MEDIA CONTROL IS OBVIOUS

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Most of the countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are suffering under new forms of media control that are severely limiting independent news media, according to a report issued today by Freedom House.

The report, “Muzzling the Media: The Return of Censorship in the Commonwealth of Independent States,” describes a contemporary model of censorship in the former Soviet Union that is achieved through a mix of state-enabled oligarchic control, broadcast monopolies of presidential “families,” and judicial persecution, as well as subtle and overt forms of intimidation. The report’s findings are derived from Freedom of the Press, Freedom House’s annual global survey of media independence.

Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor said that “while the old Soviet model of complete state domination of news media has been cast aside, a new and in many ways equally pernicious model of media control in the CIS has emerged.”

Of particular concern is the sharp downward decline in many CIS countries in the last several years. During this time, the report cites four major trends that have emerged: intensified control over mass media, particularly television; tighter legislation curbing media freedom; increased attention to international broadcasting; and greater control of print media.

The survey’s most recent findings show that ten of the twelve post-Soviet states are ranked Not Free, indicating that these countries do not provide basic legal, political, and economic guarantees and protections for open and independent journalism. Of the ten Not Free countries, none is moving in the direction of more freedom and most have a decidedly downward trajectory. Of the 195 countries examined in the survey, three of the ten worst press freedom abusers – Belarus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – are found in the CIS.

Despite the best efforts of authorities, however, some degree of independent reporting persists in authoritarian CIS states, due to the commitment of enterprising and courageous journalists, as well as the possibilities offered by new technologies.

“The Internet is a principal alternative and challenger to media hegemony in the CIS,” said Christopher Walker, Freedom House director of studies and the report’s author. “But while the Internet remains relatively free in Russia and other post-Soviet countries, it is quickly becoming a target for regulatory intervention by the authorities.”

Absent the rule of law and meaningful legal protections, the CIS is also one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists. Intimidation, physical violence, and even murder of reporters and editors have become commonplace for news professionals who investigate political and corporate corruption. Journalists in virtually every CIS country have been victims of contract killings or otherwise met death under suspicious circumstances. In Russia alone, at least two dozen journalists have been killed since President Vladimir Putin assumed office seven years ago.

The report notes that press freedom’s trajectory in the CIS was not always so dire and that an opening of the press had been achieved in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse. By 1994, six of twelve countries in the former Soviet Union had risen to the Partly Free category in Freedom of the Press. A decade later, a profound reversal had taken place, with eleven countries ranked Not Free by 2004.