• Research
  • Politika
  • About
Carnegie Russia Eurasia center logoCarnegie lettermark logo
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Maria Lipman"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Caucasus",
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": []
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

In The Media
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Constrained or Irrelevant: The Media in Putin's Russia

Link Copied
By Maria Lipman
Published on Oct 1, 2005

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.

Click on the link above for the full text.

About the Author

Maria Lipman

Former Scholar in Residence, Society and Regions Program, Editor in Chief, Pro et Contra, Moscow Center

Lipman was the editor in chief of the Pro et Contra journal, published by the Carnegie Moscow Center. She was also the expert of the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Society and Regions Program.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    The Russian State Power and the Ukrainian Human Factor

      Maria Lipman

  • Commentary
    Putin’s Crimean Conquest Pushes Russia to an Anti-Modernization Course

      Maria Lipman

Maria Lipman
Former Scholar in Residence, Society and Regions Program, Editor in Chief, Pro et Contra, Moscow Center
Maria Lipman
CaucasusRussia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Putin Has Been a Hindrance, Not a Help, to United Russia’s Election Campaign

    Russia’s ruling party would have benefited from Putin appearing as its distant patron, but as an active frontman imposing his views on the public, he has done nothing but harm both the party’s election campaign and the ruling system overall.

      Andrey Pertsev

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    The Kremlin Can No Longer Postpone Hard Economic Decisions

    Depleted financial reserves and a shrinking tax base mean it is no longer possible to simultaneously deliver high defense spending, price stability, and economic growth.

      Alexandra Prokopenko

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Animal Tested by Leonid Bershidsky: A Utopian Novel for the Instagram Age

    Blurring the line between humans and animals is a long-standing tradition in social utopian prose. In his latest novel, Leonid Bershidsky reminds us that in social experiments, people are often treated no differently than animals.

      Alexander Baunov

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Russia and the West Want Different Things From Telegram’s Durov

    While France and Australia are seeking to establish the legal obligations of messaging apps like Telegram, Russia wants total subordination.

      Maria Kolomychenko

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Russia’s Orthodox Church Rewrites Rules for Venerating Saints to Help the Kremlin

    The recent uncovering of Dmitry Donskoy’s relics in the Cathedral of the Archangel is yet another attempt by the Russian Orthodox Church to help the state solve its problems. However, parroting the state’s version of Russian history leaves the Church with no message except “patriotism.”

      Alexander Zanemonets

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Carnegie Russia Eurasia logo, white
  • Research
  • Politika
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.