In Russia, up to 15 years in prison are threatened for spreading alleged false information about the Russian armed forces. BBC, Bloomberg and CNN are already giving up.
The British BBC and the news agency Bloomberg have stopped any form of reporting on the territory of the Russian Federation after a new media law was passed in Russia.
“This legislation appears to criminalize the process of independent journalism,” BBC director general Tim Davie is quoted as saying in the tweet. “This leaves us with no option but to halt the work of all BBC News journalists and their staff in the Russian Federation while we investigate the full impact of this undesirable development.”
Employee safety comes first, Davie continued. “We’re not willing to put them at risk of prosecution just because they’re doing their job.” He expressed his respect for all employees in Russia “for their bravery, determination and professionalism”.
However, the BBC’s Russian-language news program will continue to be operated from outside Russia. Reporting from Ukraine will also continue. The BBC remains committed to making independent information available to audiences around the world, including millions of Russians using the BBC News Service.
Bloomberg is following suit
“Bloomberg News will temporarily suspend the work of its journalists in Russia,” said the New York-based Bloomberg news agency. The change in the law appears to be aimed at making every independent journalist a criminal, said Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait. That makes it impossible “to continue any semblance of normal journalism in the country.”
The US broadcaster CNN is also ceasing to broadcast in the country. “CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to assess the situation and our next steps,” a CNN spokesman said.
Russia’s parliament voted on Friday to amend the law that would make spreading alleged misinformation about the Russian armed forces punishable by heavy fines and up to 15 years in prison. Since last week, media in Russia have been banned from using terms such as “attack”, “invasion” and “declaration of war” in reporting on the war against Ukraine. Moscow describes the war as a military “special operation”. The necessary approval of the second chamber of parliament and President Vladimir Putin for the change in the law is considered a formality.
Source: Stern
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