Date: May 28, 2008
From: William Dunkerley <wd@publishinghelp.com>
Subject: Putin’s Puppet Press
Masha Lipman rails against tight controls on Russia’s broadcast media and the resulting pasteurization of the news (Putin’s Puppet Press, JRL #99, May 20). She seems to be saying that things really went downhill under Putin. But, she never told readers what the real, underlying problem has been: At the start of the Yeltsin era, tax laws were put in place that made it virtually impossible for media outlets to operate profitably within the law. Oligarchs, governors, mayors, and others came to the rescue. They put money into the loss-making media businesses in order to present distorted news advancing their private business or political interests.
In reality, the Russian press has never been free to serve the needs and interests of its consumers. It was subjugated by financial overlords from the start. Things might’ve gotten better when Putin chased many big media moguls out of the propaganda business. But, lamentably, the administration just stepped in to pick up the slack.
Nonetheless, it is now finally possible for media companies to operate profitably. Putin changed those old tax laws. But, not much else changed. The corrupt system of paid-for news remains entrenched, albeit with greater Kremlin influence.
Recently, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced he’ll head an anti-corruption council to draw up a national action plan against corruption. High on its list should be dismantling the corrupt culture of media control in all quarters, and creating at long last a truly consumer-responsive media for the Russian people.
A plan Medvedev can use to accomplish that was created by a private sector initiative called the Russian Media Fund. It has been backed by the International Center for Journalists in Washington and the Media Research Center Sreda in Moscow. The approach deserves Medvedev’s consideration. Otherwise, we’ll undoubtedly be seeing a future piece from Ms. Lipman on “Medvedev’s Marionette Media!”
(William Dunkerley (wd@publishinghelp.com) is a media business analyst and consultant based in New Britain, Connecticut. He works extensively in Russia and other post communist countries.).