"End the war" Russian newscaster who continues to tell from abroad January 16, 17:00
“We have a responsibility to end the war, so we continue.”
A Russian newscaster who fled his country for fear of being arrested.
After moving from place to place, he moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and continues to transmit to Russia from the studio that opened at the end of October 2022.
Even in the midst of adversity, I am trying to fulfill my responsibility by continuing to convey the reality of the war to the Russian people.
(Keita Machida, Director, World News Division, International Broadcasting Station)
I want to convey the reality of the war to the people of Russia
Doshchi is an independent Russian media company based in a building in the center of Amsterdam.
It operates with about 20 Russian and Ukrainian staff and distributes news through the video posting site YouTube.
YouTube is still not blocked in Russia, so people in Russia can also see the news of "Doshchi".
YouTube has over 3.71 million subscribers as of January 2023.
According to a spokesperson for "Doshchi", the number of subscribers surged in late February, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, and in September, when partial mobilization began, with more than half of those viewers coming from within Russia. increase.
"Doshichi" is active based on advertising income from such viewer access and funds obtained through crowdfunding.
Political journalist Mikhail Fishman.
He is the caster of the news program that "Doshichi" broadcasts live every Sunday night.
From President Putin's aides to anti-government politicians, he makes full use of his personal connections to directly interview them and introduces his own analysis on the program.
He has a reputation for objective analysis that does not pander to the interviewee.
Mr. Fishman's creed is to "confront the distortion of the facts by the Putin regime."
Mikhail Fishman, Anchor of "Doshchi"
"Russia is like a world Putin built. It's a whole other reality. I think we have to keep telling people what's going on."
In October, a special feature examining the administration's propaganda sharply criticized President Putin.
Fishman said on the show:
"Putin said on Friday that 'our values are above all philanthropy and compassion.' They destroy humanitarian convoys and cause many casualties."
Mr. Fishman and other members of "Doshchi" have continued to report critically of the Putin regime, such as the damage in Ukraine and Russia's war activities, since immediately after the invasion on February 24 last year.
However, on March 1, the Russian government blocked access to the website on the grounds of ``delivering false information.''
In response to this, the representative of "Doshchi" judged that "it is not possible to continue free press in Russia" and decided to end distribution from Russia.
The staff were quickly evacuated from the country due to the threat of arrest by the authorities.
Mr. Fishman:
“The decision to terminate was something that happened during my live appearance. I didn't have any, and a long journey began."
In the months that followed, Mr. Fishman moved from place to place more times than he can remember in order to find a safe place to stay with his wife and children.
At the end of August, we arrived in Amsterdam where we were talking about establishing a studio, and we started streaming on October 24th.
While he gradually got used to life in the Netherlands, he said that he began to feel guilty about disseminating information to the Russian people while fleeing the country.
“ Everything
I have done as a journalist has been based on the idea that I am part of my Russian motherland. What does my voice sound like? Do I have the right to speak to the Russian people? My environment has changed a lot now.”
Dutch businessman behind securing base
Why did Amsterdam become the base of "Doshti"?
Originally, "Dosci" was based in two cities, Riga, Latvia, and Tbilisi, Georgia, before opening the Amsterdam base.
However, the facilities and tenant conditions were limited, and anti-Russian sentiments were historically deeply rooted among the citizens.
Under such circumstances, the presence of Mr. Dirk Sauer, a Dutch businessman, has a lot to do with the fact that we were able to establish a base in Amsterdam.
Mr. Sauer published Russia's first English-language newspaper, The Moscow Times, in the early 1990s, and has had a major impact on the development of Russian journalism independent of the government.
When I learned that Doshchi staff had to flee the country, I raised funds for activities and worked hard to secure an office to serve as a base.
Dirk Sauer, founder of The Moscow Times and director of the 2 Oktober Foundation,
said: "It was heartbreaking to hear that Doshch had lost its home. I feel it is my duty to keep that fire alive."
Sauer said he plans to make Amsterdam the most important hub for independent journalism outside of Russia, including Doshch, by arranging for dozens more Russian journalists to work in Amsterdam. increase.
A colleague's "gaffe" shakes trust.
On December 1st, just one month after the opening of the Amsterdam base, an event occurred during a live broadcast from the base in Riga, the capital of Latvia.
