Kyiv Independent and Meduza Continue to Publish. Despite Putin’s new “Fake News” Law
di Isabella Canoutas
Meduza has published many articles in the past discussing anti-war reports on the war between Ukraine and Russia, such as, ‘Do you still need this war?’ posted on July 8 2022, and ‘We won’t be destroyed. And we won’t be silenced,’ published on July 7 2022.
On March 6 2022, Putin approved the law for a fifteen-year penalty for those who publish what Putin considers “fake news.” This law makes it increasingly tricky for journalists to publish investigative reports, interviews, and opinions.
Kyiv Independent is also publishing articles discussing the war in a negative way, such as, “At least 19 killed by Russia’s overnight missile attack on Odesa Oblast,” published on July 1, 2022, and “Mother of 3 loses husband, parent to Russia’s war: ‘My children will know their relatives were heroes’”
Although this new law has caused news organizations to reevaluate their publishing, Kyiv Independent and Meduza continue to publish what they believe is accurate.
Kyiv Independent, the Ukrainian English language news site, has continued to publish articles online and post updates about the war on Twitter. Kyiv Independent keeps its pieces informative rather than opinionated by discussing when events are happening, where, and the event’s results.
In one of Kyiv Independent’s most recent articles, “Russia steps up missile attacks, killing dozens across Ukraine,” the journalists stick to what occurred, where the incident took place, how many people were injured, and how they hope to repair the missile attacks.
Meduza – the real Russia, a Russian independent English language newspaper, is also continuing to publish, despite going against Putin’s wishes. The newspaper based in Latvia publishes investigative reports, interviews, and the opinions of those on the war.
Although Meduza has no plan to change its journalistic style, the new law stating that one can receive up to a fifteen-year penalty for publishing anything Putin considers “fake news” is causing some hardships. This is leading to journalists ultimately having to choose if continuing to keep their information investigative and accurate is worth the risk of a fifteen-year penalty.
Kyiv Independent and Meduza continuing to publish articles exemplifies their journalists’ bravery and dedication to presenting accurate, informative news to the public.