Nadhezda Azhgikhina will discuss the future for independent journalism in Russia, and the outlook for freedom of expression and civil society.
What are the main online platforms and channels for independent journalism in Russia today? What is the scope for action by NGOs? Is there cooperation between journalists and media channels that have left Russia, and those who remain in the country? Looking further ahead, what are the prospects for freedom of expression and the development of civil society?
The talk will range over the past 30 years of Russian history, including lessons that can be drawn from the early years of the struggle for democratization, the role of culture in public discussion, old and new stereotyping, and challenges for civil society and free expression. The basic achievements of perestroika and glasnost, as well as three decades of experience of independent media, horizontal networking and human rights activism, have left an indelible impression in Russian people. There are independent voices and groups in most regions of Russia, and motivated and dedicated citizens who are on the frontline in the struggle for the future.
Meet the speakers and chair
Nadezda Azhgikhina is a prominent Russian journalist, writer and scholar, who is currently Moscow Director of PEN, and a trustee of Article 19. She was vice president of the European Federation of Journalists from 2013-2109, and was the founding director of the Association of Women Journalists (1994- 2003), and a board member of the Women's World Writers' Association (1996- 2008). Nadezhda Azhgikhina has helped to lead a number of international projects on the protection of journalists, gender equality, and media development and culture, with organisations including UNESCO, UN Women, and OSCE.
Vladislav Zubok is professor of international history, with expertise on the Cold War, the Soviet Union, Stalinism, and Russia’s intellectual history in the 20th century. His most recent book is “Collapse. The Fall of the Soviet Union.” (2021).
Christopher Coker is the Director of LSE IDEAS. His publications include Rebooting Clausewitz, Men at War: what fiction has to tell us about conflict from the Iliad to Catch 22 ; The Improbable War: China, the US and the logic of Great Power War; Future War, and The Rise of the Civilizational State. His most recent book is Why War?
More information about the event
This event is hosted by LSE IDEAS
Event hashtags: #LSEJournalism
LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and opinion-formers, IDEAS provides a forum that informs policy debate and connects academic research with the practice of diplomacy and strategy.