The Kremlin's Media Takeover 15 years after the Chernobyl accident, the Russian press is facing its own meltdown. As Gazprom, the partially state-owned gas company, takes over formerly private NTV and President Vladimir Putin uses a combination of prosecution and police force to bring other independent media under his control, international governments and press freedom groups condemn the Kremlin's actions. MediaChannel affiliates unravel the mess.

ANALYSIS Putin: Bad for press freedom but good for business? From Transitions Online, April 24, 2001 Why the Kremlin hired an American capitalist to head NTV From Feed, April 24, 2001 Kremlin claims the takeovers and shut-downs are business, not politics From Transitions Online, April 18, 2001 Gusinsky versus Putin From Guardian Unlimited, April 24, 2001 "Don't bother mourning the corporate, neo-liberal NTV" From Centre For Media Alternatives Quebec City, April 23, 2001 Self-censorship in Russia's local press From The Christian Science Monitor, April 23, 2001 Russia's regional press has never been free From Transitions Online, April 24, 2001 BACKGROUND Putin's attacks on the press in 2000. From Committee To Protect Journalists, March 8, 2001 The post-soviet press: Russian media in the 1990's From Dr. Ivan Zassoursky, June 28, 2000 Evaluation of free speech in the Russian Federation From Public Expertise, April 03, 2001 "Former KGB man Putin is worse than the oligarchs" From Michael Hammerschlag, April 09, 2001 Media capitalism before Putin From MediaChannel, February 3, 2000   What's Your View? Speak Out in the MediaChannel Forum. AS THE MEDIA WATCH THE WORLD, WE WATCH THE MEDIA.