Asia Times: Putin turns off to media freedom


	April 20, 2001	atimes.com

Central Asia/Russia

Putin turns off to media freedom
By Robin Newbold

Vladimir Gusinksy's Media-MOST took another battering this week, and along with it the freedom of the Russian media. Gusinksy's former ally and Media-MOST co-owner Dmitry Biryukov sided with Russian creditor Gazprom, to which the company owes millions of dollars in debt, and effectively shut down the print-media arm by closing the Segodnya daily newspaper and firing the editorial staff of the weekly Itogi magazine.

The move came just days after Gazprom, the state-controlled natural gas giant, took control of NTV, Russia's largest independent broadcaster. Media-MOST's flagship television station has won many plaudits for criticizing the government, particularly its war in Chechnya, which makes the outcome all the more worrying.

The takeover has caused dozens of NTV staff to resign and join Media-MOST's TNT, a cable television channel that Moscow tax inspectors were quick to charge with tax evasion on Tuesday. NTV journalists maintain that Gazprom is attempting to censor criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration, and the turn of events make that difficult to deny.

In the wake of the forced takeover the US State Department's Richard Boucher says the physical wresting of NTV control took place while the legitimacy of the new management is still being challenged in court. "We note that the new management at NTV took physical control of the station while the legitimacy of the April 3 board meeting was still being challenged in the courts. So that is a matter of concern. As we've said, we've been concerned about the lack of open and transparent process in terms of the shares and the controlling ownership issues, as well as the overall issue of freedom of speech and freedom of the media in Russia," he added.

Meanwhile, Gusinsky, who won his appeal in Spain on Wednesday against extradition to Russia on embezzlement charges, claims the Kremlin is trying to silence independent media, and adds that Putin's administration is using Gazprom as a tool to muzzle its only nationwide critic. Gusinsky slammed NTV's takeover as an attack on press freedom and dismissed Gazprom's assurances that its aim was to recoup millions of dollars of NTV debts.

Meanwhile, Media-MOST released a highly cynical statement labeling Tuesday's events as a "natural development" of the authorities' plan to banish Gusinsky's media interests. "We will find ways to continue the work at least until, and if, a strict dictatorship is established in Russia," the statement added.

Gazprom maintains that its actions are not motivated by political intentions, repeating its mantra that the company is simply trying to recoup Media-MOST's bad debts. The newly-installed director of NTV, Boris Jordan - an American investment banker - said half of the editorial staff, 25 journalists, had quit to "pursue their own interests". He also insisted that press freedom was not an issue. "There are no limitations of any kind on editorial staff," Jordan said. Though ominously he claims that everything the station broadcasts will have to get his approval before airing.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin who pledged to uphold Russia's freedom of the press before his election, has stood by and watched while the whole fiasco has unfolded. His attempts at brushing off the crisis as not his problem will do little to appease those that hold a free press so dear. In reference to the Gazprom takeover Putin said: "I don't think I should wade into that mess and clear up what has accumulated over recent year." Hollow words indeed, particularly regarding NTV's record of criticism against the Putin administration, criticism that has effectively sealed the station's fate.

US media mogul, CNN founder Ted Turner, was once in the running for a takeover of troubled NTV and even had several consultations with the Kremlin, but he has now reportedly withdrawn all interest, as the station is firmly in the grip of Gazprom.

Itogi news magazine has a licensing agreement with Newsweek, and the the US magazine was quick to condemn Tuesday's events. "The reports we are hearing out of Moscow about the changes at Itogi are serious and disturbing," Newsweek spokesman Ken Weine said. "As of now Newsweek is suspending its relationship with Itogi and will reassess when the facts are more clear."

Journalists at the news magazine were told to resign or be laid-off. Editor-in-chief Sergei Parkhomenko denounced the move: "This whole procedure is taking place in the absence of the management of the publishing house, that is without its participation. I did not meet with either the president of the publishing house or any of his deputies or his close aides. All this is being done by the personnel department and its chief."

At the same time the Sem Dnei (Seven Days) printing house, which also publishes Itogi, stopped financing the Segodnya daily, one of Russia's most established and liberal newspapers, and all future issues were cancelled. Sem Dnei chief Dmitry Biryukov wasted little time in dismissing editor-in-chief Mikhail Berger and gave the staff two months paid leave. Staff said the decision amounted to a de facto closure. Berger was adamant that Segodnya was closed with the Kremlin's consent, though Biryukov said: "As the director of the company I am concerned first of all about cash flow and profitability. I have always thought that unless we make the publication profitable it will have to go."

Journalists at another key part of Gusinsky's rapidly falling media empire, Ekho Moskvy radio, watched the events unfold with outrage, but were resigned to the eventual outcome, adding that their independence would end once millions of dollars of debts to Gazprom matured in three months. "For three months we will work as we did. And then we will not work under Gazprom," editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov said. "The team will break-up and go."

NTV broke the mould of Soviet broadcasting when it was launched in 1993 introducing political satire and independent-minded journalism. However, many commentators see the station's honest reporting from the front line of the Chechen war as the factor that really alerted the Kremlin to the real meaning of media freedom. Despite all Putin's assurances of a free press he obviously doesn't like what he sees, the new NTV is likely to be very different indeed.

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