DOCSLIB.ORG

Advancing Freedom in Russia Steven Groves

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Advancing Freedom in Russia Steven Groves No. 2088 November 29, 2007 Advancing Freedom in Russia Steven Groves The current Moscow power establishment is The Moscow leadership seems impervious to leading Russia back in time. Instead of moving for- America’s and Europe’s pleas to foster democracy. ward toward a nation that cherishes and protects While the U.S. and its allies wait for a more oppor- freedom and democracy, the establishment is creat- tune time to reengage, they should consider refo- ing a state and body politic dominated by a new cusing their efforts on Russia’s neighbors that are breed of oligarchic groups composed of security willing to democratize. Ultimately, the Russians officers and their business allies. themselves need to realize that they can benefit The Russian media are no longer free and unre- more by integrating into the West and developing stricted. With the exception of a few minor show- democratic institutions that will preserve and pro- case outlets and the Internet, the media are tect their freedoms. dominated by the Kremlin and its allies. The major- On the other hand, Washington cannot ignore ity of political parties are under state control, and Moscow. Too many pressing issues—from Iran and the activities of nongovernmental organizations nuclear proliferation to arms control treaties and the (NGOs) with foreign ties are under severe scrutiny. future of conventional forces in Europe—are on the Russia is no longer a free nation. table. Even during the Soviet era, Washington and A return to authoritarianism is not in the interests Moscow at times had a robust diplomatic engage- of the Russian people, their European neighbors, or ment, despite viewing the world very differently. the world in general. Regrettably, most efforts to pro- Today, many of those differences have diminished as test the Kremlin’s political hegemony are sup- Russia increasingly integrates itself into the global pressed, sometimes violently. Political opponents economy. and media critics of the Kremlin have been censored, The U.S. and its allies should make clear to the intimidated, and at times beaten and even killed. Kremlin and the Russian people that the lack of The Kremlin has created and fostered the growth freedom in the Soviet Union was a major cause of its of scores of nationalist groups to establish “street muscle” and protect itself against an Orange Revo- lution scenario. These include Nashi (ours), the This paper, in its entirety, can be found at: main pro-Putin youth movement, which works to www.heritage.org/research/WorldwideFreedom/bg2088.cfm create the public perception of massive support for Produced by The Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom the current regime and at times takes to the streets Published by The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE to stifle opposition to Kremlin policy. Washington, DC 20002–4999 (202) 546-4400 • heritage.org Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress. No. 2088 November 29, 2007 collapse and that nostalgia for those bygone days is • Prioritize the strengthening of democratic in- severely misguided. stitutions in the former Soviet republics. The What the U.S. Should Do. Since the collapse of United States should make a long-term commit- the Soviet Union, U.S. policy toward Russia has ment to fund the development of democratic assumed a transition to democracy that has not hap- institutions in countries that are amenable to pened and is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable strengthening their young democracies, such as future. While the U.S. government and pro-democ- Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. racy NGOs should continue to work with the Rus- • Apply pressure to Russia through international sian government when possible to strengthen organizations. The United States should coordi- Russia’s beleaguered civil society, U.S. policymakers nate with U.S. allies in international bodies—e.g., should recognize that Russia has chosen a path that the G-8, the Council of Europe, and the Organiza- leads it away from true democracy. tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe—to Russia is unlikely to make significant demo- examine Russia’s performance in freedom, human cratic reforms in the short term, but the United rights, democracy, and the rule of law. States should continue to prepare for a time when Conclusion. At present, proponents of freedom the Russian people realize that a one-party state in and democracy can only hope that the Kremlin’s cur- which all power is consolidated in the executive rent restrictions on the media, NGOs, free speech, branch is not in their best interests. To that end, the and freedom of expression will eventually lose legit- United States should: imacy and stature in the eyes of the Russian people. • Promote a diverse freedom agenda, refocusing Hopefully, the Russian people will come to its efforts on strengthening the Russian NGO understand that their country will stagnate and community in areas where the Kremlin has less decline without true freedom even while it remains of a pretext to interfere: enhancing economic a principal exporter of energy resources and other freedom, supporting human rights, protecting raw materials. Russia and its citizens deserve better press and academic freedoms, and promoting than becoming a Saudi Arabia with a cold climate religious and ethnic tolerance. and nuclear weapons. • Reorganize public diplomacy to reach the Rus- The United States should continue to engage sian people, especially Russia’s young people, Russia on issues