like this and the situation with the Mayor of Kyiv (who was allowed to reign for years until he was out of favor with the ruling group) and wonder how they're ever going to make any progress out of the hole they're in. It's slowly changing and not always for the right reason (new strongman in power, etc.) but we can always hope.

Control of the media, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" politicians and the "head in the sand" attitude of most FSU citizens have us on a dangerous path.

[Shadow]

Just seen the news on TV!. Another update on his condition was given.

Did the economist do a follow-up story ?