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>which runs a sideline business in murdering inconveniently critical journalists Not trying to defend Russian govt (which is without a doubt pretty sinister),
by kutakbash 13y ago
>which runs a sideline business in murdering inconveniently critical journalists
Not trying to defend Russian govt (which is without a doubt pretty sinister), but this 'journalist murdering' thing that pops up every time Westerners discuss Russian internal policy is a bit off the mark. The way you say it cues that all Russian media is pro-government and Russian citizens en masse are either brainwashed drones or impregnable oppositional free-thinkers. While in fact its only TV which is thoroughly controlled by the government. Russian press is pretty vocal and most of it is clearly critical of the United Russia party policy. More so Russian online press — I don't know a single popular online news outlet which isn't critical of United Russia (modestly or very much so). Sure there are a couple of high profile murder cases that may be linked to Russian govt, but list of murdered journalists found in wiki is in its entirety composed either of people died in 90s or people whose death may (or may not) be connected with provincial level oligarchs, especially on North Caucasus. So saying that murdering journalists is what Russian govt does is just not true. It is true that govt doesn't provide them with utmost security though.
Why do I even care? Because you guys could be more critical of real and serious United Russia's wrongdoings (like prosecution of a row of activists involved in protests of 2011-2), instead of reiterating on secondary matters like journalist murders (ostensibly committed by government) or gay rights.
I hope I will not have to change accounts after this post.
- tptacek 13y agoI don't know what to tell you here, given that the whole premise of my comment was to separate the Russian people from the Russian government.
- kutakbash 13y agoIt's not really proven that Russian government murders journalists. Though. Which is the whole premise of my comment.
- tptacek 13y agoLook at this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia#Under_Putin_.28incl._2nd_Chechen_conflict.29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_R... Tell me that anything remotely like this has happened in the US or Western Europe. Reading that list, it almost feels like murdering a Russian journalist is what one does instead of sending an angry letter to the editor.
- kutakbash 13y agoYeah, I see that link come up pretty often. First off, does it really make sense to attribute to government each and every journalist who was killed, for whatever reason? Including sports reporter, including the guy from press service of the Moscow Region governor? Mind you, homicide rate in Russia is twice as high as that of the US. Sure, it looks like government isn't providing them (and everyone else, for that matter) with enough security, but it's nothing like saying it deliberately murders them. The most hard evidence for me is that Russian press itself doesn't put much emphasis on it.
- tptacek 13y agoJust so we can be clear about where we stand: the Russian government murders journalists. You'd have to present pretty clear, coherent, and surprising evidence to get me to believe otherwise. That's not helpful in an "orderly resolution of message board debate" sense, I know, but I wouldn't want to give the impression that I was endorsing this question as a meaningful debate. The Russian government murders journalists; it's literally part of their M.O.
- kutakbash 13y agoSo somehow Russian government is unworthy of presumption of innocence? Or it is guilty as long as dominant discourse asserts it is? Once again, Russian government is not responsible for murdering journalists, there is no firm evidence it is. Certainly not for most of people on that list on the wiki.
- 13y ago