of national importance such as more effectively through the Internet—the only energy and national security, but policymakers means of mass communication not yet con- should openly acknowledge that Russia has chosen trolled by the Russian government. not to become a true democracy and is instead • Establish an international Victims of Commu- apparently satisfied with “sovereign democracy.” nism Museum in Washington, D.C., and in Although the United States should not turn its Central Europe. These museums would help to back on Russia, it should refocus its efforts to pro- remind the world of the follies of Communism. mote freedom and democracy on more fertile • Expand student exchange programs. Congress ground elsewhere in the world. and the State Department should double the —Steven Groves is Bernard and Barbara Lomas number of grants awarded through the Freedom Fellow in the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, Support Act to the Future Leaders Exchange a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis (FLEX) Program. Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation. No. 2088 November 29, 2007 Advancing Freedom in Russia Steven Groves The current Moscow power establishment is lead- ing Russia back in time. Instead of moving forward toward a nation that cherishes and protects freedom Talking Points and democracy, the establishment is creating a state • Individual freedom and human rights in and body politic dominated by a new breed of oligar- Russia have declined sharply over the past chic groups composed of security officers and their decade and at an accelerated pace under business allies. President Vladimir Putin. • Russia’s once-robust multiparty system has The Russian media are no longer free and unre- been transformed into a political monopoly stricted. With the exception of a few minor showcase under Putin’s United Russia party, which outlets and the Internet, the media are dominated by controls the Duma. the Kremlin and its allies. The majority of political par- • The Kremlin has silenced opposition voices ties are under state control, and the activities of nongov- by systematically taking over almost all Rus- ernmental organizations (NGOs) with foreign ties are sian media. Journalists widely practice self- under severe scrutiny. Russia is no longer a free nation. censorship due to widespread harassment A return to authoritarianism is not in the interests and intimidation. of the Russian people, their European neighbors, or • The Kremlin has suppressed democratic opposition by cracking down on civil society the world in general. Regrettably, most efforts to pro- organizations and by using nationalist test the Kremlin’s political hegemony are suppressed, groups such as the pro-Kremlin Nashi youth sometimes violently. Political opponents and media group. Several political opponents have critics of the Kremlin have been censored, intimi- been killed under mysterious circumstances. dated, and at times beaten and even killed. • The United States should attempt to stem The Kremlin has created and fostered the growth the decline of freedom in Russia by promot- of scores of nationalist groups to establish “street mus- ing a diverse freedom agenda, strengthen- ing public diplomacy, expanding U.S.– cle” and protect itself against an Orange Revolution Russia student exchanges, and bolstering scenario. These include Nashi (ours), the main pro- democracy-promotion efforts in Ukraine, Putin youth movement, which works to create the Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. public perception of massive support for the current regime and at times takes to the streets to stifle oppo- This paper, in its entirety, can be found at: www.heritage.org/Research/WorldwideFreedom/bg2088.cfm sition to Kremlin policy. Produced by The Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom The Moscow leadership seems impervious to Published by The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE America’s and Europe’s pleas to foster democracy. Washington, DC 20002–4999 (202) 546-4400 • heritage.org Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflect- ing the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress. No. 2088 November 29, 2007 While the U.S. and its allies wait for a more oppor- centrist members as the swing voters.2 Parliamen- tune time to reengage, they should consider refo- tary elections in 1993 and 1995 were deemed gen- cusing their efforts on Russia’s neighbors that are erally free and fair and resulted in Dumas in which willing to democratize.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Brave New World Service a Unique Opportunity for the Bbc to Bring the World to the UK
    BRAVE NEW WORLD SERVIce A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BBC TO BRING THE WORLD TO THE UK JOHN MCCaRTHY WITH CHARLOTTE JENNER CONTENTS Introduction 2 Value 4 Integration: A Brave New World Service? 8 Conclusion 16 Recommendations 16 INTERVIEWEES Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications, Ishbel Matheson, Director of Media, Save the Children and University of Westminster former East Africa Correspondent, BBC World Service John Baron MP, Member of Foreign Affairs Select Committee Rod McKenzie, Editor, BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat and Charlie Beckett, Director, POLIS BBC 1Xtra News Tom Burke, Director of Global Youth Work, Y Care International Richard Ottaway MP, Chair, Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alistair Burnett, Editor, BBC World Tonight Rita Payne, Chair, Commonwealth Journalists Mary Dejevsky, Columnist and leader writer, The Independent Association and former Asia Editor, BBC World and former newsroom subeditor, BBC World Service Marcia Poole, Director of Communications, International Jim Egan, Head of Strategy and Distribution, BBC Global News Labour Organisation (ILO) and former Head of the Phil Harding, Journalist and media consultant and former World Service training department Director of English Networks and News, BBC World Service Stewart Purvis, Professor of Journalism and former Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News Chief Executive, ITN Isabel Hilton, Editor of China Dialogue, journalist and broadcaster Tony Quinn, Head of Planning, JWT Mary Hockaday, Head of BBC Newsroom Nick Roseveare, Chief Executive, BOND Peter
