Disinformation: born in the last century, thriving in this one
‘Dezinformatsiya’—meaning ‘disinformation’ in Russian—is a 20th century word that symbolizes perfectly the communications field between the Moscow elite and the West in the 21st century. During the current confrontation over Ukraine—and the different portrayals of that crisis in press and public opinion in the West and Russia—that field has...
Live Book Event: ‘Assignment Moscow’ at the Frontline Club, London. March 1st
My first live, in-person, event to discuss ‘Assignment Moscow’ will be at the Frontline Club in London on March 1st, 2022. If you are in London that evening, please come along. There are more details here , including how to book tickets. The book tells the story of the...
Chronicles Of A Collapse: Journalism And The End Of Soviet History
This post is an article originally published on The Conversation, as, ‘Writing history: 30 years on, a former Moscow correspondent reflects on the end of the USSR’. It includes reflections on the relationship between journalism and history, and explains why–in the Journalism department where I teach–we are launching a new...
How A Shocking Book Tells Stories So Well
THE AUDIENCE WAS SILENT THROUGHOUT, only stirring to hush some people from the venue who had started a whispered conversation at the back of the hall. When the time came for them to question the author, they slowly began to raise their hands. They seemed still to be trying...
New for November 2021: latest journalism, and upcoming in-person book events
AS MY PHYSICAL WORLD CONTRACTED in London’s lockdowns over the last eighteen months and more, so I sometimes found my intellectual and imaginative world seemed to contract, too. I never imagined I would miss commuting on the London underground, but I did miss the stimulation that came with movement...
Reporting The End Of Soviet Superpower: Moscow, Summer 1991
My article ‘This Story Has A Long Way To Run‘ in the current British Journalism Review reflects on my experience covering the end of the Soviet Union thirty years ago–and what has come since. I’ll be discussing this–and other ideas in my latest book Assignment Moscow: Reporting on Russia...
May 2021: elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
I am delighted to announce that I have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, in recognition of my ‘contribution to the discipline of History’. I am extremely grateful that my work has been honoured in this way. As a journalist reporting on international affairs, I was...
Assignment Moscow: ‘History Today’ podcast
I spoke recently to Paul Lay, Editor of History Today, for an episode of the magazine’s podcast. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts from the links below, and you can read History Today‘s review of Assignment Moscow here. You can buy the book direct...
Assignment Moscow: Upcoming Events
I have two upcoming talks on my new book, Assignment Moscow: Reporting on Russia From Lenin to Putin. Both will be taking place on Zoom. Please book a place and join the discussion! The first is organized by Pushkin House on Tuesday 27th October at 1800 GMT. Details here....
Reporting on World War II From the Soviet Union
I have just had a post published on the BBC History Research web page. You can read the post, which includes pictures from the BBC archives, here. Full text follows below. JOURNALISM AND HISTORY: the former is frequently called the first draft of the latter, but often drawing on...