‘Chilling Effect’: Arrest of Journalist Makes Covering Russia Even Tougher

The Ukraine invasion has evidently shifted that calculus. Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest signaled that Mr. Putin — who has made elaborate efforts to shield Russia’s struggles in Ukraine from public view — may see diminishing utility in accommodating foreign journalists.

Inside Russia now, “the propaganda is total,” said Ms. Ivanova of the FT. “It’s gone from being one very loud voice to being the only voice, and that’s kind of the transition that Russia has gone through in the past year.”

As local Russian journalists were suppressed or exiled, Western news outlets have sought ways to maintain aggressive coverage. Numerous organizations — including the BBC, CNN, Reuters, and others — still have correspondents on the ground in Moscow. Many reporters have cultivated a hybrid approach, supplementing occasional visits with remote reporting via the internet and encrypted communications to stay in touch with sources. In Ukraine, journalists continue to cover the conflict from the front lines.

Bill Keller, who reported in Moscow for The Times from 1986 to 1991, said that Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest — a “hostage-taking,” in Mr. Keller’s view — was a clear attempt to intimidate foreign reporters and the Russian citizens who might speak with them.

“It may prolong the de-staffing of foreign news bureaus in Russia, but it won’t stop reporting from surrounding countries,” said Mr. Keller, who later served as executive editor of The Times. Journalists covering Russia from abroad, he added, can now station themselves in more proximate areas like the Baltics and Ukraine, which in past generations were under Moscow’s control.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/business/media/russia-journalists-evan-gershkovich.html