<DIV>What does press freedom mean? To say anything you what? Being paid to say anything someone who will pay you to say or write something? This is where Russia is now. Print media is very corrupt - TV has been clean up to the point where the cure is worse than the <SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">disease. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">I have said that the Kremlin is not against a free press - but it does have a hard time understanding it. At present, the Kremlin is pushing forward VERY unpopular reforms to finally exit the Soviet economic model - it is very sensitive to popular outcry. (Outcry can still be easily financed by Kremlin foes).</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Russia's media is facing very hard times. Yes, voices of opposition are being put into check. However, this Kremlin does not like taking chances. Reforming the economy is the first priority -- if that hurts freedom of expression, so be it. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">My thoughts on all of this are at </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><A href="http://www.untimely-thoughts.com/">http://www.untimely-thoughts.com/</A></SPAN><BR><BR><B><I>Doug Henwood <<A href="mailto:dhenwood@panix.com">dhenwood@panix.com</A>></I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Peter Lavelle wrote:<BR><BR>>For my tastes, Dano, Klebnikov wrote about other people's money - a <BR>>dangerous profession still in Russia. What he thought was open and <BR>>honest journalism about "who owns Russia" bothed a lot of people. <BR>>There is already a lot of fear here! Putin (he controls everything, <BR>>right!!!???) has no reason to be happy with this murder. Klebnikov <BR>>wrote on Russia in much the same way Putin wants to change it. I am <BR>>personally very hurt with the loss of Klebnikov.<BR><BR>Our papers are full of stories now about press freedom has virtually <BR>disappeared in Putin's Russia. Is there any truth to this?<BR><BR>Doug<BR>___________________________________<BR>http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><p>
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