Zygar, the founding editor of the Russian channel TV Rain, is answering interviewer Olivia Manis on why the barrier to independent media in Russia was financial rather than legal. Most large outlets in 2000 belonged to oligarchs who wanted political influence, so changing the owners was enough to change the editorial line. Later in the interview he names self-censorship, not trials or statutes, as the first thing to watch for anywhere.
…of Russian history is constantly used by Putin to brainwash a lot of people. And that's not something he invented. That's the same narrative that has been used for centuries. And a lot of people in Russia believe in it because they have never heard about the possibility of another look on history.
…system, but the way that media is kind of financially structured. So, I think you've said something to the effect of, you know, there's not necessarily a draconian dictatorial law. Capitalism is sort of what has precluded or made difficult independent media. Can you talk a little bit about this?
Sure. Yeah, I think that's a very important part of our troubled experience in Russia with independent media, because really, Putin managed to destroy the free independent media, not with any kind of new laws. He was using all the best practices and all the most liberal press freedom laws that existed in Russia back 25 years ago. And still, it was possible to eradicate independent news TV channels, independent newspapers, because he was affecting the owners. When he was elected president of Russia back in the year 2000, most independent media belonged to big businessmen. We call them oligarchs. Most of them were oligarchs because they were not only businessmen, but they wanted to have the political power. They wanted to affect the political decisions of the government. So, yes, they were playing political games as well. And some of them were oligarchs loyal to Vladimir Putin or wanted to be his allies. Some of them were much more independent. So, he started his presidency with getting rid of disloyal oligarchs and trying to change the owners of the most popular news TV channels. He didn't invent any new laws. It was…
Yeah, so it seems like there was sort of an installment of these essentially oligarchs into positions of influence in terms of media, so that it was all media essentially became Putin-friendly, right? But there was also this element, it seems like, of making smaller media enterprises financially…
No, it's hard for me to compare the situation in America and the situation in Russia that existed 25 years ago. Because, yeah, definitely countries are very different and the democratic institutions that exist in America are very different and much more developed than the ones we used to have in…
Yeah, given that last point, I wonder what you make of the White House recently limiting access for journalists to the White House press pool. There's obviously been a lot of controversy about that. I wonder what your thoughts are on that and how concerned we should be as a nation about that, given…