After Bloomberg and CNN suspend operations, NYT removes journalists from Russia

With several media organisations halting operations in Russia amid a new law specifying punishments for “false information” about the Ukraine invasion, the New York Times has said that it is “temporarily removing” its journalists from Russia.

The new law, passed on March 4, punishes anyone spreading “false information” about the Ukraine invasion with up to 15 years of imprisonment – Russia wants the media to report the violence as a ‘special military operation” and avoid words such as “war” and “invasion”. Russia had blocked access to major foreign news websites on Friday last week. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter were also blocked, the Hindustan Times reported.

In a statement, NYT spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said that the new law sought to “criminalise independent, accurate” news reporting about the war. “For the safety and security of our editorial staff working in the region, we are moving them out of the country for now…we look forward to them returning as soon as possible while we monitor the application of the new law.” She went on to say that the NYT will continue “live, robust” coverage of the war, Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and the attempts to “stifle independent journalism”.

In the wake of the new law, several media outlets in Russia have suspended operations, such as Bloomberg News, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, and CNN, according to the Hindustan Times.

Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait had said in a statement that the law seemed to be “designed to turn any independent reporter into a criminal” and thus made it “impossible to continue any semblance of normal journalism inside the country”.

While announcing the suspension of its operations, the CBC said it was “very concerned” about the law which “appears to criminalise independent reporting” on the war.

According to CNN Business, a spokesperson from CNN said that while they were not shutting down their Moscow bureau, they were going to stop reporting from there, “until we have assessed the impact of this new law”.

Shortly after the law was passed, the BBC had initially announced a halt in operations. On Tuesday, however, the broadcaster announced that after “careful deliberation”, it is set to resume English language reporting from Russia. “We have considered the implications of the new legislation alongside the urgent need to report from inside Russia,” the BBC said in a statement. “We will tell this crucial part of the story independently and impartially, adhering to the BBC's strict editorial standards. The safety of our staff in Russia remains our number one priority,” it added.

Other media outlets are taking precautions. On Tuesday, the AP’s live updates on the war did not contain Moscow datelines, CNN Business reported. A Washington Post story on Russia’s currency was written by a reporter from Washington DC instead of Moscow.

Among local media, several independent journalists are fleeing the country fearing punishment. On March 3, the staff of one of Russia’s last remaining independent news channels, TV Rain, resigned on live television, declaring “no to war”.

CNN Business reported that while speaking to the Wall Street Journal, TV Rain EIC Tikhon Dzyadko, who has fled the country, said, “I think now the future is pretty dark…normal, independent journalism is almost dead.”

On March 3, The Ekho Moskvy radio station, which was one of Russia’s last liberal media outlets, also dissolved its board because of pressure over its coverage of the war, Al Jazeera reported.