Assignment Moscow: update March 2022
‘THE STORY OF Western correspondents in Russia is the story of Russia’s attitude to the West.’ So opens the final chapter of my book, Assignment Moscow: Reporting on Russia from Lenin to Putin . This worst of times for Russia’s relations with the West has also become the worst of times to be reporting from Russia–to the extent that some news organizations have decided to stop, at least for now.
This week the New York Times withdrew its staff from Moscow, blaming, ‘a new law that effectively criminalizes independent reporting.’ Those journalists–international and Russian alike–who remain in Russia work in incredibly difficult circumstances under the new legislation. Because the news media are required to use only official sources when reporting the invasion of Ukraine, even describing the invasion as an invasion or a war could, in theory, land a journalist in gaol.
Beginning with Russia’s revolutionary year of 1917, Assignment Moscow traces the experiences of the men and women who have played a disproportionate role in forming western opinion of a country that so few westerners visit. In a war of which journalism, communication, and propaganda are such important parts it explains the way that the relationship between the Kremlin and international correspondents has worked over the last century.
The book sold out on Amazon this week, but is available there as an e-book. The print edition is available from the publisher, Bloomsbury, here in the U.K., and here in the U.S. Thank you to everyone who has read it so far, and especially to those readers who have left reviews on Amazon .
My apologies to those people who bought tickets for my event at the Frontline Club in London earlier this month. That was postponed because of a transport strike. It should be rearranged in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, I have been doing a lot of media work, including writing a 1500 word article for The New European arguing that the war in Ukraine could eventually end Vladimir Putin’s political career, discussing the article with editor Steve Anglesey on The New European‘s podcast, and being on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in the U.K. to talk about the political and cultural significance of western businesses leaving Russia.
In addition to media work, I have also spoken at a number of public events in the last two weeks: at a club, a university, and a cultural centre. For media work or speaking engagements, please contact me via this site, or on Twitter @jmacrodgers. For media enquiries specifically about the book, please contact mollie.broad@bloomsbury.com.
