On Wednesday I am flying to Moscow for four days, to attend and speak at a conference of Russian politicians and journalists, all of whom are under the age of 35. I have spent a lot of the afternoon preparing what I am going to say and creating a Powerpoint presentation. My subject is "The Role of blogging in politics and the media".
It then occurred to me that I know absolutely nothing about the state of political blogging in Russia. Can anyone enlighten me?
20 comments:
No idea about blogs - but on the Pravda website at the moment - they have a pretty dim view concerning freedom and civil liberty in the UK at the moment:
"the UK sinks into the deepest reaches of an Orwellian Police State, where the government tracks every car on the autobahns, every phone call, all Internet usage and even has council members rummaging through people's dust bins before the rubbish is picked up, and all the while their own industry is pushed off to third world nations"
http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/17-11-2008/106710-british-0
Top tips for Russian bloggers:
- If running an anti-Putin blog it is probably best to use a pseudonym.
- Even then a bulletproof jacket would be a good idea.
- And a food taster.
Russian bloggers are usually exiled to the United Kingdom - or go missing.
Interesting fact: Pravda once reported the United States was working with aliens....not the sanest individuals.
Political blogs and Russia? Doesn't sound like a very steady mix.
Mr Putin. Tear down this firewall.
This is a good starting point: http://www.theotherrussia.org/
There's a seriously big opportunity here. i don't know much about Russian bloggers but I know a fair bit about Russian media.
A lot of what is published is paid for, either officially or unofficially.
Any Western business trying to do business over there relies on FT or Reuters or BBC World.
Any political organisation or business that wanted to get a message through, exert influence or start a debate would need a healthy blogosphere. Could be a revenue raiser!
the other side of the coin is that the Russians have an opportunity to communicate into the West using UK/US blogs or creating the write sort of content to be circulated.
Medvedev has upped his efforts to communicate into Western mainstream media eg FT and the BBC
Jabba can confirm that Mikhail Khodorkovsky is still waiting for his modem connection in the gulag.
Meanwhile, former Comrade and then President, but now Prime Minister "Vladi" Putin, explained that due to unforeseen technical difficulties Mr Khodorkovsky will be unable to avail himself of the local FSB video link to make the opening speech at the symposium.
When in Moscow in August, at the height of the Georgian/Russian stand off blogging was standard and without let or hindrance on all and any topic, including Russian attitudes to western responses to the goings on.
Many western academics were commenting freely and knowledgeably on relations with Russia; the most marked aspect of the interactions between visitors and hosts was affability and openness. There was a marked wish too for the strengthening of connections and exchanges with the west rather than an enforced turning to eastern economic prioritising.
death by PowerPoint ...how very middle management
Suggest the Russian politician's who want to blog freely without censorship set up a site like LibDemBlogs so the rest of the world can read all the blogs via one place! This will also help them to combat the censorship as they will be easily available in one place.
Use UK examples of young bloggers aka me. I am 17 and I blog about politics, this might get them interested and want them to take it up!
Wegg-Prosser has a political blog and he is in Moscow.
These guys are good
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_eXile
Well check out some of the bloggers from Russia who post on LibertyPost.net and mat-rodina blog (google it) is a really good Russian blog (all in english mind you). Folks like Russki, Slavik_Avenger, JohnA, etc were critical delivering news of what was happening in Georgia while the US press and Georgian government were spinning things.
Also ignore the morons posting in your comments about eXile (which is banned from Russia and an expat publication that does nothing but post lame jokes about Russians) and ignore the fools who think that Putin is some sort of vampire who pops up and attacks bloggers, there's ton's of folks blogging in and out of russia about politics there and russian political interests abroad.
Iain.
I own Mat Rodina, and I can tell you this, the comment to look up otherRussia is one of the worst examples of what to do. Kasparov has a wopping 3% backing in Russia. His main support is the Western intelligencia, whose arse he collectively kisses by telling them exactly what they want to hear in his paid for interviews.
Other Russia is bank rolled by the US government, primarily through freedom house, which is rather funny, considering the biggest make up of Other Russia is Limonov's National Bolshevik Workers' Party aka National Socialist Workers Party aka the Nazis...that is right, US and UK monies go to feed the nazis of Russia. If you want a better idea of what these maggots are, look them up. Even their flag is the old Nazi flag, with the swastika replaced by the hammer and sickle. Wonder how many flags US money bought?
But this is no surprise, since the US/UK/Brussels bank rolled Una-Unsa as one of the parties of the Oranges in Ukraine and yes, they too are a nazi party and provided body guards to that drunk Yushenko and his Orange socialists.
If you want any help, drop me a line at stas.mishin71@gmail.com
And political discourse in the Russia is alive and well, regardless of the idiotic propaganda of the US/UK mouth pieces and their so-called reporting.
PS, I have a friends and colleges in the UK/Scotland and as I see it, it is a crying shame of the state of affairs in England. Yes, I've visited and even thought of moving to work there for a while, but no thank you. As a side note, I have lived in 7 nations and visited 17 others, so you can say, I know a thing or two about what goes on outside of Russia and the more I have learned and the more I have experience, the fiercer I have grown to love what I am and my culture.
Let me put it this way; not so long ago one of the Russian bloggers who used harsh language expressing his opinion about Russian police ( which is utterly corrupted, )has been found, and received the "guilty" verdict by authorities. He has been accused of "extremism" (such accusation is the latest "darling" of Putin's government; they love to use this definition toward anyone who threatens their "political stability" mafioso style.)
All the people I've met on-line ( those who have their own forums, be that left-wingers, Yeltsin's time democrats or simply those who oppose Putin's government) - they are concerned, very concerned to say the least. They are definitely taking precautions to not to be found via the internet.
Sean's Russia Blog and Siberian Light are two of the best in English and both have exhaustive links to other blogs in English and Russian. Medvedev himself has an occasional video blog!
Can anyone enlighten me?
Нет.
erasure--that blogger did a bit more than use harsh words, he called for the murder of police officers and for burning them alive.
That would have gotten him arrested in any of the anglo-marxist "free" lands as well...well unless he was an islamic in merry ole Englanstan.
Nope, in "anglo-marxist "free" lands" no one would arrest him; in fact no one would pay atention at his childish rant, because that's exactly what it was. Everyone in Russia is aware about the degree of police corruption among other things, so it was obvious that the poster was just blowing off the steam. It's pointing his finger at the corruption - that's what has got him arrested, not his so-called "threats."
Post a Comment