Results matching “russia kremlin 1”

One of the most striking themes to come from the second day of the Power of Print Conference was the importance of newspapers knowing their audience. South Africa's Daily Sun, for example, grew rapidly to become the country's largest newspaper off the back of in depth market research.

Fergus Sampson, of the Daily Sun's owner Media 24 described how they discovered an audience of working class young black citizens who had come of age at the time of freedom, but who didn't have a newspaper, and set out fill the gap. "It does not try to be all things to all people. It does not include anything that wouldn't interest its people. The formula is dictated by the market and the needs of the market," said Sampson.

Two potentially revolutionary deals look set to be finalised today, and (apparently coincidentally) both will see Russian oligarchs taking the reins at long standing publications.  In the UK, Alexander Lebedev should become the first Russian to own a British newspaper when he confirms his acquisition of 76% of the Evening Standard.  Across the Channel, Alexandre Pougatchev (son of Serguei) awaits a court judgement in Lille to confirm his purchase of 85% of France Soir.

It will be interesting to see the effect that this influx of Eastern money has upon the editorial and political direction of both the newspapers.  Whilst Lebedev has promised that his influence on the Standard will be 'next to zero', speculation is already mounting.  The Russian has a history of opposition to former President and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and ran, albeit unsuccessfully, against pro-Kremlin Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

According to the Associated Press, Russian prosecutors will "aggressively monitor" how the media covers and reports on the ongoing financial crisis.

The Prosecutor General's office ordered news organizations to be responsible and not to spread panic, the AP reported.  The Russian media has been lacking in financial crisis coverage, this is due to the fact that most media outlets are government controlled or loyal to the Kremlin.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) asked Georgia to stop censoring Russian-language press and has asked for all sides of the conflict in South Ossetia to inform the public through "free reporting", reported gipp.ru.

"The world needs to know what is happening and we appeal to both Russian and Georgian authorities to allow media to operate and journalists to work freely", said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

The IFJ showed also showed concern that Russian reporters might be too influenced by the Kremlin in their coverage of the events.

"Georgia claims to be a democratic country and Russia claims to respect international laws but in reality they seem to be paying lip service to these obligations. It is in the interest of peace, reconciliation and rights of both communities to let media work freely", the IFJ says.

Source: gipp.ru, IFJ

See also:
Russia: Novaya Gazeta accused of promoting hatred towards Georgians
Russia: Journalists urged to provide content that "proves" Georgian violence
Opinion: how Georgia outplayed the Russians in the PR war
Russia: reporting about Georgia is "propaganda" and "disinformation"

The Federal Mass Media Inspection Service accused the St. Petersburg edition of Russian daily newspaper Novaya Gazeta of advocating hatred towards Georgians, warning the paper that it risks being shut down if it defies the media and extremism laws again.

Russian Authorities in charge of mass communication and protection of cultural heritage (Rossvyazkomandzor) called to attention the need for national media to remain within legal boundaries, in light of the recent events in Dagestan when a newspaper was shut down for supposedly promoting extremist views.

Rossvyazkomandzor pointed out that it is necessary that the media conform to the Russian Federation law that dictates that it is forbidden to use "sources of mass information" to release content that contains signs of agitation over social, racial, national or religious backgrounds. If journalists fail to do so and adhere to diffusing extremist content, "steps will be taken", reported gipp.ru.

Nadira Isayeva, editor-in-chief of Dagestan's independent weekly paper Chernovik, was accused of soliciting extremist views and prejudice. The paper quoted guerilla chief Rappani Khalilov, who accused the local the regional authorities in Dagestan and Chechnya of "corruption, robbing his fellow countrymen and enslaving themselves to the Kremlin," reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Robert Mahoney, CPJ's Deputy Director, said that it isn't illegal to quote guerilla leaders, mentioning that the authorities should drop the charges against Isayeva and permit her "to work "without fear of retaliation".

"There is no such law in Russia that prohibits quoting extremist leaders, and the quote--as well as the entire article--contains no calls to extremism, does not give a positive image to terrorists, nor does it incite any kind of hatred," said Aleksandr Verkhovsky, director of Sova, an independent Moscow-based watchdog for nationalism and xenophobia.

Source: gipp.ru, CPJ

See also:
Russia: Authorities close Chernovik for extremism

A new law will protect journalists investigating into corruption in Russia, starting from the beginning of 2009. The law will give them the same protection as court witnesses, reported Russia Today.
 
