Among the first attacked oligarchs were two men who owned media empires. Vladimir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky were pressured to give up or close their Kremlin-critical television stations.
For this reason the essay on hand deals with the argument that Putin's crackdown on the oligarchs has worsen the press freedom in Russia.
Firstly a short overview of the media development under president Boris Yeltsin is given to point out that the Russian media was not completely free compared to Western standards. Then the necessary facts of the Gusinsky and Berezosky case are described and afterwards the short-term and long-term results concerning press freedom are analysed.
The topic of the essay will show that the actions against the oligarchs had strong negative effects on the media because press freedom is an initial feature of democracy.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I. Introduction
- II. Russian media in the 1990s
- III. The Gusinsky Case
- IV. The Berezovsky Case
- V. Results on press freedom
- VI. Conclusion
- VII. Sources
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay examines the impact of Vladimir Putin's crackdown on Russian oligarchs, particularly on press freedom, focusing on the cases of Vladimir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky. It argues that Putin's actions against these media moguls significantly worsened the state of press freedom in Russia.
- The evolution of Russian media during the 1990s under Boris Yeltsin.
- The crackdown on oligarchs under Putin, specifically targeting Gusinsky and Berezovsky.
- The consequences of these actions for press freedom in Russia.
- The role of a free press in a democratic society.
- The potential for media to influence public opinion.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Chapter II provides an overview of the Russian media landscape in the 1990s, highlighting the transition from a state-controlled system to a more diversified, albeit economically vulnerable, media environment. The chapter discusses the impact of privatization, the economic crisis, and the rise of oligarchic control on media freedom.
Chapter III focuses on the case of Vladimir Gusinsky and his Media-Most empire. It describes Gusinsky's role in establishing independent media outlets, the Kremlin's criticism of his media coverage, and the eventual pressure exerted by the Putin administration to relinquish control over NTV.
Chapter IV is expected to address the case of Boris Berezovsky and his media holdings, likely detailing the Kremlin's actions against him and their impact on his media outlets.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key themes and concepts explored in this essay include press freedom, oligarchy, Russian media, Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Gusinsky, Boris Berezovsky, Media-Most, NTV, Gazprom, and the Chechen War. The essay investigates the interplay between political power, economic control, and media independence in the context of a post-Soviet Russia.
- Quote paper
- Christina Quast (Author), 2006, Putin and the Media, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/186339
