Depredador(a)

Vladimir Putin

Presidente de la Federación Rusa desde 2000

Depredador desde que llegó al poder

Rusia, 150º/180 en la Clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MÉTODO DE DEPREDACIÓN: autoritarismo nacionalista

Propulsado al poder después de una década, la de 1990, marcada por la disolución de la autoridad, Vladimir Putin ha tenido desde entonces una única consigna: el control. Los medios acusaron de inmediato los efectos de la "vertical del poder" que había teorizado durante sus dos primeros mandatos. Desde principios de la década de 2000, el Kremlin se fue apoderando de todos los canales de televisión nacionales, lo que expuso a los ciudadanos rusos a una avalancha de propaganda. Este intervencionismo se vio fuertemente agravado tras su regreso a la presidencia, que provocó una ola de protestas sin precedentes en mayo de 2012. Frente a la reafirmación de la sociedad civil, Vladimir Putin ha hecho aprobar una cascada de leyes liberticidas que criminalizan las protestas y limitan la libertad de expresión. La ley de medios “agentes del extranjero”, que ha afectado a toda la prensa desde 2017, ha provocado grandes dificultades económicas en medios independientes, como Meduza, y algunos han tenido que cerrar. Además, varios periodistas se han visto obligados a identificarse como "agentes extranjeros". Durante las protestas a favor de Navalny, las fuerzas del orden han violado de forma notoria y masiva la libertad de prensa. La garra se va apretando en internet, donde se ha ido asumiendo el mando de manera gradual desde 2012 gracias a las numerosas leyes destinadas a prohibir determinados contenidos, a incrementar el control sobre el flujo de datos, a impedir las comunicaciones en línea anónimas o a establecer un sistema de vigilancia generalizada.

OBJETIVOS PREDILECTOS: los medios independientes

Contra los medios independientes, Vladimir Putin se sirve especialmente de la ley de medios "agentes del extranjero", además de los oligarcas y empresarios afines que compran y asimilan a los medios independientes.

Decenas de periodistas han sido víctimas de detenciones, a veces violentas y arbitrarias, mientras cubrían protestas en favor del opositor Alexei Navalny. La situación de la libertad de expresión en Rusia es la peor que se ha vivido en el país desde la caída de la URSS. Actualmente hay al menos ocho periodistas rusos en prisión: Alexander Valov (2018), Remzi Bekirov (2019), Abdulmumin Gadjiev (2019), Rachid Maisigov (2019), Ivan Safronov (2020), Ian Katelevski (2020), Aleksander Dorogov (2020) y Vladislav Yesipenko (2021). En 2020, el periodista Aleksander Tolmachev murió por falta de atención médica mientras estaba detenido.

DISCURSO OFICIAL: palabrería desvergonzada

"¡Tenemos tantos canales de noticias, canales de internet, tenemos tantas opiniones diferentes y en los medios hay tantas opiniones críticas con las autoridades (y con este su humilde servidor)…! Creo que no tienen de esto sus países, que los periodistas no critican al poder con tanta dureza". (Declaración realizada en el Foro Económico de San Petersburgo el 8 de junio de 2021).

“La posición activa y responsable de los medios de comunicación, un periodismo independiente y valiente de verdad, hace más falta y es más indispensable que nunca para Rusia". (Discurso dirigido al Sindicato de Periodistas en abril de 2013).