Tuesday 2 November 2021, at 14:00 – 15:15 EET (13:00 – 14:15 CET)
The repression of freedom of expression in Russia has taken both a quantitative and a qualitative turn for the worse. During the past year in particular, declarations of the media and journalists as ʻforeign agentsʼ have increased sharply, driving journalists and the media to emigrate. Multiple popular grievances are emerging in a changed environment where the role of state television has been exceeded by that of the Internet, which remains largely connected to Western platforms. It is these changes that motivate the regimeʼs accelerated media repression. At the same time, online journalism from exile is becoming an increasingly important part of Russiaʼs independent media. In these circumstances, the West needs to avoid complicity in Russia’s repression. For example, the readiness of Western Internet giants to censor political content, on the basis of their commercial interest, further restricts the information space in Russia.
This webinar, organized in connection with FIIAʼs new Briefing Paper, discusses current developments and future prospects in the Russian media and Internet sphere.