    [Show full text]
  • VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY Abduzokirkhuja Ozodkhujayev
    VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND DIMPLOMACY POLITICAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT Abduzokirkhuja Ozodkhujayev MODERN FORMS OF POLITICAL PROTEST IN RUSSIA (MODERNIOSIOS PROTESTO FORMOS RUSIJOJE) Bachelor final thesis World politics and economy, state code 612L20009 Political science studies Supervisor _____ Dr. Gintare Zukaite_______________ Defended _____Prof. dr. Sarunas Liekis_________________ Kaunas, 2020 CONTENTS Contents ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. 3 SANTRAUKA .......................................................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 7 I. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF PROTEST ............................................................................... 10 1.1 Concept of Protest ........................................................................................................................ 10 1.2 Theories of protest ....................................................................................................................... 14 1.3 Traditional forms of protest ......................................................................................................... 17 1.4 Reasons for protest ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • COVID-19 Effects and Russian Disinformation Campaigns
    Homeland Security Affairs Journal SPECIAL COVID-19 ISSUE COVID-19 Effects and Russian Disinformation Campaigns By Wesley R. Moy and Kacper Gradon 2 COVID-19 Effects and Russian Disinformation Campaigns By Wesley R. Moy and Kacper Gradon Abstract The effects of the novel coronavirus and its related disease COVID-19 have been far reaching, touching American society and its Western partners’ health and mortality, economics, social relationships, and politics. The effects have highlighted longstanding societal divisions, disproportionately harming minority groups and the socioeconomically disadvantaged with Black Americans and their communities hit especially hard. The problem being considered is the potential for Russian malign foreign influence to exploit the divides exacerbated by the coronavirus and target the United States and its European allies during the period leading to the 2020 elections and beyond. Possible coronavirus effects are inventoried and categorized into economic, healthcare, and environmental issue areas that may be leveraged and weaponized. The article includes the scenarios of such weaponization, including the description of focal points that may be attacked. We conclude with a set of recommendations to counter malign foreign influence. Suggested Citation Moy, Wesley and Kacper Gradon. “COVID-19 Effects and Russian Disinformation” Homeland Security Affairs 16, Article 8 (December, 2020) www.hsaj.org/articles16533. Introduction In late-May 2020, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its related illness COVID-19, had resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 Americans and infected nearly 1.7 million. By mid- October 2020, deaths had increased to over 210,000 and nearly 8,000,000 have been infected.
    [Show full text]
  • Putin's Macho Personality Cult*
    Communist and Post-Communist Studies xxx (2015) 1e11 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Communist and Post-Communist Studies journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/postcomstud Putin's macho personality cult* Valerie Sperling Department of Political Science, Clark University, United States article info abstract Article history: Masculinity has long been Russian President Vladimir Putin's calling card. At the center of Available online xxx Putin's macho aura is his image as a tough leader who will not allow Western countries to weaken Russia or dictate what Russia's domestic and foreign policies should look like. This Keywords: article draws attention to the role of masculinity in the Putin regime's legitimation Vladimir Putin strategy, and how it became more obvious during the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine Russia in 2014 and the Russian annexation of Crimea. To the extent that there is a “personality Ukraine cult” in contemporary Russia, the personality at the center of it is defined in highly Crimea Barack Obama gendered terms, shaping the tenor of both domestic and foreign policy. © Masculinity 2015 The Regents of the University of California. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights Gender reserved. Legitimacy Domestic politics Foreign policy Since his third ascension to the Russian presidency, Vladimir Putin has attracted more attention than any other contemporary state leader. From the jacket of Time Magazine in September 2013, to the front pages of newspapers detailing Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014, there has been no shortage of coverage of Putin in the international press. Putin's omnipresence in the Russian media is even more striking.
