The Global Story:The tightrope of reporting in Putin’s Russia
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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If there was a big red button that would just demolish the internet, I would smash that button with my forehead. From the BBC this is The Interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work, your politics, your everyday life, and all the bizarre ways people are using the internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
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It's hard being the BBC's man in Moscow.
You are shaping the perception and the perception that Russia is guilty. That's what you are doing.
You get accused of things, even by government spokespeople.
And this is propaganda. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to say this. You are a piece of propaganda.
Steve Rosenberg's been reporting from Russia for more than 25 years. He's one of only a handful of Western journalists left in Moscow. Sometimes it gets quite personal. As we reach four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there's been an intensified crackdown on freedom of speech and dissent. Russia's now ranked in the bottom 10 countries on the World Press Freedom Index. It's especially difficult when Vladimir Putin knows who you are and says that you're being paid to attack him.
It's especially difficult when Vladimir Putin knows who you are
From the BBC, I'm Tristan Redmond in London. And today on The Global Story, the tightrope of reporting in Russia. Hello, hello, hello. Hello, hello, hello, hello. One, two, three. One, two, three. Hello, Steve. It's great to have you with us. Thank you for joining us.
Thank you. It's nice to be back with you. I'm Steve Rosenberg. I'm the BBC's Russia editor based in Moscow and covering news in the world's largest country.
Well, Steve, you are one of the only Western journalists left in Russia these days. And in your recent writing and reporting, you've been looking back at your time in Russia and what it means to still be there today. I'm endlessly fascinated by all things Russia and the... the experience of being a foreigner in a place like Moscow. How hard has it been, Steve, watching so many of your journalistic colleagues in other news organisations being forced to leave Moscow in the last few years?
The first thing to say is I'm not the only Western journalist left here in Moscow. There are still quite a few of us, not nearly as many as there used to be. A lot of media organisations, Western media organisations pulled out after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. And I took the decision that I wanted to stay because I thought it was important as long as it was safe to do so. And of course, that's a big question. And I'm constantly assessing and reassessing the safety. But I thought I wanted to stay because I'm fascinated by Russia. I have been for decades, and I want to see how this very dramatic story ends. So it was a personal decision, but I totally respect the decisions taken by those colleagues who left Russia after the start of the war.
Well, we want to understand, Steve, how things have changed, the experience of being in Moscow over the whole arc of your career there. So let's start at the very beginning. Do you remember when you first became interested in Russia? Yes, I do, actually.
It was a long time ago. I had more hair in those days. It was in 1980. And I was 12, and BBC Television broadcast its first, and I think only ever, Russian language course on television.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–7:38
2
What challenges do journalists face when reporting in Putin's Russia?
7:38–10:08
3
How has the crackdown on freedom of speech affected journalism in Russia?
10:08–20:43
4
What personal experiences shaped Steve Rosenberg's view of reporting in Russia?
20:43–29:49