Moscow Diary: Media tensions

The BBC's James Rodgers examines the contrasting stances of Western and Russian journalists at a time of heightened rhetoric. He also admires the glittering churches of Suzdal and worries about Moscow's hot water. His diary is published fortnightly.

COLD WORDS

Britain and Russia have been punching each other in a verbal boxing match. Some of the blows landed in the current bout stretch the meaning of "diplomatic".

President Putin has lashed out at Western critics

Even an informal discussion between British and Russian journalists was likely to include a few bare-knuckle moments.

We were supposed to talk about Russia's image abroad, and whether the media should try to improve it.

My British and other Western colleagues didn't feel it was the duty of the media to improve anyone or anything's image - not that of their own country or any other.

We didn't end up in a boxing match, verbal or otherwise. But there were a couple of occasions which were the equivalent of a weigh-in: when the two fighters look mean and stand nose-to-nose for the photographers.

The discussion illustrated perfectly some of the ways in which Russia and the West just don't agree with or understand each other.

The Western correspondents said they had a duty to question the claims of the Kremlin.

It was a principle which, they said, they applied everywhere - in their home countries, and on other foreign assignments. They saw part of their job as questioning officialdom.

They had a duty to challenge Russia where it seemed to fall short of its proclaimed democratic standards.

In this country, the state, or businesses friendly to the administration, control much of the mainstream media

Riot police breaking up opposition protests earlier this year was given as one example.

The international press made much of that story - the Russian media, very little.

It was only a short time before the discussion inevitably turned to the most divisive issue - the death of former secret agent Alexander Litvinenko and its consequences.

The differing views illustrated wider issues.

Some Russian participants appeared convinced that foreign correspondents here are driven by an implacable "Russophobia".

This view seemed to hide the most important thing to be learned from the whole discussion.

In this country, the state, or businesses friendly to the administration, control much of the mainstream media. They have a strong say in the editorial line.

Some Russians seem to think it's the same everywhere else.

Hostile coverage is the result of a campaign against Russia, the argument goes, so the Russian media have a duty to fight to improve their country's image.

Not all the participants expressed that view. There seemed to be a clear division.

The two who held it most strongly seemed to be the two youngest - representatives of the generation which will provide Russia's future editors and publishers.

In the first years after the end of communism, many people believed that the media here would eventually work like the media in Western countries.

The coming generation doesn't seem to see it that way.

There's no reason why Russia should be like the West. In the same way, Russians shouldn't assume that the West works the same way as Russia.

There was little in this discussion to suggest that the situation - or Russia's image - will improve any time soon.

Whoever was behind the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, and for whatever reason, Russia's reputation has suffered.

WARM WELCOME

Suzdal is one of the towns which make up the "Golden Ring" - the centre of political, economic, and religious power in medieval Russia.

Suzdal embodies the resilient power of the Orthodox Church

I recently visited for the weekend. Suzdal is charming and pedestrian-friendly - a welcome change from Moscow. The people were welcoming in a way the residents of any capital city rarely are.

There seemed, though, to be a contemporary echo of the intrigues and power struggles which must have shaped the "Golden Ring" in the Middle Ages.

In communist times, the Church lost much of its property. Now it's back as a force in society. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy II, enjoys a high profile in the state media.

That new strength seems to have given it confidence. I overheard one tour guide telling the tale of one monastery which had become a hotel in the 1970s. The Church, she had heard, was trying to get the hotel closed.

"Probably the Church will succeed," she suggested.

A BIG TURN-OFF

As the temperature rises, the three weeks without hot water get nearer.

Moscow is still struggling with much Soviet-era infrastructure

Phrases like "Russia the oil superpower" and "Russia the global energy giant" have appeared countless times in the media coverage of this country over the last few years.

Is this the same Russia where they turn off the hot water "for prophylactic reasons" for three weeks every summer?

Most people who live - as I do - in a Soviet-era apartment block get their hot water straight from a heating station. Every year, the pipes are cleaned. While that goes on, the supply is switched off.

This is not a complaint. I am lucky enough to have a boiler.

In any case, where I have previously lived without one, the summers here have usually been warm enough to make it bearable without hot water. There are plenty of parts of the world where any sort of water supply is a luxury. Thousands of people in Britain have recently lost theirs because of the floods.

It's more a total lack of comprehension. What sort of a "global energy giant" can't even supply hot water?

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Your comments:

I do understand why Russia is concerned about how its image is portrayed by the western media where very broad far-reaching negative statements feeding existing stereotypes are commonly given without any support. Also, I rarely see examples of western media performing their duty of questioning claims or accusations of western politicians towards Russia. Give me a break, western media is not that blameless or perfect!
Yuri, London, Canada

One important point I would like to make. Many British journalists make a puzzled face when they hear of an "orchestrated media campaign against Russia" or the accusations that they are not objective, and dismiss these accusations as a "Russian misunderstanding of how the Western media works". There is a clear misunderstanding on the side of Western reporters here.
Andrey, St Petersburg, Russia

Whenever I return to Moscow after a business trip to London, I always enjoy having only one tap instead of two where hot and cold water are separated. We don't say Great Britain can't afford a mixer, we say there is a small infrastructure problem.
Sergey, Moscow, Russia