    [Show full text]
  • Putin's Last Term
    January 2019 Putin’s last term Taking the long view By Ian Bond and Igor Yurgens Putin’s last term: Taking the long view By Ian Bond and Igor Yurgens Vladimir Putin has dominated the Russian political scene since 1999. But he is now in what should be his final term as president. He faces economic, social and foreign policy problems; and he has to decide what will happen at the end of his term of office. The performance of the Russian economy in recent years has been mixed. Inflation has fallen, foreign reserves have risen and the ruble’s exchange rate is relatively stable; but growth has been anaemic and real disposable incomes have fallen. Putin has set ambitious economic targets for his final term, but is unlikely to achieve them. Russia is not investing enough in education to enable it to modernise and diversify the economy. The oil and gas sector is too dominant. Structural reforms (such as moving investment from the defence sector to other, more productive areas) are not on the cards. Russia has suffered from demographic problems since the Soviet period. With a shrinking working- age population and an increasing number of unhealthy pensioners, Russia risks stagnation, while countries like China leap ahead. Putin has yet to give any hint of his thinking about his successor. He could find a trusted individual to take over as president; change the Russian Constitution to allow himself to run again; or create a new position from which he could still exercise power. But if he stays in power too long, Russia could become like the late Soviet Union – a system unable to renew itself.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Apply a News User Model in Digital Publishing WAN-IFRA Dubai 2021
    How to apply a news user model in digital publishing WAN-IFRA Dubai 2021 19 May 2021 Dmitry Shishkin @dmitryshishkin Independent digital consultant Content, Transformation, Innovation How is my experience relevant to this talk? Career ● 20+ years as a journalist and editor: radio, online, video, social - BBC News Russian, BBC News and BBC World Service ● Chief Content Officer, Culture Trip ● Independent digital consultant, working with publishers, content creators, tech companies ● Board Member, World Editors’ Forum, WAN-IFRA ● Leader in Residence, University of Central Lancashire, UK Without data, you are just another person with an opinion. W. Edwards Deming The basics: Success = delivering superior quality in your niche …”What is important to note, though, is that while quality is relatively binary, the number of ways to be focused — that is, the number of niches in the world — are effectively infinite; success, in other words, is about delivering superior quality in your niche — the former is defined by the latter”... Ben Thompson, Stratechery - Disney and Integrators Versus Aggregators Audience-centric approach to doing news based on user needs* 1. ‘Hard’ news is not enough to attract people regularly or with sufficient engagement. 2. Commodity, ‘agenda’ news are everywhere, relevancy, unique takes and engagement become the differentiator. 3. There is misalignment between what audience wants in digital - information, yes, but also understanding, inspiration, utility, fun - and what it currently gets from media outlets. What Do News Readers Really Want to Read About? How Relevance Works for News Audiences Newsroom mission is directly linked to its audience user needs 1. Failing to satisfy them means loss of audience and lack of engagement.
    [Show full text]
  • The Political Language and the Human Body
    THE POLITICAL LANGUAGE AND THE HUMAN BODY: COMPARATIVE DISCURSIVE ANALYSIS OF VLADIMIR PUTIN’S 2000 AND VIKTOR ORBÁN’S 2010 CAMPAIGN RHETORICS By Anna Szilágyi Submitted to Central European University Department of Political Science In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science Supervisor: Zsolt Enyedi CEU eTD Collection Budapest, Hungary 2010 CEU eTD Collection Abstract In my MA thesis I compare the campaign rhetoric of Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán during the 2000 Russian presidential and the 2010 Hungarian parliamentary elections, respectively. These elections took place in a similar environment of political and economic crisis and both politicians won with the overwhelming majority of votes. The research explores if the similarity of contexts could trigger societal responsiveness towards a discourse that contributed to the enormous success of the candidates. The multi-disciplinary analysis focuses both on structural politico-economic contexts and discursive features of campaign texts in order to explore the complex relation between the two. The analysis combines political science concepts with a detailed analysis of linguistic practices (especially, the use of key metaphors). The major finding of the work is that the moment of deep politico-economic crisis triggers societal responsiveness towards a public discourse that is mainly characterized by the lack of the political and evokes a simple moral value system of traditional family and gender conceptualization. The popularity of this language lays in its ability to present otherwise threatening complex problems as solvable issues that require simple physical intervention. I also conclude that the distinct political and cultural traditions, as well as the position of the countries after the democratic turn largely influence the specific discursive strategies of the speakers.
