TMPress SPECIAL INFObase Report ... Pressure Mounts on So-Called Independent Russian Media Explains Foreign Ownership Interests ... by RBTH and via TMPress International Newswire Service ... (New York) ... In recent months, Russian newspapers, radio stations and websites have lost staff while new laws put restrictions on media ownership and advertising. Meanwhile, billions of rubles are being plowed into Kremlin-backed media outlets such as RT and new kid on the block Sputnik. On Nov. 10, the Russian press was full of news announcing the launch of Sputnik, a new website with a modern, Buzzfeed-like style intended to “combat the aggressive propaganda being fed to the world,” according to Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of Sputnik’s parent organization, state news agency Rossiya Segodnya. The launch of the website was just the latest in a series of well-funded expansions of Kremlin-backed media even as Russia’s economy staggers under falling oil prices, capital flight and rising inflation. RT, the state-run international broadcaster formerly known as Russia Today, saw its 2015 budget unexpectedly upped by 41 percent in September to $400 million, Russian news agency RBK reported. Rossiya Segodnya’s 2015 budget, meanwhile, has tripled past original plans to 6.48 billion rubles ($170 million). But as some state-owned media aimed at a foreign audience have gained a larger bullhorn, many well-respected independent media outlets within the country have found themselves increasingly up against the ropes. In October, a bill banning foreigners from owning more than 20 percent of any Russian media company was signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The legislation, which went from proposal to law in less than a month, will come into effect in February 2017. (Contd) Source: Russia Beyond the Headlines - rbth/politics/2014/11/14/pressure_mounts_on_independent_russian_media_as_legal_net_tightens_41421.html)
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 22:33:53 +0000
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