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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Annals of State-Controlled Media in Russia: The "Rebranding" Outrage

Radio Liberty exposes the shockingly brazen efforts of the Kremlin not merely to control the news within Russia itself but to conduct a massive propaganda campaign in English in the West. Have you ever seen a more perfect example of malignant neo-Soviet smugness than the smirk on this young lady's face, she a so-called "reporter" for a state-sponsored media outlet no different than in Soviet times. She'd better be careful, a complexion that dark could get her into plenty of trouble on her beloved Russia's mass transit system.

When French police briefly detained Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov last month at a fashionable winter resort in France on suspicion of "illegal trafficking of young girls," public officials in Moscow condemned the action as evidence of an "anti-Russian campaign."

Aleksei Mitrofanov, a State Duma deputy of Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, told NTV shortly after the incident: "They [the West] inherently dislike us. During the Soviet Union, when we were poor and traveled abroad with $25 in our pocket, they were suspicious, seeing us all as KGB agents. Now when we are trotting around the globe with large sums of money, they are still suspicious of us."

Many Western and Russian observers agree that relations between Russia and the West are getting worse -- but they disagree about why. Westerners blame rising tensions on the Kremlin's more aggressive policies, not only with regard to its CIS neighbors but also Western energy companies and the European Union. Russian observers, on the other hand, accuse the West of failing to consider Russia's legitimate national interests and indulging in unreformed Cold War attitudes, the worst expression of which is "Russophobia."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that he shares Mitrofanov's sentiment. Asked by a journalist in Dresden last year about Russia's negative image in the world press, Putin said, "They dislike us simply because we are big and rich." He elaborated on this thought during his January 24 meeting with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi in Moscow. "As Russia's economic, political, and military capabilities grow in the world, it is emerging as a competitor -- a competitor that has already been written off. The West wants to put Russia in some pre-defined place, but Russia will find its place in the world all by itself," he said.

Regardless of who or what is ultimately responsible for the worsening relations, the Kremlin has been concerned enough by Russia's rapidly deteriorating image abroad to launch a series of public relations events designed to enhance not only the image of the Putin regime, but also such key institutions, as Gazprom, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and the armed forces.

Davos


The first in a series of such events was a visit by presidential hopeful First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. According to many Russian commentators, the main purpose of Medevedev's trip was to present him to members of the world policymaking elite. Medvedev's 16 percent public approval rating is second only to Putin's, and it is double that of his closest contender, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov.

Gazprom is also seeking to buff its international image following damaging publicity around the very public gas spats with Ukraine and Belarus and the company's reputation as a state-controlled monopolist. According to the Russian media on January 16, Gazprom's management has had negotiations with a consortium of Western public relations firms led by the Washington, D.C.-based company PBN about improving Gazprom's image in the United States and EU.

Inside Russia, Gazprom has a wealth of public relations tools and resources at its disposal, since it owns fully or partially hundreds of media outlets, including Channel One and the Ekho Moskvy radio station. Gazprom is currently conducting negotiations to acquire Putin's own favorite mass circulation newspaper, "Komsomolskaya pravda." Aleksander Prokhanov, the publisher of the national-patriotic weekly "Zavtra," regularly praises Gazprom for its "imperial role."

Trip To The South Pole


Following the killings of journalist Anna Politkovskaya and former security services officer Aleksandr Litvinenko, the FSB has also been in dire need of an image makeover. And, like the Kremlin and Gazprom, it too has initiated a public-relations campaign, although its effort has a more unorthodox flavor. At the center of its campaign has been an expedition to Antarctica, the declared purpose of which was to reinforce Russia's claim to that frozen wasteland, undermining the United States' "monopoly" over the South Pole.

The purpose was twofold. To show that the FSB is at the frontline of Russia's national interests and revive the Soviet-era "heroic" image of the KGB. In 2003, FSB head Nikolai Patrushev made similar efforts and erected, with a group of FSB officers, a Russian flag at the North Pole, and, in 2004, an elite FSB force led by Patrushev put a Russian flag at the peak of Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe.

So on January 3, two FSB MI-8 helicopters flew from Punta Arena in Chile with Patrushev, First Deputy Director and Federal Boarder Guard Service head Vladimir Pronichev, and other assorted FSB officers on board. The expedition landed at the South Pole on January 7, where Patrushev telephoned Putin to extend his best wishes for the Russian Orthodox Christmas.

Russian television channels covered the FSB expedition extensively, noting that the trip was wholly supported by private sponsors and that the Russian flag planted at the South Pole symbolizes the restoration of Russia's superpower status.

Russian television broadcasts, however, failed to inform viewers that Patrushev was calling from the permanent U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole station, staffed by almost 100 U.S. citizens. Patrushev's team was bivouacked there waiting for suitable flight weather. And the phone he used to call Putin? That was actually borrowed from a U.S. explorer, according to NTV.