    [Show full text]
  • THE DOUBLE-HEADED EAGLE SEMI-PRESIDENTIALISM and DEMOCRACY in FRANCE and RUSSIA by Cole Joseph Harvey Submitted to the Dean of T
    THE DOUBLE-HEADED EAGLE SEMI-PRESIDENTIALISM AND DEMOCRACY IN FRANCE AND RUSSIA By Cole Joseph Harvey Submitted to the Dean of the University Honors College In partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh i 2008 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE This thesis was presented by Cole J. Harvey It was defended on July 14, 2008 and approved by Dr. Ronald Linden, PhD., Department of Political Science Dr. Alberta Sbragia, PhD., Department of Political Science Dr. Thomas Remington, PhD., Department of Political Science, Emory University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Harris, PhD., Department of Political Science ii Copyright © by Cole J. Harvey 2008 iii The Double-Headed Eagle: Semi-Presidentialism and Democracy in France and Russia Cole J. Harvey University of Pittsburgh, 2008 It has become a commonplace observation in recent years that Russian democracy is in remission. Indeed there is a significant difference between the struggling democratic performance of Russia and that of a consolidated democracy such as France. The modern French and Russian states are both semi-presidential states, meaning that in each country executive power is shared between an elected president and an appointed prime minister who can (at least in theory) be voted out of office by the legislature. Despite this broad similarity, semi- presidential institutions are organized in significantly different ways in each country. This paper examines those differences in order to understand how they can help account for poor democratic performance in Russia and strong democratic performance in France. Four political institutions will be examined in each country: presidents, prime ministers, parliaments, and political parties.
    [Show full text]
  • ANTENNA DA APPARTAMENTO Per BCL- SWL
    Panorama radiofonico internazionale n. 27 Dal 1982 dalla parte del Radioascolto Rivista telematica edita in proprio dall'AIR Associazione Italiana Radioascolto c.p. 1338 - 10100 Torino AD www.air-radio.it l’editoriale ………………. radiorama PANORAMA RADIOFONICO INTERNAZIONALE organo ufficiale dell’A.I.R. Associazione Italiana Radioascolto Anche il nuovo anno vi porta un nuovo numero di recapito editoriale: radiorama con tanti articoli ed informazioni. radiorama - C. P. 1338 - 10100 TORINO AD e-mail: [email protected] AIR - radiorama Vi ricordo che la quota associativa AIR per l’anno 2014 è - Responsabile Organo Ufficiale: Giancarlo VENTURI - Responsabile impaginazione radiorama:Claudio RE di 8,90 euro e deve essere necessariamente versata nel più breve - Responsabile Blog AIR-radiorama: i singoli Autori - Responsabile sito web: Emanuele PELICIOLI tempo possibile magari utilizzando il metodo di pagamento con ------------------------------------------------- PAYPAL tramite il nostro sito www.air-radio.it Il presente numero di radiorama e' pubblicato in rete in proprio dall'AIR Associazione Italiana Radioascolto, tramite Il nostro Blog AIR-Radiorama ha superato le 900.000 il server Aruba con sede in località Palazzetto, 4 - 52011 Bibbiena Stazione visualizzazioni in 156 diversi Paesi ed il Gruppo Facebook che ha (AR). Non costituisce testata giornalistica, superato i 4000 iscritti sono gli altri principali traini multimediali non ha carattere periodico ed è aggiornato secondo la disponibilità e la reperibilità dei per la opera di divulgazione della Cultura del Radioascolto nel materiali. Pertanto, non può essere mondo . considerato in alcun modo un prodotto editoriale ai sensi della L. n. 62 del 7.03.2001. La responsabilità di quanto Ricordo infine che ogni appassionato può partecipare pubblicato è esclusivamente dei singoli Autori.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Frostpolitik'? Merkel, Putin and German Foreign Policy Towards Russia
    From Ostpolitik to ‘frostpolitik’? Merkel, Putin and German foreign policy towards Russia TUOMAS FORSBERG* Germany’s relationship with Russia is widely considered to be of fundamental importance to European security and the whole constitution of the West since the Second World War. Whereas some tend to judge Germany’s reliability as a partner to the United States—and its so-called Westbindung in general—against its dealings with Russia, others focus on Germany’s leadership of European foreign policy, while still others see the Russo-German relationship as an overall barometer of conflict and cooperation in Europe.1 How Germany chooses to approach Russia and how it deals with the crisis in Ukraine, in particular, are questions that lie at the crux of several possible visions for the future European order. Ostpolitik is a term that was coined to describe West Germany’s cooperative approach to the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries, initiated by Chan- cellor Willy Brandt in 1969. As formulated by Brandt’s political secretary, Egon Bahr, the key idea of the ‘new eastern policy’ was to achieve positive ‘change through rapprochement’ (Wandel durch Annäherung). In the Cold War context, the primary example of Ostpolitik was West Germany’s willingness to engage with the Soviet Union through energy cooperation including gas supply, but also pipeline and nuclear projects.2 Yet at the same time West Germany participated in the western sanctions regime concerning technology transfer to the Soviet Union and its allies, and accepted the deployment of American nuclear missiles on its soil as a response * This work was partly supported by the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence for Choices of Russian Modernisation (grant number 250691).
