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Consortium NewsSep 09, 2021
Kremlin Cracks Down on Independent News, Blocks Facebook and Twitter
Image copyright: Reuters [via Al Jazeera]
The Facts
Putin signed into law a bill on Fri. that criminalizes spreading "fake news" about the Russian-Ukranian conflict, with a prison sentence of up to 15 yrs.
BBC News has pulled out journalists working in Russia in response, but will continue broadcasting news in Russia from outside the country. Other news outlets are following suit.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Russia is strangling media freedom and access to information in an attempt to hide war crimes of its illegal invasion of Ukraine and surpress internal dissent.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Western world is just as guilty of surpressing media freedom. Russian outlets like RT and Sputnik are officially banned in the EU as part of a larger package of sanctions. Major tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Telegram have also scrubbed them.