Russian newspaper mocks big court fine in mostly blank issue

[Liberty Belle]

Russian newspaper mocks big court fine in mostly blank issue

By Peter Finnl
THE WASHINGTON POST

February 1, 2005

MOSCOW – The authoritative business daily Kommersant published an edition yesterday that was blank except for a court-ordered retraction – published upside down – and other items related to an $11.4 million judgment against the publication.

The edition was a satirical protest of a court finding that the newspaper erred last summer in suggesting in an article that Moscow-based Alfa Bank was in financial trouble. Yesterday's edition also included the text of the court's ruling and a photo of the bank's principal shareholder Mikhail Fridman shaking hands with President Vladimir Putin...

After the original judgment in October, the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum wrote Russia'a High Arbitration Court: "We would like to draw your attention to the belief widely held among the global press that the award of such massive damages, which are almost 10 times higher than any sum previously awarded, might appear to be politically motivated and intended to intimidate critical media."

All--First the Ukranian broadcasters at the state-owned press revolted. Now a Russian newspaper takes a stance against suppression of the truth. Why can't OUR media be this feisty in resisting partisan and corporate domination? Send this to the MSM and show them how REAL journalists should act!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050201/news_1n1russia.html

[Richard Steele]

1. So sad, when RUSSIAN papers have more balls than ours...

[DulceDecorum]

2. So, we can sing higher notes than they can

and we do it all the time.

[Liberty Belle]

3. Ironic, isn't it?

The old saying about Pravda (Truth):
"In the Truth there is no news, and in the news, there is no truth" applies to the US media far more than the Russian press these days.