    [Show full text]
  • Professor Jeremy Summerly 17 September 2020
    RADIO IN THE 78 RPM ERA (1920-1948) PROFESSOR JEREMY SUMMERLY 17 SEPTEMBER 2020 At 7.10 pm on 15 June 1920, a half-hour broadcast was given by Australian prima donna Dame Nellie Melba (‘the world’s very best artist’). Singing from a workshop at the back of the Marconi Wireless and Telegraph Company, the 59-year old soprano described her Chelmsford recital as ‘the most wonderful experience of my career’. The transmission was received all around Europe, as well as in Soltan-Abad in Persia (now Arak in Iran) to the East, and Newfoundland (at the time a Dominion of the British Empire) to the West. Dame Nellie’s recital became recognized as Britain’s first official radio broadcast and the Daily Mail (predictably, perhaps, in its role as sponsor) described the event as ‘a great initiation ceremony; the era of public entertainment may be said to have completed its preliminary trials’. The Radio Corporation of America had been founded a year earlier, run by a young Russian- American businessman David Sarnoff. Sarnoff believed that ‘broadcasting represents a job of entertaining, informing and educating the nation, and should therefore be distinctly regarded as a public service’, words that were later echoed more famously by John Reith of the British Broadcasting Company. On 11 May 1922, daily radio transmissions of an hour began from the 7th floor of Marconi House at London’s Aldwych. The Marconi Company’s London station was known as 2LO and its first concert (for voice, cello, and piano) was broadcast on 24 June; the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) broadcast from Marconi House on 7 October.
    [Show full text]
  • Schools Prepare for COVID Lawmakers Seek ‘Endangered’ Status for Local Protocols for Dealing with Virus Not Affected by Gov
    Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 Olympics: A look back at some top images of empathy /B1 TUESDAY T O DA Y C I T R U S C O U N T Y & n e x t m o r n i n g HIGH 91 Partly sunny; LOW scattered evening storms. 75 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com AUGUST 10, 2021 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community $1 VOL. 126 ISSUE 307 NEWS BRIEFS Schools prepare for COVID Lawmakers seek ‘endangered’ status for Local protocols for dealing with virus not affected by Gov. DeSantis order manatees HANNAH signed into law House Bill Health and the Florida parents’ right under Flor- In addition, the order 241, the Parents’ Bill of Department of Education ida law to make health states the Florida Com- With Florida seeing a SACHEWICZ Staff writer Rights, which prevents to work together. care decisions for their missioner of Education record number of mana- any governmental institu- The goal of this partner- minor children; and pro- will pursue all legal tee deaths this year, two On July 30, Gov. Ron De- tion from making health ship is to ensure COVID- tect children with disabil- means available to ensure congressmen Monday Santis issued an execu- care decisions for minor 19 safety protocols that, ities or health conditions districts adhere to Flor- said they have introduced tive order, “Ensuring children. according to the executive who would be harmed by ida law, including with- legislation that would des- Parents’ Freedom to The governor’s execu- order, “do not violate Flo- certain protocols such as holding funding.
    [Show full text]