Grip of Putin's censors tightens

"It's a combination of Soviet tradition, and this lack of culture of tolerance, of criticism, and respect for the media," says Yasen Zasursky, dean of the journalism school at Moscow State University.

Television - the only source of news for the majority of Russia's 145 million citizens - has been hardest hit, though many other outlets also feel the heat. "We try not to think of what will happen next - we are involved in close combat, and don't want to think about future battles," says Venediktov, whose 14th-floor radio studio offices are lined with portraits of famous guests, from Bill Clinton to Mikhail Gorbachev. On his own door, an electricity warning sign reads: "Attn: Danger of Death."

The Kremlin makes contact twice a week on average. Besides serving as a primary news source, the station also has its uses for Russia's powers that be. "We are [used as] proof, in the West, of freedom of speech in Russia," says Venediktov.

The intimidation of media outlets grew in the run-up to parliamentary elections last December, and then peaked prior to the presidential vote in March. "Putin has said that some problems can be solved in the toilet, so we can say democracy and free press [in Russia] can be called 'toilet democracy,'" says Alexei Samokhvalov, director of the National Research Center for Television and Radio, whose group awarded a professional prize to Parfyonov last year.

"It's not a democracy based on law, but based on force and control," says Mr. Samokhvalov, a former adviser to the press ministry in the 1990s.

Though the number of independent media voices is dwindling, analysts point to one positive change: the "popular" press is slowly coming closer to breaking even. "Unfortunately, our media can't feed themselves," says Mr. Zasursky. "They have to rely upon sponsorships of rich people or from the government, which makes them victims of the state and corporate control."

Independence is a historic challenge, with the state-controlled gas company Gazprom owning a 66-percent stake in Ekho Moskvy. The journalists control the remaining, blocking stake. "They are very vulnerable," says Zasursky. "Mr. Venediktov is very sophisticated.... He knows when he is walking close to the abyss, and he's careful not to fall into it. But this dance is difficult to perform."

Reporters Without Borders used 53 criteria to rank press freedoms in 166 countries from Sept. 2002 - Sept. 2003.

TOP 5

1. Finland
2. Iceland
3. Netherlands
4. Norway
5. Denmark

32. United States*
148. Russia

Bottom 5
162. Eritrea
163. Laos
164. Burma
165. Cuba
166. North Korea

Source: www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=8248

* Not including US press in Iraq

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