Media Freedom in Russia Has Become Non-existent. Putin's Dictatorship Is Censoring Information More Than Ever.
As the last source of information not locked by the Kremlin, the Telegram channels of the media see their audience explode.
Alexei's example is far from being an isolated case in Russia. Journalist, but also a father, he has no choice. Independent reporter, opposed to Putin's “special military operation” in Ukraine, Alexeï decided to stay in Russia. Here is why:
“I stayed in Russia because my wife and children are here because my life is here and Russia is our country!”
Alexei, who prefers to remain discreet about his identity and journalistic activities, worked for a long time for the website 7x7. Closed shortly after the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, this local media covered the news in about thirty Russian regions on the Internet. “We were providing independent information on politics, human rights, and ecology,” insists Alexeï, who met foreign journalists during a recent report in the Smolensk countryside. “So many sensitive subjects! I believe that we must continue to seek and write the truth from within our country. For now ...”
Activity on hold for independent journalists in Russia
Like all independent journalists based in Russia, foreign correspondents, and local reporters, Alexei knows his activity is on hold. The main sword of Damocles is the anti-fake regulation which, adopted in express mode by the legislator a few days after the beginning of the Russian offensive, foresees penalties of up to fifteen years in prison for spreading “false information” about the military or for “discrediting” the Russian army.
In practice, this forces journalists to censor themselves on military issues or to cover them with all sorts of contortions. The regulation, whose application can be left to the discretion of the courts, which are themselves very dependent on political powers, has for the moment resulted in the first administrative and not criminal penalties, with fines and not prison.
De facto, all free-spirited media, from 7x7 to “Novaya Gazeta”, the magazine of Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitri Muratov, the student newspaper “Doxa”, the website Meduza, the TV channel Dojd or the radio Echos of Moscow, have been banned by Roskomnadzor, the authority in charge of controlling the press.
Most of them fell under another, older law on “agents of foreigners”, a classification reminiscent of the Soviet years of “enemies of the people”. Vladimir Putin's dictatorship is trying to completely lock down information in Russia. But, in various formats, all continue to exist. They operate in survival mode, most often from abroad, with small teams and thanks to YouTube, but especially ... Telegram.
Telegram as the ultimate means of free information
Fortunately, unlike the Soviet era in which Putin seems to want to regress his people, there are still channels to inform freely, even if they are more difficult to access. Telegram can be seen as the ultimate way to inform freely.
The audience of this social network, which the Kremlin has long sought to block, has increased significantly. Its channels have become a source of independent information for many Russians, including in the spheres of power.
From February 24 to the end of June 2022, the number of independent media subscribers to Telegram increased by a total of 219% for 16 media. Since the beginning of the “special operation”, the Internet has exploded in Russia. More than 60% of Russians use it. And the country has just overtaken the United States in terms of social media audience, with nearly 80% of the population registered with one of them.
An open window to a form of information plurality. The big question is how long these Telegram channels will be able to continue to carry information that the Kremlin's propaganda is not able to censor.
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