The NTV Crisis: Should We Really Care?

[Somniferous]

NTV keeps broadcasting their in-house business, including "mestnye razborki" between, say, formerly two bosom friends Dibrov and Parfenov alternated with Tampax and Klinskoye pivo commercials. For an outsider it looks funny with a tendency to become ridiculous.
Should we really care who poo-pooed in whose pot?

[Somniferous]

First, I don't want to be misunderstood: I love NTV. I would hate to see them wrapped up in a garbage bag and let down the chute.

But you see... They have lately begun to repeatedly associate their channel's plausible demise with an immediate effect of nullifying all the Freedom&Democracy Achievements in Russia. As if the shutdown of NTV was a signal to the Agency of the Dark Forces (President Putin's Alma Mater)to immediately resume paying late night visits to suspects' (that is anyone, because anyone can be suspected of something or another)homes, snatching people out of their warmed beds and throwing them into chilly "voronoks", never to be seen again by their dear ones.

Isn't it, though, a bit of exaggeration, to say the least, or histerical, to put it stronger? Should Russians really be concerned about the tomorrow of their freedoms and rights
or all this mess is about nothing but a "tochechny" personal settlement of accounts between "the caravan and the barking dog"?

[berlioz]

I was at the NTV Demonstration in St P on Sunday, and I was quite depressed by it. I completely agree, they are falling into all the stupid traps laid for them.

Moreover, the whole demonstration had been organised by Yabloko!! That's not "independence".... is it?

mb

[mastodon]

Russian Nobel Prize winning author Alexander Solzhenitsyn is dismayed about what has happened to NTV. "What has happened to NTV is regrettable, both the chain of events and that we will not see the old NTV team," he said in Moscow on Wednesday, following the awarding of his prize to two Russian writers.

"Russian television is indifferent if not mocking at the plight of the people," Solzhenitsyn said.

Solzhenitsyn doubted that television can be utterly independent. Independent "electronic and printed media change our perception by incisive and graphic reporting of stagnant phenomena," but are useful only as long as they are "managed by people from inside the country, rather than fed on instructions and dollars from abroad," Solzhenitsyn said.
They must feel responsibility to the country and, "which is very important, to the actual plight of the people today," he said.

Solzhenitsyn said he recently held nearly 60 meetings with his readers in 27 Russian regions of the country, and at each of them people were indignant over TV programs. "They expressed contempt and anger and said that the TV people mock them, and do not feel their pain," he said.

"These sentiments have not reached the heights of the Ostankino TV tower," where some feel that "our nation is deeply unconscious," Solzhenitsyn said.

"Petty amusement, clowning, the chit-chat of television academics and others" are outrageous to the people, he thinks.

"The Strasbourg tutors" [from PACE] explain to Russia that freedom of speech is the most important of all freedoms, Solzhenitsyn said indignantly. "These tutors in starched
collars have not tasted life as it is. If they did, they would be more careful," he said.
//Interfax

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http://www.gazeta.ru

[Ronald_Barbour]

It would appear that Solzhenitsyn has lost none of his ability to speak what he thinks to be the truth even in his old age of 82 or 83....

RONBO

[Ronald_Barbour]

Dear Neil:

Just curious? What do you have against YABLOKO??? I understand that they are for free speech and free markets.

A sort of Russian Libertarian Party.

RONBO

[aleks09]

hey, guys
I just want to ask, do you really think that there was some fully-developed free independent media in Russia? So, is NTV such big of a loss, since from my view so far media was highly-politicized and control by those in gov't. But still, does this undermine a freedom of speech in Russia. I think, you are free to express your opinion in Russia now. Or, you think, there was something done illegally in the case of NTV? Oficially everything was done within a limits of law, and what else would you desire in society? Of course, gov't had all kind of influences among oligarchs and such, but at least NTV wasn't just taking away by force, and as long as lawsful means are used, you can't oppose that society is authoritarian. Of course, you can dislike it from your personal view, for instance, you may don't like Bush's tax cut, but if you want to enjoy benefits of the lawful society, you have to be tollerent to benefit's that are enjoyed by others( i bet, there were some bulk of russians who supports that move for any reason), otherwise the society quits to be democratic.
This is my point of view. I might be wrong, that's why i'm posting my thoughts, to find out where i might be wrong. I'll be glad to hear your comments