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Newspaper that angered Putin closes
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| MisterOpus1 |
Ahh, good ol' Democracy, spreadin' like wildfire through Russia......
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Newspaper that angered Putin closes
By Shaun Walker in Moscow
Monday, 21 April 2008
Moskovsky Korrespondent, the newspaper that first reported rumours of a marriage between Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva, a 24-year-old gymnast, has closed, shortly after the President told journalists it was unacceptable to pry into his private life with "snotty noses and erotic fantasies".
Mr Putin strongly denied that he had divorced his wife Ludmilla and planned a June wedding with Ms Kabaeva. The owner of the paper, Alexander Lebedev, had said he thought the story was "nonsense" and the editorial team admitted there was no factual basis to the story.
The head of the paper's parent company, Artem Artemov, told journalists the paper was being "temporarily halted" due to its lack of profitability, and insisted there was no political subtext to the decision. Most Russian media obey the Kremlin line that Mr Putin's private life is off limits.
Mr Lebedev is a billionaire who has good relations with the Kremlin but also co-owns the sharply oppositionist Novaya Gazeta, where the murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya worked. There are suggestions the incident may have been an attempt to set up Mr Lebedev by hardliners involved in a Kremlin turf war.
Sergey Topol, who wrote the story, told The Independent yesterday that he was planning to report for work today as usual. "I heard that the newspaper has been suspended, but not closed down," he said. He also insisted he had not been questioned by the security services over the story. He had based it on a contact in a St Petersburg firm that was allegedly bidding for a secret tender to host the wedding.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/e...ses-812655.html |
Cue Magnetonium to rush to the defense of Putin in 5.....4......3.....2...... |
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| Magnetonium |
LOL ... There's no need for me to defend Putin, because the article says it all:
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The head of the paper's parent company, Artem Artemov, told journalists the paper was being "temporarily halted" due to its lack of profitability, and insisted there was no political subtext to the decision. |
BTW, that also might be a clever campaign to publicize his paper at no charge - heck, in Toronto over here some guy won a lottery and gave everyone free 10 pounds of chicken for customers all day at his company and he became a media celebrity overnight with news coverage on all media and TV - thats what I call clever advertising campaign at no charge. Some companies pay millions of dollars in advertising and still cant reach out to people like that guy did.
I mean, just listen to your Russophobic rhetoric - there's quite a difference between your rendition of "newspaper closes" instead of the actual "temporary halted". The way you spin it is the way the Western media does (you guys love to have the enemy in Russians, dont you?)
EDIT: The newspaper didnt "anger" Putin, not at all. Thats just its spin on the story by the Western Russophobic media. Putin just said he doesnt like people getting into his personal life - which even I say is the media trying too much. He didnt threaten the publisher at all - heck, when Putin was in Italy he was asked the same question by a reporter when talking with Berlusconi - and he shrugged it off too - and the Russian reporter who asked the question is still alive and happy and with a job (google it for yourself). So what? Russian media has rumours about Putin all the time, thats just how famous and how popular he is - a folk hero of sorts. Besides, at times when I read Russian media I think that its too often very similar to the British sensationalist type of media.
You guys are waaaaaaaaaaaaay overanalyzing things and keep trying to look for excuses for Russian "authoritarian" symptoms. How silly. |
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| Magnetonium |
Also, I find it offensive when you guys cue up that silly "Magnetonium countdown to defend Putin". Noone says that to you when you defend your opinion. How about actually putting up some good commentary on the article instead? Oh wait - maybe its because you guys dont have anything to say other than putting on your authoritarian 3D glasses and looking at everything in Russia as signs of looming dictatorship. Look in your own backyard - your democracy is not much better than Russia's. And Russia's democracy is only 17 years old. |
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| jerZ07002 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Magnetonium
Look in your own backyard - your democracy is not much better than Russia's. And Russia's democracy is only 17 years old.[/COLOR] |
:rolleyes:
that's a bit of a stretch. I can think of two major differences off the top of my head: (i) our president can't hand pick the next president, and (ii) our president gets kicked out after at most 8 years and he actually leaves.
we're not perfect, but we are the model. |
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| DJ Shibby |
| quote: | Originally posted by Magnetonium
LOL ... There's no need for me to defend Putin, because the article says it all:
BTW, that also might be a clever campaign to publicize his paper at no charge - heck, in Toronto over here some guy won a lottery and gave everyone free 10 pounds of chicken for customers all day at his company and he became a media celebrity overnight with news coverage on all media and TV - thats what I call clever advertising campaign at no charge. Some companies pay millions of dollars in advertising and still cant reach out to people like that guy did.
