Source: Current History
The Soviet Union had an enormous number or newspapers, but no independent media. Objective reporting, working with a source, investigative journalism, news itself were unfamiliar concepts. Competition, advertising, profitability were unheard of. Holding the government accountable on behalf of the public was not an issue: the Soviet press was an arm of the state, and it preached to the public on the state's behalf.
Reprinted with permission from Current History (October 2005) c 2005, Current History, Inc.
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