Jailed or poisoned to prevent them from reporting on the recent school siege. At least they are still alive.
Leading Russian journalist 'poisoned' Chris Tryhorn
Monday September 6, 2004
MediaGuardian UK
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1298488,00.htmlAlarm bells are ringing in Russian media circles after the alleged poisoning of Anna Politkovskaya, one of the most outspoken critics of Vladimir Putin's policy on Chechnya, and the apparent sacking of the editor of Izvestia today.
Politkovskaya, who writes for the current affairs magazine Novaya Gazeta, was on her way to the siege in Beslan from Moscow when she collapsed mysteriously.
According to the Moscow Times today, "Politkovskaya was flying from Vnukovo Airport to Rostov-on-Don and fainted on the plane. Immediately after landing, she was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found she had been poisoned, Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov told the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists."
Muratov said Politkovskaya had not eaten anything that day and that she felt sick after drinking tea on the plane. He did not speculate on who might have poisoned her.
Politkovskaya is now recovering in a Moscow clinic.Politkovskaya has written repeatedly about Russia's brutal war in Chechnya, much to the fury of the Putin regime. She claims to have seen video footage that shows Chechen prisoners being treated the same way as those in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq but says no Russian TV channel would show it. When her paper published pictures no other papers followed up the story.
more (including her photo)
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This is a lengthy view of Russian media, written by a British paper. Lots of examples of journos being fired right after critical coverage. Lots of examples of journos being expected to be official stenographers rather than investigators.
Sounds somewhat familiar.....