Free press under death threat

[UpInArms]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10108045%255E2703,00.html

LONDON-based Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky thinks Paul Klebnikov, the US-born editor of the Russian edition of business magazine Forbes, must have "seriously upset someone" with his reporting.

<snip>

Alternatively, he said, the magazine might have caused offence by writing about business figures close to President Vladimir Putin.

<snip>

Journalists from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have been assaulted in recent months, and last week marked the one-year anniversary of the poisoning death of crusading journalist Yuri Shchekochikin.

A former member of the Russian parliament, Shchekochikin had written about the possible involvement of Russian security agencies in a series of apartment bombings in Moscow in 1999 – explosions the Kremlin blamed on Chechen terrorists.

...more...

[Zen]

1. Yeah, poor Russia is going through it's "MOB" phase. Hopefully

they can survive it.

[jobycom]

2. Similar to what American journalists who write about Bush go through

All the targets of the anthrax attack were liberals, including several members of the press. The first fatality was the photo-editor who published the picture of Jenna drunk. Bush's warnings to the media to leave his kids alone "or else" took on new meaning after that.

Then there was James Hatfield being driven to suicide, and a long list of journalists who have lost their jobs for challenging the White House.

There's more than one reason the media in America is so uncritical of Bush.

[Cerridwen]

3. Non-"embedded" journalists

I immediately thought of the deaths of the non-"embedded" journalists early in the Iraq war.

I'm sure it's just a tin-foil hat moment.

[bemildred]

4. You gotta wonder who these morons think they are playing patty-cake with?

Pooty-Poot let it be known when he took Khordovsky down that
the colonization of Russia by international capital was going to
be restricted (link). It's perfectly clear he doesn't mind making a
little mess to get his way.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

5. Why did you snip out the OTHER possible suspect?

You left in this:

Alternatively, he said, the magazine might have caused offence by writing about business figures close to President Vladimir Putin.

But took out this:

"Everywhere in the world, rich people don't like it when their wealth is splashed all over the papers," said Berezovsky, who was granted political asylum in Britain last year after he claimed his own life was at risk.

"This is especially true of Russia, where such attention can be tantamount to sending a letter to the prosecutor's office asking for that particular businessman to be investigated."

Why emphasise Putin when it is just as likely that a crooked "business man" did it?

[UpInArms]

6. copyright restrictions

- yes, there are other "possible" avenues to explore.

Wasn't there something that just came up about Spain (under Aznar) attempting to blame the train bombings on ETA?

just thought it worth reading to the point where Russia was blaming Chechen rebels in a similar fashion.