As World Press Freedom Day [19] approaches and interest in ongoing popular uprisings in the Middle East garner well-deserved attention in the press, we should not forget how the digital revolution continues to upend traditional notions of media (and traditional notions of state control over the media) all over the globe.
In Russia, where I work guiding IREX’s media development program, the media landscape is changing dramatically. IREX’s Media Sustainability Index [20] shows a 25% drop in Russia’s score since 2001. But at the same time, it also points to the growth of the internet as an alternative space for freedom of expression. Blogs provide a perfect example. They provide the general public with valuable information, serve as a source for mainstream media, and are breaking stories the traditional media does not. And now, perhaps solidifying blogs’ accepted place as purveyors of news and information, they are being harassed just like other independent media in Russia.
Both citizen journalists and independent journalists from traditional media started looking for new ways of reaching an audience. Blogging gave them an unprecedented opportunity to play the role of alternative media, creating what prominent Russian media expert Marina Litvinovich calls “blog-waves.” Blog-waves are stories either uncovered by bloggers or reprinted by popular bloggers that are then quickly copied by others, creating a social network chain reaction. Most stories are about abuse of power by the Russian police, corruption, bad healthcare, or crime. Within the last three years a number of those stories first published in blogs caused such a strong public reaction that the government had to react. Sometimes it led to the firing high-level officials, the changing laws or releasing prisoners. For example, Svetlana Bakhmina, a former Yukos lawyer and a mother of two was convicted of embezzlement and jailed, a sentence widely believed to be political. The Russian blogosphere took up her cause and continued to draw attention to her case until her release on parole in 2009.
[21]Not all are happy with this new media ecosystem, however. Despite the fact that President Medvedev has his own blog, conservative political forces, including a pro-government youth movement, attack liberal bloggers in their comments and posts. In March, LiveJournal experienced an attack of a different kind – a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that left its service unavailable for several hours. Several days later its servers were attacked again.
Independent newspapers and web sites consider this to be a major assault on freedom of speech and condemned it with a unified voice. Most media experts in Russia say that this is just the beginning and stronger limitations of online freedom is possible, especially before the upcoming parliamentary elections in December 2011 and presidential elections in March 2012.
LiveJournal is not giving up and is in fact looking for ways to work with the Russian media community to engage journalists, including investigative reporters, and offer them a platform where they could write without worrying about censorship. As Roman Cheluskin, News Director of LiveJournal, said at IREX event on new media, “We are becoming a major news source and probably a unique one as no other media has as many correspondents as a blog platform.”
Attacks against independent online media, blogs, and platforms will undoubtedly continue. So too will these new purveyors of news and information continue to resist attempts to silence them. Those seeking a more open and energetic media ecosystem in Russia know that the nature of the internet is such that although limiting access is possible, complete closure similar to the takeover of Russian TV is virtually impossible.
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This blog was originally posted on the World Press Freedom Day website [22]. IREX is a member of the Executive Committee organizing this year's celebration in Washington, DC.
* Photo Source [23]