I worked on a section of my newest book last year and found several examples of the harassment of reporters who work for news outlets that publish unfavorable stories about the leadership in the Kremlin. Living in the US, we tend to think that all countries allow reporters to say and do almost anything that pops into their heads, true or not, with impunity. By increasing numbers, we don’t believe very many of the press reports we see about anything, especially things political.
In Russia, there were a disturbing number of deaths of reporters who were chasing down corruption in the central government, but that situation has improved. Harassment has not. More editors and reporters leave “to spend more time with their families” or “seek other opportunities” both phrases we all know. As story in the BBC today reminded me of some of the others who suffered the fate described here. A woman newsreader has her face sprayed with feces and her car set on fire. The lead in this story is stabbed in the neck by a guy who looks like he is portrayed- a guy who could be a nut case in any circumstance. It is plausible for him to do what he did, without any association with the government. That is the way Intelligence Services work. At least one degree of separation from their government. You have to look at the other instances of this same kind of thing to see the whole picture of harassment of those who work for radio stations and news outlets who don’t always stick to the Party line.
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