Western media never ceases to amaze me. I have lived in Nigeria, Russia and now the US and I must tell you that western media only sees what they want to see as in what they are used to and seek to serve only their own interest. There is nothing wrong with what Russia is doing with a few exceptions; then again, don't all western states have their exceptions? On one hand, western states expect all regions to be like them without ever understanding the life and history of that region. When will you ever learn that there are places that do not share your view and don't want to live like you in the west...leave it alone and move on!
Pete, Texas, USA

James Rodgers states that, he and his colleages "didn't feel it was the duty of the media to improve anyone or anything's image". However that is exactly what he is doing in his article. He is knocking Russian views and in essence telling us why his views are better. The truth is from my perspective that all media is bias and nationalistic, pretending that they are not is an insult to the reader.
Theo Lagakos, Toronto, Canada

Not many people in Russia think or assume that the media in the West is controlled by the government. Most do think however that there is a clear anti-Russian bigotry that generally permeates most Western countries. This is what's reflected in the media. I don't recall watching a single film that even has a remotely neutral portrayal of anything Russian. The news media is not much different, at all times most assume that Russians are guilty until proven innocent and news stories are generally cherry picked to fit whatever stereotype you have of us.
Vladislav, Moscow, Russia

James, I disagree that Russians think the media is working the same way in West. As a Russian living in the UK for 8 years, I think that the West's media is not a good example to follow. Both Russia and the West have some bias, but the difference is that Russian audience and especially journalists know the West pretty well, through Western media, art, tourism and work. The West knows almost nothing about Russia. A balanced, well informed article, appears in the UK maybe once a year. The rest is just a compilation of official stories, gossip and the good old Cold War stereotypes, so popular that they there is little incentive to improve.
Sergei, Edinburgh

"In this country, the state, or businesses friendly to the administration, control much of the mainstream media. They have a strong say in the editorial line. Some Russians seem to think it's the same everywhere else." How foolish of them. Don't they know that advertising from government and corporate sectors in the west means nothing to our glorious western editors, who serve truth and not profit?
Toby, Zurich, Switzerland

No superpower is entitled to provide hot water to homes. It's the duty of businesses and households to make sure they have hot water. The state's responsibility is to ensure enough potable water provided and that the water doesn't become the monopoly of the European backed oligarch. The problems between Russia and the West are not the problems of values or human rights. The problem is rather the struggle over resources. The West is upset with Russia's refusal to share its resources with Western oil companies. And Russia has every right to do this. Nowadays, not only Russians, but the entire world has started to understand that the West isn't the angel it was depicted to be.
Ramil, Baku, Azerbaijan

Great article about an interesting country.
Olav, Oslo, Norway

Your story about the water system is not just a Russian problem. The same happens in countries like Romania where no hot water is available for weeks. In most parts of Romania cold water is given a few hours a day and hot water every other day for just three hours. That is if you are lucky because in almost every village people do not have running water. Those people never have a bath or shower, not even during the very hot summers.
Brinkman, Thornbury, UK

It is my firm belief that western hegemony is still very much alive and bent on trying to destroy any visible remnants of the Soviet era. The leaders of the Kremlin state should resist this hate campaign perpetrated by western leaders and their media. In my own view, criticisms laid upon the Russian media are just a smear campaign to tarnish their image yet the same state sponsored media houses exist in the west to churn out lies and criticism against those states or nations perceived to be "anti-western". To the people and leaders of the Russian nation, I salute your resoluteness and continued growth as a sovereign state.
Mudozori Gift, Harare, Zimbabwe

I think the journalists in Russia have gone too far when it comes to patriotism. It's stopping free speech. Great article though.
Jeff Njoroge, Nairobi, Kenya

Mr Rodgers - I'm with you. I cannot understand how a former superpower who keeps a man in space cannot provide drinkable water to its citizens. We live on the Amur river that flows north from China. Needless to say, it's polluted. But so are most of the rivers in Europe and America and we manage to drink water from the tap. Russia is a great country and I am truly enjoying living here but it's a travesty that they cannot prioritize drinkable water at least in the major cities.
Jen Redditt, Khabarovsk, Russia

Why do we always hear about the low democratic standards in Russia, Iran, Venezuela, etc? Why aren't there such casual reports on other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, or Uzbekistan or Libya, which a few years ago was the devil itself? Perhaps because the Western interests want to maintain a bad public opinion on their strategic enemies only? Could this be a suggestion that western media are not as independent as they want us to believe, and they also serve interests?
Chris, Greece

Whatever James Rodgers tells readers about Russia is very valuable to me. There is no need for me to travel and spend so much money and time to know a little bit about Moscow or Russian people and places. I want to thank the BBC and its correspondents for what they provide their readers and viewers.
Gholamhosain Tasbihi, Tabriz, Iran

The reporter does not have to go that far out of Moscow to see the other Russia. Just after Sheremetovo airport the only thing conveniently connected to the house is the electricity. The water comes from a shared central well (with a bucket on a rope) and the toilet is in the back of the garden.
Ben, Moscow, Russia