Moscow
A motley assortment of political parties joined together last week to urge President Vladimir Putin to quit censoring state radio and television. Just about every opposition group, from the hard-left Communists to the nationalist Motherland Party to the Party of Pensioners, joined in a declaration demanding press freedom. Some criticism of the Kremlin can be found in newspapers, but those reach only the elite. Television and radio outlets, where most people get their information, have essentially been taken over by Putin’s government in the past three years and now air only pro-Kremlin news. “There is a list of ‘closed’ topics,” said Yevgeniya Dillendorf, press secretary for the liberal Yabloko Party. “And there is a list of people who are not supposed to be invited to appear in the media.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
An ingredient in Coca-Cola may be funding Sudan's warUnder the Radar Global trade in gum arabic centres on the African nation – and proceeds bankroll conflict between the army and paramilitary rebels
-
Homes for multi-generational familiesFeature Featuring a 1900 Jacobean-style mansion in Massachusetts and a 22.5-acre compound in California
-
The Week contest: Foot PSAPuzzles and Quizzes