I mean, just listen to your Russophobic rhetoric - there's quite a difference between your rendition of "newspaper closes" instead of the actual "temporary halted". The way you spin it is the way the Western media does (you guys love to have the enemy in Russians, dont you?)
EDIT: The newspaper didnt "anger" Putin, not at all. Thats just its spin on the story by the Western Russophobic media. Putin just said he doesnt like people getting into his personal life - which even I say is the media trying too much. He didnt threaten the publisher at all - heck, when Putin was in Italy he was asked the same question by a reporter when talking with Berlusconi - and he shrugged it off too - and the Russian reporter who asked the question is still alive and happy and with a job (google it for yourself). So what? Russian media has rumours about Putin all the time, thats just how famous and how popular he is - a folk hero of sorts. Besides, at times when I read Russian media I think that its too often very similar to the British sensationalist type of media.
You guys are waaaaaaaaaaaaay overanalyzing things and keep trying to look for excuses for Russian "authoritarian" symptoms. How silly. |
I don't think he's being "phobic" of Russia at all... phobic to propaganda and control perhaps. |
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| Shakka |
| I must say that, as an observation, Magnetonium is generally more in the "CT" camp on this board, so I find it a bit funny that he would accept the article's "defense" at face value. Funny how things change when it comes to the motherland. You don't think there was just the incy weenciest bit of pressure coming down from the top? Pot meet kettle. |
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| Magnetonium |
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ Shibby
I don't think he's being "phobic" of Russia at all... phobic to propaganda and control perhaps. |
What are you talking about? There's no control or propaganda in this article. Read it carefully again.
| quote: | Originally posted by jerZ07002
:rolleyes:
that's a bit of a stretch. I can think of two major differences off the top of my head: (i) our president can't hand pick the next president, and (ii) our president gets kicked out after at most 8 years and he actually leaves.
we're not perfect, but we are the model. |
A great model for world domination - a great model which prefers dictatorships over fledging and developing democracies. Look at Saudi Arabia and the likes.
Medvedev wasnt hand-picked ... He had to win public support and he did. And it wasnt a Houdini of any sorts. Its a matter of trust and public faith/support in the Putin program. What you want from Russia is harmful to the Russian people - recall the 1990s?
| quote: | Originally posted by Shakka
I must say that, as an observation, Magnetonium is generally more in the "CT" camp on this board, so I find it a bit funny that he would accept the article's "defense" at face value. Funny how things change when it comes to the motherland. You don't think there was just the incy weenciest bit of pressure coming down from the top? Pot meet kettle. |
What's so "CT" about this story? I am not a hypocrite - I know Russian government and American government dont have clean hands. With the country as messed up as Russia, the ones on top dont have clean hands. You have to get your hands dirty to come to power. I defend Russia for different things (which you fail to notice). If I keep criticizing and destroying Russia like you guys wish and support, and if many Russians do that (which is sort of happening, especially in 1990s), the country and the culture will fall apart and decline. |
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| Magnetonium |
Besides, in 2000 USA Presidential elections, Clinton "hand-picked" Al Gore. |
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| DJ Eco |
| quote: | Originally posted by Magnetonium
Besides, in 2000 USA Presidential elections, Clinton "hand-picked" Al Gore. |
No he didn't. Al Gore wanted nothing to do with Clinton. Many think that may be the reason he lost (aside from the Florida debacle). |
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| jerZ07002 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Magnetonium
[COLOR=FF7F50]
Medvedev wasnt hand-picked ... He had to win public support and he did. And it wasnt a Houdini of any sorts. Its a matter of trust and public faith/support in the Putin program. What you want from Russia is harmful to the Russian people - recall the 1990s?
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believe what you want, but the fact that putin will remain in a position of power is very telling. |
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| guerra-monstru |
| The way an American and CANADIAN see things is so funny. But coming from someone neutral it is a safe bet to say things are not what they seem. |
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| jerZ07002 |
| quote: | Originally posted by guerra-monstru
The way an American and CANADIAN see things is so funny. But coming from someone neutral it is a safe bet to say things are not what they seem. |
explain further please. |
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