There will be no winners

How the Kremlin’s attack on RBC holding ends

On May 13, RBC holding was forced to leave the chief editor Elizabeth Ossetian, the chief editor of the newspaper RBC Maxim Solus and the editor-in-chief of the news agency RBC Roman Badanin. Some journalists of the holding also announced their care. While they were smashed by RBC, Vladimir Putin congratulated the VGTRK team on a 25th anniversary. In particular, the president said: "The monopoly is always harmful, and even more so in the information sphere." According to Reuters, the “last straw”, after which the Kremlin demanded from the owners of RBC to dismiss the leadership of the holding, began the article “opposite the Palace of Putin” near Gelendzhik will begin to breed oysters ”

Everything was already. Disputes of business entities, “I can’t get through to the Prosecutor General”, a unique journalistic team. Intervational policy interference, “crossed the Red Line”, links of a flexible chain. The unexpected claims of the tax, suddenly pop -ups old criminal cases, revealing plots on controlled television channels, pickets of pro -Kremlin activists at the entrance, comments of anonymous sources explaining what the Kremlin actually wants, and Peskov’s comment that the Kremlin has nothing to do with it. The technology of collision for the next high -quality and independent media is a long -developed ritual, such as analyzing a personal business at the Soviet party meeting: in general terms it is clear how it all ends, but you need to sit to the end. And as in the Soviet party meeting, it is extremely unpleasant to be the hero of such a analysis, to observe this vile, and from the fact that this is happening, no one will become good: there will be no winners.

Everything has already been, there are many examples, I know even on its own: at such moments it always seems that this fate could be avoided - not to publish that material or this photo, to be more restrained, not to run into. Often everything looks as if you can still fix: save the editor, having agreed to comply with certain rules, the problem is that these rules are not announced anywhere; Their compliance does not give any guarantees. People who initiate such attacks are primarily interested in increasing their status, increasing the resource - which means that the occasion for collision will be obtained in one way or another gained and convincingly justified (concern for ethics, morality, feelings of believers, inviolability of private life, etc.): there would be a person, an article will be found. A properly designed ideological message drives the gears of power, and they at the exit give an increase in opportunities, influence, wealth; Actually, this relationship between ideology, power and money is the main topic of investigations conducted by the editors of RBC.

The technology of collision for the next high -quality and independent media is a long -developed ritual, such as analyzing a personal business at the Soviet party meeting

I am sure that the history of RBC is still far from finished, and I wish all colleagues to hold on and not to lose heart. Nevertheless, the clouds of RBC are thickened, and if they are thickened, then someone needs it. It is interesting to understand what the meaning of this, what consequences can be-besides that someone will hang another star on the chest or transfer the tranche to the account? Will freedom of speech suffer? She was almost gone; According to the results of the past 16 years, neither the owners of the media, nor advertisers, nor most readers see in this freedom special value - well, or learned to find it in specially designated places. Will the last site disappear for independent journalism? No, fortunately, not the last. Will the big team be on the street? As the experience of the previous links of the chain shows, journalists find a place for themselves, everything is in business. But there is one position, an important change that cannot be expanded back: it becomes obvious to everyone inside this profession that working well is bad. What to make the most influential business newspaper, to invent the most cited and discussed materials, to earn more money, even at the peak of a crisis - this is all secondary; And most importantly - not to quarrel with anyone highly rank. It is better to voluntarily overlap yourself with flags and barriers, do not hide and do not run into, you can not even care about quality - and then you will be alive. In the same way, the success of automobile production does not depend on the quality of the cars - but mostly on loans and state contracts; For the creators of the cinema, it does not matter that they watch it - but it is critical that the state allocates the budget; The head of the region should take care of the welfare of the region, but about the percentage of the ruling party in the elections; The talent is useful where it is necessary to “open” and “highlight” a pre -given ideological line - but in general you can do without it. The story with RBC is unlikely to become a turning point, a point of non -return (how many of them are left behind) - but it is visible in the direction of the general movement, moral guidelines that determine this path: initiative is bad, quality - it doesn’t matter, independence will not bring to good, professionalism is good where they say, but no more. In the apathetic quagmire, where these guidelines drive people, you can also live - but there is nothing to reach out in it and there is nowhere to break through. You can live: all the more so in a country where nothing depends on you and all the moves are painted by the authorities for years to come, we already lived - however, this has not ended in any good.

Photo: Shcherbak Alexander/TASS