 "We need to have a clear mechanism of legal regulation on every journalist publication. We need investigations of prosecutor's offices, and some administrative measures if they prove necessary. Only then we'll feel the feedback and reaction on the part of the authorities. And we need journalists to be protected," said Kirill Kabanov, head of the National Anti-Corruption Committee.

This comes as a significant improvement in a country that is the third deadliest in the world for reporters, after Iraq and Algeria. Around 50 journalists have been killed in over 15 years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and many cases remain unsolved.

Source: Russia Today

See also:
Russia: Politkovskaya murder suspects caught
Russia: Kremlin adviser resigns over reporter's murder
GÖTEBORG: EXTENDED VIDEO - Garry Kasparov challenges Russian press freedom at World Editors Forum
Russia: English-language paper shuts down after government raid

The Russian government continued its repressive oversight of the press Thursday, raiding the Moscow offices of the Exile, an English-language newspaper, accusing the paper of violating a media law prohibiting the publication of extremist articles.

The Exile was reputed for its strident criticism of the government, and infamous for its bold, occasionally lewd content, but it has lost several investors as a result of the investigation and now lacks sufficient publishing funds.

"It's like we've got polonium on us," said Mark Ames, the Exile's American editor. "Who will want to touch us now?"

The Exile has never been afraid to stir a little controversy; Ames' frequent articles about his late-night encounters bordered on misogynistic. And though the paper was well respected for its sharp, critical news coverage of the Kremlin, critics claimed its coarse style was out of place in Russia's maturing society.

"I find it really offensive," said Ames. "They resent the fact that we did something that wasn't supposed to be done. I'm sorry that a lot of people seem to want to dance on our grave."

Under new president Dmitry Medvedev, many Russians hoped for a more open news climate than had existed under Vladimir Putin, Medvedev's more conservative predecessor. This, however, has not been the case. During Medvedev's first month in office, the Kremlin has increased its raids on independent media organizations.

The Exile's future looks grim: the paper is struggling to keep its website alive and Ames says its print version is extinct.

"The paper's gone," he said. "It's dust and there's now way to get it going again."

Note: Russia is not alone in limiting press expression. Some of its neighbors - Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan - have introduced measures designed to restrict criticism of the government. Though the details of the measures vary in each country, all of them blur the line between the press and the government. Click here for specifics.

Also watch of video of Garry Kasparov, leader of the political party The Other Russia, speaking at the 15th World Editors Forum.

Source: Telegraph, Follow the Media

According to an article from Agence France Presse (AFP), Russian authorities have caught three suspects charged with the murder of "journalist and Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya", who was shot in 2006.

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov have been charged with the murder. The main suspect, Rustam Makhmudov, "remains at large" said a spokesperson for the investigations committee.

"Former secret service officer, Pavel Ryaguzov, has been charged with abuse of power and extortion" linked to the inquiry.

Charges were "dropped against former Chechen local government official, Shamil Burayev".

See also:

Anniversary of Politskovskaya urder, Russia still lags

Russia: Kremlin adviser resigns over reporter's murder

Russia: Murdered Journalist's last article published


Source: AFP

Russian investigators have said they have identified - but not caught - the killer of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, whose murder in October 2006 became a symbol of Russian repression against journalists critical of the government.

"The person who directly carried out the crime, the killing of Politkovskaya, has been identified. All measures are being taken to find and detain the person in question," said Vyacheslav Smirnov, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, according to Interfax news agency.

However, in October 2007, the investigator of the case had already mentioned that the presumed killer had been identified.

This news comes in the wake of two TV journalists being murdered in Russia, supposedly in relation to the work they were doing.

Russia and the Kremlin have regularly been criticized for muzzling the free press, as was the case during the last parliamentary elections.

Source: AFP Mail

In the last weeks of the Russian presidential election, Russian blogs are offering an anecdote to the major media’s unfailing positive coverage of Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anointed successor,

Blogs such as Live Journal, Russia’s most popular social network and blogging site, is serving up humorous, witty, and sometimes blistering criticism of Menvedev and Putin, reports MediaChannel.

One blogger named “lekka_reka” said an old lady asked him on the street: “Have they named Medvedev president yet or will we be able to actually go out and cast our votes?”

