Russia's Liberal Media by Vera Slavtcheva-Petkova

Author:Vera Slavtcheva-Petkova [Slavtcheva-Petkova, Vera]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Media Studies, Language Arts & Disciplines, Journalism, History, Russia & the Former Soviet Union
ISBN: 9781315300177
Google: aoNSDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-03-21T03:36:46+00:00

Novaya Gazeta’s Role in Russian Society – Journalists’ Perceptions

The role that Novaya Gazeta played in Russian society according to the journalists I interviewed was on two levels – the macro level (namely, in relation to the state, media, and political system in general) and the micro level (in relation to their readership and “ordinary” people). The key contentious issue on the macro level was: What is the newspaper’s identity and mission? Is it an oppositional, a liberal, or an independent newspaper, and what wider purpose does it serve in Russian society? The editor-in-chief strongly objected to the use of the word “oppositional”, but he also refused to assign labels to his newspaper. Another set of related questions was: Why does Novaya Gazeta still exist despite all the challenges and setbacks experienced during the years? Is it because the authorities need the newspaper as a window-dressing tool, or as Prusenkova (2014, personal communication) put it, so that they could demonstrate to the West that they had free media and valued the work of journalists, or is it simply because of the sheer resilience of its editorial staff in the face of so many adversities? Is the continued existence of Novaya Gazeta and other similar media organisations part of Putin’s media strategy or is it just a case of him being unable or unwilling to fully destroy the newspaper?

Novaya Gazeta journalists did not provide unequivocal answers to these questions. According to the editor-in-chief, the newspaper was not oppositional because they did not “represent the opposition”. Muratov said:

We are an independent newspaper. The opposition wants to be in power. We do not have such aims. We want to continue working in the interests of society under every power. We are a newspaper, not a party or a sect.

(2014, personal communication)

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