I was contacted by a journalism student from Marist College in New York who is working on a documentary on the dangers of journalism in Russia. She asks:



Have I ever felt threatened by the Russian Government?
No. I spent some time in Russia without a Russian visa once due to some complications, but I did not take it as a personal threat from "the government." I was possibly in danger by some small-time bureaucrats or local police, but nothing significant. Americans (and many Russians) tend to believe that all decisions in Russia go completely up to the top. That is not the case. It is logistically impossible.

Website Hacking
My website was recently hacked, but I do not feel that it was anything related to the content. It seemed to be a defacing hack which is just someone looking to to post their hacker logo on the the front page to show off to all their hacker friends. Funny thing is, I actually had someone ask me if I though that the US government hacked my website because they did not like the content. So no, I honestly do not not believe that the hacking was politically motivated.


One step back...Am I a critic of Russia?

I do not consider myself a critic of anything. Most of my articles are simply commenting on what I see or have seen. Although my posts may speculate based upon what I understand of Russians in general, I can assure you that I understand Russia and Russians better than the majority of foreign journalists who do a tour through Moscow. IN some ways I think that I do reporting in the true sense of the word. Not in an Edward Lucas or New York Times biased form. They seem to be trying to sell a side of the story -- Russia is bad, evil, and dangerous. In fact, I often come down on Russia's side in arguments because I think that the western media so badly misinterprets and misunderstands Russia. Fox News seems to have caused journalism to go haywire. Journalists now seem to want to take a side, to argue, to make a point.


Do you think the government had anything to do with the death of Anna Politkovskaya?
This goes back to my answer to the question about feeling in danger from the Russian government. The Russian government itself admits that some of its agents were involved. Does that mean "the government" was involved? It depends on what you mean by the government. If a FBI agent killed a journalist in the US, you would not say THE US GOVERNMENT killed the journalist. However, when it comes to Russia people seem to not only assign responsibility to the government, but also to the president, who I believe had nothing to do with Anna's murder.

There is an article that I want you to read to better understand the not only the dangers that journalists face in Russia, but also how incorrectly deaths of journalists in Russia are reported on in the US -- NYT Makes Leaps in Logic about Russian Journalists Deaths. Essentially, the NYT (and others) ignored everything bad that happened because of Yeltsin and by extension American foreign policy, but now anything bad that happens must be Putin's fault.

The US congress passed a resolution condemning deaths of journalists in Russia. They understand Russia so poorly that they lump Politkovskaya together with Paul Klebnikov. However, Klebnikov was a Putin supporter who was possibly murdered for his writings on Boris Berezovsky, who gained his wealth by being a tight associate of Yeltsin. See Paul's book Godfather in the Kremlin. (Paul was also close to releasing another book about Berezovsky before he was killed.) Berezovsky is also tightly related
to a Chechen gangster/warlord.

Anna was also writing about how individuals were profiting from the war in Chechnya. I believe that was her downfall, similar to Paul's. She picked a powerful opponent who does not play by rules that you or I could ever understand. Do those connections lead back to the Russian government? Yes, but not in the way that the average western reporter would ever bother to put together. It is not a simple story that can be neatly packaged, summarized, and believed by your editor. Paul was about the only one who ever understood and for that he was murdered.

Back to the dangers of journalism in Russia... Yes, it is dangerous to be a journalist in Russia. (As I pointed out, even investigating street racing in Azov may lead to murder.) It is not because Putin will put a hit out on you, but more because the general population doesn't see investigative journalists as crusaders but a meddlers who get what they deserve. I know it sounds harsh, but take a trip outside Moscow and talk to people who do not speak English, you will hear a much different story. Foreign corespondents in Moscow tend to talk to a sliver of the population which causes them a great deal of misunderstanding. Additionally, I believe that the dangers journalists face in Russia causes journalists to have a negative attitude towards Russia which further biases the coverage.

I don't think this is the nail in the coffin that you were seeking for your documentary on journalism in Russia. (What a morbid and inappropriate metaphor, but if you live in Russia long enough you develop a black sense of humor.) Although, I hope you may see that Russia is much more complicated than one page article on the subject could ever express.

Journalism in Russia is dangerous, but not because of the government but because the average Russian citizen does not give a damn about journalists.

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As usual BZM, you have presented a very thoughtful response. I might add that there are many places around the world more dangerous to journalists than Russia.