Puppets of the Regime

The latest and most insulting example of the extent to which the morals of the Russian press have degraded was the noisy scandal surrounding the collapse of MMM. Our colleagues from other countries watched with incredulity as we tore MMM president Sergei Mavrodi apart on the front pages alongside paid advertisements for the firm in which his representatives confidently explained their own point of view. This, by the way, was the case for virtually every paper in Moscow, left leaning or right, supporting the government or the opposition. I take this to mean that the symptoms of a serious illness have infected the entire Russian press.


This illness did not just spring up recently. Several generations of our journalists, beginning in the 1920s, have been trained to lie down with anyone who will pay them or, in the worst case, threatens to give them a little kick. But never before has this disease taken on such ugly forms. Even worse, it seemed just five years ago that we were on our way to being cured.


When the old communist regime eased its controls, the press was quick to break free of its chains and immediately began taking every opportunity to bite the hand of its former master. For several years, Russian journalists were in a state of euphoria, handing out slaps in the face left and right and generally reveling in its freedom.


But soon our "democrats" came to power and now many of my colleagues speak nostalgically about the old communists. Back then, they say, even though they kept tight control over everything, we were paid pretty well and they showed us some outward signs of respect. While it was by no means possible to write about just everything, the articles that did appear in the newspapers were read intently by officials. The current regime does not so much ignore the press as actively treat it with contempt.


Naturally, journalists are offended. After all, they did a lot back then to help the current regime to power and for a long time refused to draw attention to its glaring mistakes. It is hard even to imagine all that the press has forgiven the current government and the president. Various economic experiments, the collapse of our foreign policy as well as of our internal policies, pillaging and corruption, unforgivable lies ... Everyone hoped that their support would be answered by respect, or by government subsidies. But it should have been clear that a government with such a tax policy in the field of printing had every intention of keeping the press on a short leash.


We even forgave the government's barbaric treatment of journalists. During last October's events, tens of journalists were killed, wounded, beaten or thrown into prison. In fact, government forces actively hunted them down. As far as hunting journalists goes, an absolute world record was established in Moscow in those days: seven killed, 15 wounded and more than 60 jailed in only two days. The overwhelming majority of the victims are on the conscience of the victors.


And who has answered for this? No one. In my case -- I was illegally detained, beaten and held in the Matrosskaya Tishina prison -- no fewer than two prosecutors investigated my complaints, but they were unable to prosecute anyone even though I remembered and identified some of those who were involved.


Well, so the government acted barbarically. What about us? Where were the strikes, the pickets of protest, the appeals to the world community? We didn't even have time to bury the victims before the television news program "Tema" was showing soldiers from the Vityaz battalion describing their glorious defense of Ostankino. No one seemed to remember how these heroes shot down in cold blood four unarmed journalists that night. All of the journalists that were killed or injured at Ostankino were either television cameramen or photographers: That is, they were easy targets because of their camera lights and flashes. By the way, it is curious that no one seems to have seen any journalists from Ostankino covering the fighting that night.


I also remember the presentation of a film devoted to the journalists who died during these events. Immediately after the screening, a government spokesman came out onto the stage. This man, who was one of those who helped fabricate the rope that hung the victims, was not ashamed to discuss at length our valorous democracy that had gained this victory over the red-brown horde. He transparently hinted that the press should remember to whom it owed its freedom and practically everyone just sat there and swallowed it: Only a few people stood up and walked out. How can we demand the respect of the authorities when we have none for ourselves?


Of course, every cloud has a silver lining. The older generation of journalists has long been in decline. And a new generation is emerging that was raised under completely different circumstances. I myself entered the field in 1991 and was immediately thrust into various "flashpoints." In the last three years, at enormous cost (more than 50 reporters have been killed in the flashpoints of the former Soviet Union) a new type of journalist has emerged that is a far cry from the old slaves.


Now we are in a transition period. The old generation has not quite left and the new one is yet to establish itself. And although I myself am a member of the new generation, I am skeptical about efforts to make heroes out of journalists. I would hope that when a normal civil society emerges, heroes will not be necessary. But this is not likely to happen soon. In the meantime, after having recently been attacked in the street yet again because of one of my articles, I am starting to think seriously about buying a gun.





Alexander Kakotkin is a reporter for Moskovskiye Novosti. He contributed this comment to The Moscow Times.