Granted Russian political blogs don’t enjoy the same popularity as their US counterparts, due to both the Kremlin’s virtual monopoly on political power, and to technical barriers including limited access to high speed internet, or in certain parts of Russia, to personal computers themselves.  

Nonetheless the blogs do present an alternative to increasing censorship. Throughout Putin’s eight years in office, Russia’s media has fallen increasingly under the Kremlin control, mainly through the purchase of national broadcasters and major newspapers by state-controlled corporations or loyal billionaires, reports MediaChannel.

The latest change on the Russian media playing field came to pass last Friday,when shareholders of two major broadcasting companies announced the decision to merge their interests into a new conglomerate, National Media Group. It must be mentioned that Bank Rossiya chairman Yury Kovallchuk, one of the companies involved in the merger, is a well-known Putin loyalist, reports FollowtheMedia.

Sources: MediaChannel, FollowtheMedia

Would you have named Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘Person of the Year’? Time magazine did, and it explains why.

Natalia Morar, an investigative reporter in Moscow for the monthly independent newsmagazine New Time was barred from entry to Moscow on her return from an unrelated press trip to Israel. She was sent to her native country, Moldova without further explanations.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, free press has not always been the norm in Russia. Yet newspapers have soared, and the market now counts over 400 daily titles designed for each and every taste.

On Jan. 31 Russian President Vladimir Putin will stand in front of hundreds of journalists for an annual face-off, one of the rare occasions during which reporters can pose direct questions and interview him.

Komsomolskaya Pravda used to be the Kremlin’s leading propaganda paper for youth. As it is eyed by state-owned Gazprom, it could now become one other platform for President Vladimir Putin’s voice. 

The recent suspicious death – murder – of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko has thrown a new light and interest upon the relationship between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and its contesters. The recurrent ‘suppression’ of critics has even led some government-contesting newspapers to consider shutting down.

Gazprom Media, a division of state-owned gas producer Gazprom, persists in its newspaper shopping activity. This months objective is Komsomolskaya Pravda, one the most widely read newspapers in Russia. “Gazprom Media is in the process of striking a deal”, said sspokeswoman Irina Zenkova. Komsomolskaya Pravda has a circulation of about 800,000 copies, and its readership is said to exceed 2,000,000.

According to BBC Monitoring, Pro-Putin oligarch Vladimir Potanin, owner of the Prof-Media holding who in the past focused on ownership of print media and avoided TV and the internet, is reversing strategy, selling off his main newspapers and buying TV channels and websites.

Since early 2006, he has bought three small TV channels and in late October bought the big Rambler Media company, which owns the prominent internet news site Lenta.ru and the popular search engine Rambler.ru.

Starting in November the American daily The Washington Post and the British Daily Telegraph will publish a monthly supplement prepared by the Russian government. The six to eight pages of articles will cover business, sports and culture in Russia, and will be written by a special unit of the governmental daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta, in cooperation with RIA Novosti news agency and Russia Today.

According to Reuters, Oleg Orlov, a leading human rights campaigner and head of the rights group Memorial, yesterday resigned as a Kremlin adviser saying he disagreed with Vladimir Putin's opinions about the murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The Russian president had called the contract-style killing of the outspoken journalist a "disgusting crime" but added that the murder had done more harm to Russia than her reporting ever had - a statement implying, said Politkovskaya's backers, that she had been harming the country by uncovering official corruption, especially in Chechnya.

 Source: Reuters through Media Guardian

Andrei Vasilyev, Russian daily Kommersant’s returning editor, claims he will maintain objective reporting under the paper’s controversial new owner.  Following the abrupt departure last week of editor Vladislav Borodulin, Vasilyev was restored to the position he held from 1999-2005. 

The chief editor of Kommersant, one of Russia’s leading dailies, quit over differences with new owner Alisher Usmanov.  Former editor Vladislav Borodulin broke with the paper one month after tycoon Usmanov took the reins.

When businessman Alisher Usmanov, reportedly close to the Russian government, acquired ZAO Kommersant Publishing House he claimed he was not going to interfere on editorial issues. Yet, the continuous buyouts of government critical media outlets by Kremlin-friendly capitals had raised concerns that the daily Kommersant would have journalists pull back on criticism.

Metals magnate Alisher Usmanov has acquired ZAO Kommersant Publishing House for allegedly $200 million. Several sources suggest that the Kremlin might be behind the deal.