8 Russian Reporters Resign in Protest

[DeepModem Mom]

AP: 8 Russian Reporters Resign in Protest
By JIM HEINTZ
Associated Press Writer


(AP Photo/ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO)

MOSCOW (AP) -- Eight correspondents have resigned from a Russian broadcast news agency to protest the pro-Kremlin management's decision to withhold stories in line with a new policy that half its coverage must portray the government in a "positive" light, journalists said.

The reported policy by the Russian News Service, which provides news broadcasts to Russia's most popular radio network and runs its own station, heightens concerns over President Vladimir Putin's moves to increasingly bring mass media under state control or influence.

In another case highlighting the concerns, the Russian Union of Journalists is protesting an order that it vacate its offices in a building that houses state media operations.

The union said it received the order from the state property agency to make space for Russia Today, an English-language satellite TV channel that critics see as little more than a Kremlin propaganda tool. The union said the order was dated April 18, but delivered only on Tuesday.

As Russia heads into a parliamentary election in December and presidential elections in March, government influence over the media appears to be at its strongest since the Soviet era ended....

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RUSSIA_MEDIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-05-19-07-33-46

[montanacowboy]

1. Do you think any of our "stenos" would

resign since they show the government in a positive light 100% of the time?

good for them

take a lesson stenos; terrible when a communist country has to show our media the way

[POAS]

2. These guys could become "radioactive" soon...n/t