Free media on the scaffold Barents Media Freedom 2019 By Atle Staalesen The Barents Observer is a journalist-owned online newspaper that covers the Barents region and the Arctic with daily news reports about regional developments, including climate change and environment, energy and industry, civil society, politics, national security and indigenous peoples. The newspaper’s core values are freedom of speech and support for democracy. It publishes in English, Russian and Chinese, and operates in line with the Norwegian Code of Ethics of the Press as well as the principles on the Rights and Duties of the Editor. The Barents Observer takes the pulse on regional mass media and in 2017 published the report “Journalism in the Borderland. Barents Media Freedom 2017”. In 2016, it published the report “Barents Observer - Prosessen” (in Norwegian), the story about how Norwegian regional politicians tried to halt the editorial freedom of the only Norwegian online newspaper published in Russian. www.thebarentsobserver.com [email protected] @BarentsNews Published with support from Fritt Ord Authored by Atle Staalesen Frontpage photo by Atle Staalesen Atle Staalesen is journalist and Publisher of the Independent Barents Observer. In 2002, he founded the newspaper and was editor until 2009. He took part in its reestablishment as an independent and non-profit stock company in 2015 and is today one of two owners. Atle has a degree in Russian studies from the University of Oslo and studied journalism at the Moscow State University. Kirkenes, 2019 The Independent Barents Observer [email protected] @atlestaalesen Preface. Journalism in region of change Wide stretches of land along Arctic coasts, sparse populations in the remotest parts of the continent. The Barents region and the Arctic are among the most quiet edges of the world. But behind the beauty and innocence of the landscapes is an area of troubling change. This is a «Territory of Dialogue», the Russian Government highlights in its bi-annual Arctic conferences attended by President Putin and the top brass of the country’s political and economic elite. But the actual situation shows that the Arctic is today not a region with smooth and easy talking between nations. There is less dialogue across the borders. Divides in the fundamental construction of societies are growing. Russian state-building is increasingly at odds with the value systems of European neighbors. Proponents of human rights, freedom of speech and press freedom are under pressure and advanced state-sponsored disinformation efforts are seeping into the consciousness of people not only in Russia, but also across the borders to neighboring Scandinavia. The Barents Observer is itself an example of repressive policies supported by Russian authorities. As we show in this report, the actions aimed against the small newspaper based in Kirkenes, Norway, is illustrative for current developments in Russia and cross-border relations in the Barents region. It is a time of growing pressure against free and independent media. It has come to the North, and regional journalists are increasingly feeling the chill. and endlessness below. […] The Russian mind Time for execution is so wide-reaching. I would narrow it down.» «We have to limit the freedom of speech in «Agree with me,» Kiselyov self-confidently Russia,» says Dmitry Kiselyov as he says to his viewers, «this still applies today.» distinctively articulates in front of the cameras in his weekly TV show on state channel Rossiya1.1 «Renounce your freedom» It is Sunday evening in October, and the prime target in this week’s program is Aleksey The film by Aleksey Krasovsky is far from the Krasovsky, the film director that has made only film in today’s Russia that has come under headlines with his comedy about life in attack by the authorities and state media. A Leningrad during the second world war. The government blacklist includes a number of film «Prazdnik» (The Party) tells the story movies, several of them banned because of about a wealthy family celebrating New Year’s their lack of coherence with ruling state eve in 1942 with plenty of foods and drinks in interpretation of history or contradictions with the midst of a city with a starving and dying the the country’s system of so-called population. «traditional values». It touches on Russia’s dramatic 20th century The freedom of the filmmakers, as well as war history and the 900 day long siege of the other representatives of culture, arts and the country’s second biggest city. It is definitely media must be «narrowed down», Kiselyov not a topic for a comedy, Kiselyov makes clear argues. And he does not hesitate to use his and spends almost 20 minutes of the program prime time TV show as a scaffold for verbal on his attack on the film maker. lynching of opponents. However, Kiselyov’s message this evening The quotes by Dostoyevsky used in the Sunday goes far beyond Aleksey Krasovsky. According evening show on Rossiya Segodnya are taken to