Spy Meet


Back in Russia, the FSB organized another event at its Moscow headquarters. On January 13, it invited 118 representatives of international foreign intelligence services accredited in Moscow to a Russian Orthodox New Year's reception. Attending the reception were representatives of 55 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and China.

It was the first time the FSB had organized such an event. Following the reception, the semi-official "Rossiskaya gazeta" published a lengthy interview with Patrushev on January 18, in which he extolled the quality of his agency's antiterrorist operations, saying the FSB is the "best partner of the West" in the fight against international terrorism. The FSB now has official representatives in 31 foreign states, 20 of which are located outside the former Soviet Union. According to Patrushev, the FSB has even created a special Directorate for Foreign Special Service Cooperation designed to oversee contacts with foreign security services.

The Russian Defense Ministry, riddled by stories of soldier hazing, desertion, corruption, and public mistrust, has also joined the image-improving effort. On January 15, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced the creation of a new Public Council for the Defense Ministry, which was founded at the behest of President Putin. The Public Council, which includes clerics, pop stars, and others from many walks of life, is chaired by Nikita Mikhalkov, an Oscar-winning filmmaker known for his pro-imperial and monarchist views. It will also include Muslim and Jewish clerics as well as popular singer, actors, and composers.

And in trying to improve its image Moscow might also set up its own network of nongovernmental organizations. For example, Anatoly Kucherena, a member of the Public Chamber, told RFE/RL on February 2 that he wants to create Russia's version of the U.S. rights watchdog Freedom House.

Russia is also aiming to increase the amount of "positive news" in international media. To this end, Moscow has reinforced foreign television and Internet broadcasting. For example, Russia has extended broadcasts of the English-language Russia Today television station and has launched Internet portals like rtnews.ru and russiaprofile.org.

Or as Putin's EU envoy Sergei Yastrzhembsky has said, "Russia needs rebranding."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My dear Russophobe, I have found a quote so deliciously applicable to the Russian "government" that I couldn't resist but to share it with you.

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre."
-Frank Zappa, 1977

So, there's my salute to all the Russians (and Belarusians) satisfied in their supply of vodka and kolbasa.

Igor said...

Oh, come on, "malignant neo-Soviet smugness"? Lady Margot (i.e. Margarita Simonyan) is as harmless as a puppy dog :) Everybody needs a job these days, especially you're a 25-year old given the responsibility of presenting "Russia's image abroad".

Absolutely hilarious about Patrushev...

Scraps of Moscow said...

Simonyan is indeed harmless, especially in the US, since there's no evidence of "Russia Today" being available here.

By the way, LR, she's not just a reporter - she's in charge of the whole news operation as "chief editor."

I think you'll find these two posts of interest regarding the background to this story.

RFE/RL writes about it in a new and interesting way, but it's not really a new story. Perhaps the story, as time goes on, is that in spite of a continuing realization that "Russia needs rebranding," they aren't able to make it happen.

And I second Igor's comment - the stuff about Patrushev is hilarious, or rather it would be if the guy's incompetence weren't such a travesty. How he managed to avoid getting canned after Nord-Ost and Beslan is beyond me.

Ivor Crotty said...

I find you comment "Have you ever seen a more perfect example of malignant neo-Soviet smugness than the smirk on this young lady's face" utterly distasteful. Your points about freedoms are lost in such tabloid-esque and unecessarily personalised observations. Couldn't we, for example, say the same about any head of any media group purporting to present truth or any aspect of it? Do not all countries 'brand' tehmselves and present certain aspects of themselves to the world (I'm Irish, i understand this). This blog is turning into one long moan and reading it has become a waste of time, there's nothing here I didn;t know already and the negativity contained therein is nasty, and contagious... i'm signing out, for good.

Ivor

La Russophobe said...

JAMES:

Very well said! Russia's penchant for living in a world of illusion rather than of reality is what has brought the country to the brink of extinction.

IVOR:

Your comment is rather bizarre. First, this blog is now what it has always been. Second, having never contributed anything to this blog, you seem to think you'll be missed if you leave. Isn't that just a bit too much hubris? Third, if you don't find the loss of 1 million people from the population something to moan about, we pity and are well rid of you. We hope you will find a blog where you can laugh about it to your heart's content. Then again, maybe we don't . . .

LYNDON:

Thanks for the comment and the links. "Russia Today" is available in the US by satellite, and in many other places around the world. We never said they young lady had actually done anything harmful, we only remarked upon her smirk. We find it disgusting that anyone operates in the field of journalism as a state-sponsored shil, and if you'd don't agree we find that rather sad. In case, we think this story should be told as many times as possible lest unwary lay people get confused about what Russia Today really is.

IGOR: A puppy can easily give you rabies or lyme disease, you know!