Published on: 03.05.2022 – 12:06
Since March 5, after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, journalists accused of spreading “false information about the army” can be sentenced to 15 years in prison. On Tuesday 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, RFI takes stock of its situation in Russia, where little of it seems to be left.
In view of the threats from the Kremlin, the forced closure of many television and radio stations and the Blockades of major social networks connected to the West – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. – Many Russian journalists are no longer able to practice their profession. Sergei Buntman works for the Russian radio station Echo Moscow. His station was banned a few weeks after the invasion of Ukraine began.
For him, these new restrictive laws on freedom of the press have dealt a serious blow: “It is completely impossible for an official medium to try to organize debates or discussions about current events. » The aggression of Ukraine was a real turning point in the way he practiced his profession: « The whole machinery of repression started. Step by step we have closed media like the Echo of Moscow or the Dojd. New laws mandating arrests and prosecutions deal another blow to the press. »
► Also read: War in Ukraine: “It is impossible to be a journalist in an independent media in Russia”
Flooding of the alternative channel
Despite all these violations of press freedom, many journalists continue to publish outside of the official media. This is the case of Sergei Buntman, who uses the Echo of Moscow YouTube channel to keep the population informed. A trend confirmed by Stéphanie Lamy, specialist in disinformation. She has written the book Agora Toxica on this subject: “Very interesting initiatives are being launched. Whether with advertising windows or with the shortwave radios that we knew from the Soviet era. »
Sergueï Buntman wants to be more metaphorical in creating these alternative media: “By stopping this flow of information, calmly and professionally, dozens of small flows created by journalists appeared. »
The goal after Stéphanie Lamy? “To achieve different goals of the Russian people so that they can think more critically about what is being delivered to them by the Kremlin. »
But when these channels are relatively easily accessible, often using digital tools like VPNs, the Russian population is not necessarily looking for this information. Sergei Buntman speaks of a kind of complacency in the propaganda: “It is quite possible to get the information you want. But “wanted” is the keyword. Because there are many people who don’t want that. They find solace in the propaganda and one-sided information broadcast on state television. »
► Also read: Freedom of the Press, Collateral Victims of War
The Russian population given information
Nevertheless, it remains difficult to fathom the Russian population’s desire for information. Stéphanie Lamy refuses to speak of a homogeneous bloc to appeal to the Russian population: “Of course you have the elites. Those close to the Kremlin who know very well that certain elements of language are false information. At the same time, there are other elites who are critics of power. »
Finally, Stéphanie Lamy identifies a third layer: “You have a large part of the Russian population, isolated and far from the centers of power, receiving information as validated by the Kremlin. »
The television station Dojd, which has also been closed since the beginning of the Russian offensive, clearly shows that a large part of the population is still trying to obtain information from free and independent media. Dojd’s YouTube channel, which broadcasts from Europe, had more than 20 million viewers during its first broadcasts in early March.
► Also read: RFI website blocked in Russia
Sergei Buntman, he stayed in Moscow to do his job as a journalist: “We are doing our duty. It is a necessity to continue practicing our profession. With his colleagues, he places the ethics and deontology of his profession at the center of his work, which may seem paradoxical to him: “These popular social media do not require professionalism with verified and verifiable information, controversial and questionable. It is very easy to become an activist on these platforms. We’re trying to keep the profession, it’s very important for the future because journalism is completely destroyed today. »
Given this situation, Sergei Buntman does not expect to be able to officially resume the antenna on a national channel as long as Vladimir Putin is in power.