Letting state TV dominate, Russia chokes free media

By: 3 years ago

Journalists watch on screens French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a Kremlin鈥檚 pressroom in Moscow on February 7, 2022, during their meeting for talks in an effort to find common ground on Ukraine and NATO, at the start of a week of intense diplomacy over fears Russia is preparing an invasion of its pro-Western neighbor. AFP FILE PHOTO

PARIS 鈥� Russia has moved to throttle independent media after its invasion of Ukraine, allowing state television to dominate the airwaves with broadcasting that relentlessly promotes Russian successes and carefully toes the Kremlin line.

Even in the restrictive climate under President Vladimir Putin, Russia before the invasion still had a relatively diverse landscape in television, newspapers and online.

But draconian new rules ordered after the operation was launched 鈥� which have made it illegal to call the military action an 鈥渋nvasion鈥� or disseminate 鈥渇ake鈥� news about it 鈥� have transformed the scene.

The two pillars of Russian independent media over the last years 鈥� the radio Echo of Moscow (Ekho Moskvy) and TV channel Rain (Dozhd) 鈥� have halted broadcasts, while access has been blocked to pro-opposition online news sites and major social networks.

The changes leave 鈥渘o space for free speech and opinion on the war鈥�, said the Council of Europe鈥檚 Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic.

Jeanne Cavelier, the head of Eastern Europe for press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said an information war was in 鈥渇ull swing鈥� in Russia.

鈥淧resident Vladimir Putin needs to put all the media on a battle footing in order to justify the invasion of Ukraine to Russian citizens by concealing the war鈥檚 victims,鈥� she added.

鈥楨ven more controlled鈥�

This has left Russian state television鈥檚 slick but aggressive news broadcasts dominating the airwaves and given every chance to shape public opinion.

Channel One鈥檚 main news show Vremya (Time), an evening fixture since the Soviet era, opens each night by hailing the exploits of individual Russian soldiers who have shown 鈥渉eroism and courage鈥� in battle.

There is no mention of the death toll 鈥� Moscow has said 498 soldiers have died but Ukraine and Western sources claim it is much higher.

Western anger is denounced as 鈥渉ysteria鈥� and Ukrainian 鈥渁ggression鈥� carried out by 鈥渘eo-Nazis鈥� is condemned.

With the word 鈥渋nvasion鈥� banned, the term 鈥渟pecial military operation in Ukraine鈥� is used by presenters and reporters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is the target of mockery and questions about his mental health, with a media conference edited in a bid to show he is in what the reporter describes as an 鈥渋nadequate condition鈥�.

Frequent reports are broadcast by Russian state TV鈥檚 chief war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny, who won national fame during the conflict in Syria, and is embedded with Russian troops outside Kyiv.

The actions of Ukraine are 鈥渟lowing down the advance of Russian troops but won鈥檛 stop it鈥�, he declared emphatically in a report.

While drawing conclusions about public opinion in Russia is currently hazardous, a poll last week by Russian pollster VTsIOM 鈥� seen as sympathetic to the government 鈥� said that 71 percent of Russians support the invasion and the number was rising.

鈥淣ot everyone in Russia understands what is going on,鈥� said Kadri Liik, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

鈥淩ussia鈥檚 information space was very tightly controlled already and now it has become even more so,鈥� she added.

Like 鈥榠n prison鈥�

Other shows echo the message of the news programmes, notably the programmes hosted by notorious presenters Vladimir Solovyov and Dmitry Kiselyov, both on the EU sanctions list.

Kiselyov, who even in 2014 famously warned that Russia could turn the US to 鈥渞adioactive ash鈥�, presents the weekly Sunday show Vesti Nedeli (黑料社 of the Week) but is also the deputy head of Russian state TV VGTRK and one of the most powerful figures in Russian media.

鈥淥ur submarines are capable of firing 500 nuclear warheads to guarantee the destruction of the USA and all NATO countries,鈥� he declared after Putin ordered nuclear forces to move to combat readiness.

One of Solovyov鈥檚 guests on a recent edition of his debate show was the editor-in-chief of state-run international channel RT Margarita Simonyan, who argued that Russia should adopt an approach similar to China in banning access to foreign social media.

鈥淲e allowed into our country 鈥� years ago 鈥� an alien army 鈥� we allowed army bases to be set up in the name of this Facebook and things like that. And now we are surprised that this foreign army is shooting at us,鈥� she said.

In this climate, Russia鈥檚 best known independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta 鈥� whose editor-in-chief was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year 鈥� has now said it would be removing archive content on Ukraine from its website so as not to fall foul of the new law.

鈥淚 am in shock not just about the news but the news about the news,鈥� said Putin鈥檚 jailed opponent Alexei Navalny through his social media channels.

鈥淪oon you (Russians) will have the same access to information as I do in prison. In other words 鈥� nothing.鈥