the TV host, who is also General Director of from the book about the Karamazov Brothers. the powerful state media company Rossiya And Kiselyov, by using them, appears to take Segodnya, the Krasovsky film illustrates the the role as the Grand Inquisitor from that same need to narrow down the freedom of speech book. and freedom of expression in Russia. In Dostoyevsky’s story, the Grand Inquisitor We are not talking about censorship, but about challenges Christ who has return to the world, restrictions, Kiselyov explains. And it should to 16th century Spain. The old inquisitor has not be arranged administratively, but rather as a over the years put hundreds of wrong believers cultural process based on a set of «internal and «heretics» — the dissidents of that time — moral bans.» on fire on the central square of Sevilla, and now detains Christ and confronts him with a After all, Kiselyov argues, there is today too long speech about the Church and its battle much freedom of speech in Russia. «Actually, against people’s «rebellious» strive for here in Russia, we truly have a wider scope of freedom of conscious. freedom of speech than in any other country in the world.» For the inquisitor, Christ’s message of about human dignity, equality and free will are key As the program draws towards an end, he threats to the church and its power over the cryptically wraps up his message with the people. words of Dostoyevsky. «Endlessness above 1 https://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=3074178# «With us, all will be happy and will no more the role of its state media, and the main rebel nor destroy one another as under Your mission of the new company was to propagate freedom. Oh, we shall persuade them that they information about Russian state policy to will only become free when they renounce audiences abroad. News agency RIA Novosti, their freedom to us and submit to us.» and later also new multi-language service Sputnik, were incorporated. Of course, most people will dispute the description of Dmitry Kiselyov as a ‘grand Billions of government rubles poured into the inquisitor’ of today’s Russia. But, still - surely company, and Kiselyov became one the key - Kiselyov will hardly himself dispute his mouthpieces of Vladimir Putin and his regime. mission of trying to lambast the world views of Russian opposition groups and foreign liberals. The powerful Russian media leader is a man of big knowledge about the Nordic countries. Bolstering state media He graduated at the Leningrad State University with a degree in Scandinavian languages in the Since he was appointed to the post as general late 1970s and subsequently gained his first director of Rossiya Segodniya in late 2013 media experiences in the Norwegian-language Dmitry Kiselyov has repeatedly attacked department of state Soviet broadcaster alternative views and liberal opponents with Gosteleradio (State Television and Radio) from rude force. Among the groups that has felt his where the young Kiselyov weekly propagated displeasure are gays, who he suggests should Soviet messages to listeners in Norway. He be banned from donating blood, sperm and also shortly worked as correspondent in Oslo. organs because they are «unsuitable for continuation of life», and also the liberal- By 2014 he had come in charge of the most minded and independent media houses Novaya powerful media organisation in the country Gazeta and Echo Moscow.2 since that very Rosteleradio. Pressure is growing on representatives of Russian contemporary culture, and state media Narrowing the rights with Dmitry Kiselyov in the forefront is leading the attacks. A variety of representatives The «narrowing down» of civil liberties, as of contemporary Russian culture has felt the proposed by Kiselyov, has been going on wrath of the TV host. gradually in Russia for the past two decades, and the state media companies are today at the Following the arrest and subsequent house forefront of developments. In well orchestrated arrest of theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov moves, the Kremlin works with legislators and in 2017, TV host Kiselyov made clear that the state media to streamline developments performances of Serebrennikov «offers nothing but forgery, substitution and vulgarity.» In their focus are not only film makers, but also According to Kiselyov, the experimental artists, journalists, and the population as such. theatre shows of Serebrennnikov do not really include anything new and experimental, but Several federal laws have prepared the ground rather represents «another system of values».3 for more censorship and surveillance. A growing number of undesired internet sites and Media house Rossiya Segodniya was regime-critical contents are branded as established as part the Kremlin’s bid to beef up «extremist» and unlawful and have been 2 https://youtu.be/97Ev__DWNBg 3 https://youtu.be/a43rBFpRfgI blocked and made unavailable to Russian local journalists and even the Murmansk unit audiences.