A Russian investigative journalist, Grigory Pasko, addressed a group of colleagues Monday during a brown-bag lunch organized in Washington by ISAR: Resources for Environmental Activists.
Pasko, who was prosecuted by the Russian government on charges of espionage and treason, commenced the meeting by asserting that there is no independent press in Russia.
"We joke that even if a journalist hasn't figured out what to write about, he or she already knows that it won't be published," said Pasko.
Pasko explained that all Russian newspapers are dependent on their editors, their sponsors, and their readers. And that television in Russia is now controlled by a new law, allowing the government to issue five-year licenses to all channels and either renew or revoke the license at the end of the term.
"If a channel demonstrates loyalty [to the government] then their license would be renewed," said Pasko. "Our government is weak, cynical, and cowardly."
By reading Russian newspapers, according to Pasko, one might become convinced that in Russia there is no war in Chechnya, no unemployment, no homeless children, and no environmental problems. News about the environment is available exclusively in newspapers published by environmental nonprofit organizations or on the Internet, said Pasko.
While environmental publications are fairly outspoken, according to the journalist, their readership is extremely narrow. The public remains poorly informed about environmental issues and consequently environmental problems are very low on people's priority lists, he said.
"To make up their minds as to whether or not [the environment] is important, people have to learn about environmental issues," said Pasko. "Being able to access environmental information is definitely something worth living and fighting for."
Pasko has served as the editor-in-chief of the Environment and Rights Magazine (Ekologia i Pravo) for several years. Aimed at highlighting environmental problems in Russia, the magazine was funded by various grants, including that from the National Democratic Institute, an international nonprofit organization with headquarters in Washington. According to Pasko, the print version of Environment and Rights Magazine was voted the best environmental publication in Russia, but because of a shortage of funding, the magazine is now only available on the Internet.
To answer questions about self-censorship, a phenomenon when journalists in post-Soviet bloc silence themselves fearing prosecution, Pasko shrugged, "I do't know how to fight self-censorship. If a journalist is not self-censored, his or her editor is."
During his fellowship, Pasko has been repeatedly invited to talk about his experiences during various public events in Washington and other parts of the country and to speak with U.S. and Canadian students. He said he was puzzled that during the two years of his life in Moscow, no university has invited him to speak with Russian students of journalism or law.
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