On Russian TV, Whatever Putin Wants, He Gets

[kskiska]

MOSCOW, Feb. 16 — It was a few minutes before 5 on a recent night and the deadline was approaching for the nightly news of the Russian state. The anchor of Vesti, Mikhail Antonov, still without makeup, his hair tousled, had to decide whether to trim the report on protests in Latvia or a train wreck in Chicago.

It was out of the question to trim what almost always tops the news, whether interesting or not. "If there is no obvious breaking news, we start with the president," said Mr. Antonov, whose program appears on the state channel Rossiya, or Russia.

Such is the state of state television in Russia today. More than a dozen years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, what Russians see, especially on the news, remains subject to the only rating system that counts: the Kremlin's.

One result has been abundant and invariably flattering portrayals of President Vladimir V. Putin that more and more are drawing unfavorable comparisons to Soviet broadcasts and prompting warnings that the state's control over the airwaves has become one of the most significant obstacles to a democratic society.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2004/02/17/international/europe/17RUSS.html?hp

[Syrinx]

1. Pooty-Poot has a wonderful soul

So says Bush. They're both thugs.

[GreyV]

2. One word...

Chechnya.

[cprise]

3. That is the difference between state media

and public media... Independence from government and corporate control.

Contrast the behavior of Russia's state channels with public outfits like the BBC.

[Crunchy Frog]

4. Wow, sound kind of familiar

Sort of like what we have with American TV.

[dusty64]

6. Thats what

I thought too. Isn't Pravda wonderful?

[JNelson6563]

5. Kinda like America

and haven't the Russian's always wanted to live like Americans?

Be careful what you wish for.

Julie