Update March 5 at 20:20: Radio France is not leaving Russia for the moment, contrary to what we announced earlier.
Vladimir Putin’s threats are alarming. On Friday, the Russian president signed into law a law providing for harsh penalties for publishing “false information” about the army in the midst of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Punishment of up to 15 years in prison will apply to those who disseminate information with “grave consequences” for the Russian armed forces.
German and Italian utilities refuse
Consequently, many media outlets are in turn announcing the suspension of their coverage from Russia and the withdrawal of their correspondents from the country, fearing reprisals. Radio France said this Saturday that it is awaiting a forensic examination to decide whether or not to suspend the correspondence of its journalists in Russia. Radio France “is not suspending its correspondence from Moscow,” Vincent Giret, director of news at Radio France, tweeted. “We are keeping our correspondents, we are waiting for legal expertise and we will make a decision in the coming days,” he said.
Earlier in the day, German public television channels ARD and ZDF announced that they were temporarily suspending their broadcasts from Moscow while they were “studying the implications” of the new law. The same is true for RAI, the Italian public television, which has interrupted “the journalistic services of its own envoys and correspondents.” […] to ensure the safety of journalists on site.”
Efe, the world’s first Spanish-language news agency, also announced this Saturday that it was “suspending” its operations in Russia following a vote on the law. “The Efe agency deeply regrets this serious attack on freedom of speech, an obvious attempt by the Kremlin to hide the truth from public opinion,” commented Gabriela Cañas, president of the press organ.
Other media “assess the situation”
Already this Friday, several international media reacted to the signing of the law by the hands of Vladimir Putin. Bloomberg News said it would temporarily suspend its “news gathering work in Russia,” according to its editor John Micklethwaite. British public broadcasters BBC and Canadian CBC/Radio Canada also announced the same decision.
The American news channel CNN, for its part, explained that it was suspending the broadcast of its programs in Russia “for a while to assess the situation,” as did ABC News. For their part, The Washington Post and the Reuters news agency also want to take the time to assess the evolution of the situation.