Losing Pravda: Ethics and The Press in Post-Truth Russia

by Natalia Roudakova

What happens when journalism is made superfluous? Combining ethnography, media analysis, moral and political theory this book examines the unravelling of professional journalism in Russia over the past twenty-five years, and its effects on society. It argues that, contrary to widespread assumptions, late Soviet-era journalists shared a cultural contract with their audiences, which ensured that their work was guided by a truth-telling ethic. Post-communist economic and political upheaval led not so much to greater press freedom as to the de-professionalization of journalism, as journalists found themselves having to monetize their truth-seeking skills. This has culminated in a perception of journalists as political prostitutes, or members of the 'second oldest profession', as they are commonly termed in Russia. Roudakova argues that this cultural shift has fundamentally eroded the value of truth-seeking and telling in Russian society.

Genres: History, Russia

278 pages, Paperback

Published September 28, 2017

About the author

Natalia Roudakova is a cultural anthropologist (Ph. D., Stanford University, 2007) working in the fields of political communication, journalism, and media studies, with an interest in moral philosophy and political and cultural theory.

Reviews

[Jonathan Karstadt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An original and thought-provoking look at the history of political journalism in Russia, particularly its development from the late-Soviet period to the Putin era. Really insightful analysis of the links between the cultural and political-economic developments in the media industry and its effects on public attitudes to epistemology and the public sphere, drawing on a wide range of anthropology, media scholarship and critical theory. Gives insight not only into the challenges of democracy and public life in Russia, but also for journalists in the west grappling with the growing dominance of private capital over the public interest role of the media. Only real criticism is that Roudakova neglects to thoroughly analyse the development of internet and social media access and the associated developments in journalism, even while acknowledging the role that bloggers have played in the Russian political scene.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and readable!