DISINFO: Putin's Direct Line press conference proves there is no censorship in Russia
SUMMARY
It turns out that there is no censorship in Russia. During President Putin's annual Direct Line press conference anyone, including Western journalists, could ask the Russian leader any question they pleased, no matter how difficult.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative falsely portraying Russia as a protector of press freedom. It is a petty attempt to try to substitute a heavy choreographed show with an occasional "daring" question with proper freedom of expression. See our update analyses of the ever harsher censorship and pressure on independent media in Russia.
There is overwhelming consensus among internationally recognised media and human rights monitoring organisations, including Reporters Without Borders, Freedom House, IREX, and Amnesty International, that political pressure, prosecution by authorities, online and offline censorship, government control or direct ownership of outlets, and self-censorship have been systemic issues in Russia’s media landscape since the dissolution of the USSR and continue to this day. Press freedom in Russia has consistently been ranked below even the lowest-scoring EU member states by Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders.
In its most recent press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Russia 164th globally, just above Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The level of media freedom in the country was described as follows:
"Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, almost all independent media have been banned, blocked and/or declared 'foreign agents' or 'undesirable organisations.' All others are subject to military censorship."
See related cases: Journalists are dying in Europe while the West hypocritically condemns Russia for lack of media freedom; Meduza operates fully and without discrimination in Russia; There is no press freedom in the West.