The British BBC has stopped any form of reporting on the territory of the Russian Federation after the enactment of a new media law in Russia. The broadcaster announced this via Twitter on Friday.
“This legislation appears to criminalize the process of independent journalism,” BBC director general Tim Davie was quoted as saying in the tweet. “This leaves us with no option but to halt the work of all BBC News journalists and their staff in the Russian Federation while we investigate the full impact of this undesirable development.”
Employee safety comes first, Davie continued. “We are not willing to put them at risk of prosecution just because they are doing their job.” He expressed his respect for all employees in Russia, “for their bravery, determination and professionalism”.
However, the BBC’s Russian-language news program will continue to be operated from outside Russia. Reporting from Ukraine will also continue. The BBC remains committed to making independent information available to audiences around the world, including millions of Russians using the BBC News Service.
CNN and Bloomberg also stopped reporting
The US broadcaster CNN also ceased broadcasting after the new media law was passed in Russia. “CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to assess the situation and our next steps,” confirmed a CNN spokesman on Friday evening (local time) when asked by dpa. The Bloomberg news agency had previously announced that it would stop reporting on Russian territory.
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“Bloomberg News will temporarily suspend the work of its journalists in Russia,” the New York-based company said on Friday evening (local time). The change in the law appears to be aimed at making every independent journalist a criminal, said Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait.
This makes it impossible “to continue any semblance of normal journalism in the country”. The BBC also previously stopped any form of reporting on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed several laws further restricting freedom of expression in Russia on Friday evening, further curtailing independent media reporting. Up to 15 years in prison are threatened for spreading alleged “false information” about the Russian armed forces. Penalties also threaten those who publicly “denigrate” the army.
The Russian parliament had previously voted for a corresponding change in the law
Since last week, media in Russia have been banned from using terms such as “attack”, “invasion” and “declaration of war” in reporting on the war against Ukraine. Moscow describes the war as a military “special operation”. (agencies)
