Russia Today
"The main focus of the international News Agency Russia Today is to inform abroad about the state policy of the Russian Federation and public life in the Russian Federation."
Kremlin decree "liquidating" RIA Novosti news agency
"What is happening is absurd, and the response to that is more absurdity."
"The agency has crumb by crumb built up a reputation for professionalism and trustworthiness. But that's not fashionable in the current climate. The fashion now is to suck up [to the government]."
Anonymous commenter
In self-defence, RIA Novosti, Russia's largest government-owned news agency has defiantly warned of "a tightening of state control" over the media. The announcement by President Vladimir Putin of the intention to close the agency, replacing it with a new organization speaks of the writing on the wall for the freedom of the press in Russia.
Actually, there's nothing much new about Mr. Putin's attitude to the dissemination of news, for not just any news is fit to distribute, for there is acceptable news and there is indisputably news unfit to be tolerated. The safety and security of journalists has always been threatened in Russia, and all the more so under the aegis of President Putin.
When threats and intimidation, the message that those who displease Mr. Putin mightily will forfeit their lives doesn't work adequately, an entire news network can be dismantled. RIA Novosti worked hard and steadily at improving its reliability image as a purveyor of real, affirmable news. It had no wish to remain a propaganda puppet of the regime, and fought the managerial inertia it had inherited from the Stalin regime.
Under the chief editor Svetlana Mironyuk it gradually earned a reputation as a trustworthy and moderately balanced news source. It stood in stark contrast to state-owned federal television channels, controlled by the Kremlin. RIA Novosti operated freely enough, reporting controversial news items, including having the impertinence to publish items about anti-Putin protests in Moscow taking place in 2012.
Perhaps its take on the current pro-Europe protests in Ukraine helped to seal its fate. With no warning, employees were shocked, but waiting to hear whether they would be fired or hired by the new agency. The reorganization would make better use of public money, pledged Moscow officials, and the agency would be given further reach.
RIA Novosti reported on its own disappearance from the news stage, its English language service referring to the change as "the latest in a series of shifts in Russia's news landscape, which appears to point toward a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector". Thus entirely and quite appropriately proving President Putin's point.
And so, Russia Today quite, quite resembles the Russia of yesteryear when it ruled indefatigably over a union of reluctant satellites under a totalitarian ideological government whose reputation is now steadily in the process of being rehabilitated under its most recent incarnation of the past, President Putin.
Labels: Communication, Controversy, Crisis Management, News Media, Russia
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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