Best regards, Andrew Stewart
Begin forwarded message: > From: FAIR <[email protected]> > Date: February 3, 2021 at 1:04:29 PM EST > To: [email protected] > Subject: Who Is Aleksei Navalny? NYT Once Knew, but Has Since Forgotten > Reply-To: FAIR <[email protected]> > > > > > > View article on FAIR's website > Who Is Aleksei Navalny? NYT Once Knew, but Has Since Forgotten > > JIM NAURECKAS > > > > > The New York Times headline (2/1/21) asks a good question that the > accompanying story completely fails to answer. > > "Who Is Aleksei Navalny?" was the headline over the "Inside the Times" column > (New York Times print edition, 2/1/21)--which is a good question, given that > the Russian activist has been mentioned more than 300 times in the paper, and > has become the undisputed poster child for opposition to Russian President > Vladimir Putin. > > Lauren Jackson, an editor at a Times podcasting project, wrote: > > Most of the New York Times' audio team knew the Russian opposition leader > Aleksei A. Navalny for his near-death experience—a cinematic story that > included a suspected state-sanctioned poisoning, a diverted plane and an > airlift to a German hospital. From following the news, we also knew about his > dissidence, including criticism of the Kremlin. But we didn’t know who he was > beyond these headlines. > > So in January, when Mr. Navalny voluntarily returned to Russia, where he was > promptly imprisoned, an editor on our team asked: Who is Aleksei Navalny? > > Another Times podcaster said, “We were interested in diving into this > character to understand how he got to be a powerful figure internationally.” > But when they called the paper's Moscow correspondent, Anton Troianovski, > they were told that “the defining moment in Navalny’s life had yet to happen, > and that it would happen on Saturday.” Would people turn out for protests > against Navalny's arrest? “The protests on Saturday were going to tell us a > lot about how Navalny’s legacy endured,” said one team member, while another > asked: “The protests that he called for, would they happen or wouldn’t they? > And what would be the repercussions?” > > > The fact that there were protests against the arrest of Aleksei Navalny (New > York Times, 1/29/21) tells us nothing about who Navalny is. > > "After recording most of the episode on Friday, we were left with a > cliffhanger, not knowing how the episode would end," Jackson related. > Spoiler: They saw large crowds, despite freezing temperatures. > > Of course, the fact that there were people who turned out in support of > Navalny doesn't really tell you anything at all about who he actually is. For > that, the Times audio team would have been better off going to the Times > archives, where they would have found a profile of Navalny from 2011. After > telling readers that he has "Nordic good looks, a caustic sense of humor and > no political organization," Troianovski's predecessor Ellen Barry (12/9/11) > related some rather more relevant background: > > He has appeared as a speaker alongside neo-Nazis and skinheads, and once > starred in a video that compares dark-skinned Caucasus militants to > cockroaches. While cockroaches can be killed with a slipper, he says that in > the case of humans, “I recommend a pistol.” > > It's not much of a cliffhanger, but the Times turns out to have known who > Navalny is for almost 10 years. > > ACTION ALERT: You can send a message to the New York Times at > [email protected] (Twitter:@NYTimes). Please remember that respectful > communication is the most effective. Feel free to leave a copy of your > communication in the comments thread. > > > > © 2020 Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. All rights reserved. > You are receiving this email because you signed up for email alerts from > Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting > > Our mailing address is: > FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING > 124 W. 30th Street, Suite 201 > New York, NY 10001 > > FAIR's Website > > FAIR counts on your support to do this work — please donate today. > > Follow us on Twitter | Friend us on Facebook > > change your preferences > > > unsubscribe. > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#6075): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/6075 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/80360160/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
