Global news organizations claimed they were stopping reporting in Russia to safeguard their journalists following the introduction of a new law that threatens up to 15 years in prison for distributing “fake news.”
The BBC said that it had temporarily discontinued reporting in Russia, and Canadian Broadcasting Company and Bloomberg News had also announced that their correspondents had stopped working. CNN and CBS News said that they would cease broadcasting in Russia, and other outlets withdrew the bylines of Russian-based correspondents while they examined the situation.
With nearly worldwide criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has attempted to retaliate in the propaganda war. Roskomnadzor, the country’s communications authority, disabled Meta Platform Facebook, claiming 26 examples of prejudice against Russian media. According to the TASS news agency, Russia has also banned access to Twitter.
According to Russian officials, misleading information has been distributed by Russia’s opponents, such as the United States and its Western European allies, in an attempt to foment dissension among the Russian people.
Legislators amended the criminal law to make the spreading of “fake” information a crime punishable by penalties or imprisonment. They also imposed fines on anybody who advocated for sanctions against Russia in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine.
Washington Center for Human Rights believe that the new amendment in the penal code, which appears to be meant to turn every independent reporter into a criminal solely by association, renders any semblance of legitimate journalism within the nation impossible.
Independent reporting and public protest are essential to creating accountability. We are alarmed to see that the Russian government is muzzling the international media and civil society voices and jailing their citizens because it cannot defend its appalling actions.