When Alexei Korosterev, anchor of "Doshch", asked viewers for information about the trends of mobilized troops participating in the fighting in Ukraine, he said:
Alexei Korostelev (remarks during the program)
"We hope that (the information we have obtained) will be useful for many soldiers. For example, front-line equipment and basic equipment."
In response to this remark, a backlash spread in Ukraine, Latvia, etc., saying, "It shows that 'Doshchi' is in line with the Putin administration."
Latvian politicians also questioned the fact that they had allowed Dosici to operate in Latvia.
"Doshch" dismissed Mr. Korostelev immediately after this broadcast and was forced to explain himself.
Tikhon Jatko, editor-in-chief of "
Doshchi": "Doshchi takes an absolutely unequivocal anti-war stance.
The cost of slipping the tongue by giving the impression that "Doshchi" is supplying equipment to the Russian army is immeasurable.
Therefore, with great regret, I have come to the difficult decision to part ways with Mr. Alexei Korosterev.
"Doshchi" has not sent any equipment to the Russian army, nor will it."
Latvian authorities have revoked Dosici's broadcasting license for threatening national security and violating public order and decency.
The decision, just five days after Mr. Korosterev's controversial remarks, shows how sensitive the Latvian government is to information coming from the Russians.
Mr. Korosterev himself posted on social media, "I am against war. It is strange to suspect that I support aggression." It was a remark for that reason,” he excused.
However, the turmoil cast a big shadow on the trust of "Doshchi", and even the "Moscow Times" founded by Mr. Sauer, who is in solidarity with "Doshchi", condemned this event as follows.
Moscow Times, Kirill Rogov, December 13, Dozhd used the kind of language that could only have been appropriate for a domestic Russian television channel rather than one based,
as
Dozhd is now, in Latvia.
It may have been, but "Dosci" is now based in Latvia.)
He also said that the incident exposed his deep suspicions about Russians.
Moscow Times Ditto
…this incident has revealed another problem，namely the now widely held position that there are “no good Russians”- or at least that if there are，then their tiny number is statistically insignificant，and that even with them，you'
ll
find a “hidden imperialist” if you dig deep enough.
However, the number is statistically negligible, and the idea is that a closer examination of them will reveal the "hidden imperialists".)
To stop the war, I keep going
On the weekend when the scandal occurred, I visited the Amsterdam office again for coverage.
Mr. Fishman, on the other hand, was crafting his comments as usual, glued to his laptop for distribution.
The broadcast did not change, and continued to refute the propaganda sent by the Putin administration point by point.
Fishman (on the show)
"The Kremlin [Putin regime] propagandist said, 'If we lose, it's all over. There's no point in sticking to form and following the rules of war. It is of no use.’ Putin started this war in secrecy, but we will all pay the price for Russia’s defeat.”
He didn't mention the scandal that day, but 10 days later, Mr. Fishman spoke to us.
"Doshchi" Caster Mikhail Fishman
"Nothing has changed. I will keep going. If anyone in Russia because of what I say, I will join the army, I will be drafted, I will go to the battlefield. If I can stop it, it means my work has made an impact, so I'm responsible."
At the end of last year, on December 22nd, the Dutch authorities announced that they had granted a broadcasting license to "Dosici".
With this license, "Dosici" will use the cable television network to broadcast to various parts of Europe.
In addition, the staff of "Dosci" who had been in various places such as Latvia and Georgia will gather in Amsterdam.
Journalism where the true value is questioned
Mr. Fishman said that the authorities' scrutiny of those who cooperate with interviews in Russia is becoming stricter day by day, and there are many difficulties.
However, the news distribution of "Doshch" continues to increase the number of viewers, which indicates the high degree of attention from people in Russia.
A scandal of his colleague's gaffe has spread concerns about "Doshchi", so how will he gain credibility and promote his activities in the future?
As we approach the one year anniversary of the military invasion, the true value of journalism is being tested.
You can check the contents of the broadcast on NHK WORLD from here
Exiled Russian Journalists Counter Putin's Propaganda
Keita Machida
Director, World News Division, International Broadcasting Station
Joined in 2013
Responsible for Eastern Europe coverage and other projects to produce programs with foreign residents
Chatroom Japan
This is a program project made with foreigners living in Japan.