Cathy Young gives us a strong reminder of why free societies don’t license rights:
In March, Putin signed a decree merging two existing federal agencies—one for media oversight and the protection of culture, the other for telecommunications monitoring—into a single body, the Federal Service for the Oversight of Mass Communications and Protection of Cultural Heritage. It is perhaps no accident that the Russian word for “oversight” used in the agency’s name, nadzor, has a somewhat sinister ring for a Russian speaker: It commonly refers to the supervision of a prisoner. The new agency, which will start its work in about three months, will oversee and license broadcasters, the print media, and websites.
Now, what’s the likelihood that broadcasters, print media and bloggers who have a rather unfavorable view toward Vladimir Putin are going to be able to get this license?
I sometimes read Russia Blog to get an understanding of Russia’s situation. I’d say it’s “pro-Russian”, but not necessarily pro-Putin (it draws attention to both the good and bad things happening in Russia). Of course, it is a multi-author blog, so it is an amalgam of views.
With lines like “As the number of journalists being killed declines every year….” I try to check in every now and again.