Ex-State TV Reporter Zhanna Agalakova: 'We All Bear Some Degree of Responsibility'

Zhanna Agalakova is an ex-reporter and quality anchor who gained prominence for her enactment astatine Russia's state-controlled Channel One broadcaster, 1 of the country's starring tv networks. 

In March 2022, she made planetary headlines by resigning from her presumption successful protestation of Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, returning her authorities awards to the Kremlin and telling Russians “to power the TV off.”

Since leaving Channel One, Agalakova has go a vocal professional of Russian authorities media and its relation successful the war.

The Moscow Times spoke to Agalakova astir the ethical dilemmas faced by authorities TV workers and their work to society.

The Moscow Times: You worked astatine Channel One for implicit 20 years. How did your cognition toward your enactment evolve? 

Zhanna Agalakova: It was a cumulative effect — the state of a writer diminished gradually. At first, it was mean work; the 1990s offered a batch of state to journalists successful Russia. I joined Channel One due to the fact that it was a large media outlet with monolithic scope crossed the state and abroad. A benignant of turning constituent for maine was successful the mid-2000s erstwhile it became wide successful our newsroom that Dmitry Medvedev would beryllium the adjacent president [after Vladimir Putin]. It was precise evident; we were instructed to amusement him each time connected the air. For me, this was unacceptable due to the fact that I understood that neither successful the informational nor governmental discourse did this person, whom we were pushing arsenic the aboriginal president, connection thing exceptional.

I realized that I was personally accountable for what I was saying connected surface — by then, the viewer’s cognition toward TV presenters had shifted. They were nary longer conscionable announcers, but journalists with autarkic thoughts. I knew I was the look of a argumentation that was being implemented and I didn’t privation to beryllium portion of it. So, I asked to transportation from anchoring to a analogous relation and moved to France. It was a fantastic time. Relations betwixt Russia, Europe and the satellite were inactive good. I worked freely without compromising my conscience. I covered what I recovered important and had galore initiatives. However, adjacent this model gradually closed.

Can you picture the propaganda techniques utilized successful authorities media? How bash they enactment and power people?

There’s a well-known "60/40 principle": initially, you supply 60% information — halfway facts — past gradually insert propaganda elements, steering the communicative successful the desired direction. It’s similar the aged parable of respective unsighted men who described an elephant based connected touching it. Each touched a antithetic portion — the trunk, the tail, a limb — and described lone what they felt, believing it was the full truth. That’s however propaganda works: definite facts are exaggerated and presented arsenic the sole reality, distorting the broader picture.

There’s besides the reddish herring method — introducing a blatant prevarication into the media abstraction and spreading it crossed each platforms. Everyone starts discussing it, careless of its source. This prevarication gains traction and yet gets recycled backmost into the strategy arsenic if validated by 3rd parties. A premier illustration was the assertion that Volodymyr Zelensky was an alleged cause addict. Propaganda outlets pushed this narrative, which past circulated widely, creating a feedback loop of mendacious legitimacy.

A watershed infinitesimal for maine was the infamous communicative of the "crucified boy," a fabricated assertion that Ukrainian forces had crucified a small lad successful the Donetsk portion [in 2014]. This outright prevarication archetypal appeared connected the transmission wherever I worked.

This brings america to the question of journalistic responsibility...

I consciousness liable for the information that Russians supported the warfare truthful massively. We each carnivore immoderate grade of responsibility. [Regarding the "crucified boy” story], I americium not liable for the information that this quality was aired. I couldn’t person influenced its quality oregon its dissemination. But I bash consciousness liable for not reacting the mode an honorable and liable writer should person reacted — to basal up and permission that room. 

How hard is it to discontinue a state-run channel?

These decisions are seldom made with the head, they travel from the bosom oregon the stomach. Most radical take based connected their stomachs — mortgages, children successful euphony oregon sports clubs, aged parents needing medicine and truthful on. I spoke with colleagues earlier and close aft the warfare — now each connections person ceased. They faced dense burdens, waiting for pensions oregon different beingness changes. We each hoped, and nary 1 believed warfare was possible.

Do you inactive ticker Channel One, possibly retired of nonrecreational curiosity?

I haven’t watched it successful months, possibly fractional a year. Maybe I should occasionally. It’s indispensable to recognize what’s happening.

Is it imaginable to scope radical who ticker authorities tv and amusement them a fuller representation of Russia?

Right now, it’s astir impossible. All media successful Russia is nether strict control. Alternative views are suppressed, with terrible consequences for those progressive — prison, restrictions, the overseas cause statement and truthful on. Independent accusation tin lone beryllium dispersed via outlets based extracurricular Russia, with the assistance of VPNs. But stories inactive circulate [inside Russia] via societal media, stories astir antithetic issues similar migrant workers oregon the struggles of widows [of Russian soldiers]. These accounts resonate with radical eventually, particularly arsenic the interaction of sanctions and the militarization of manufacture becomes evident. I judge this displacement is inevitable.

You besides reflected connected the relation of a writer successful Russia portion filming a documentary wherever you showed your girl the country…

The movie explores my work arsenic a writer and mother. It’s not finished yet, but we’ve made important progress. We traveled to implicit 30 Russian cities. I deliberately chose non-touristy spots to amusement the unvarnished reality. What struck maine was however small had changed during Putin’s presidency. Everywhere, radical are suffering and successful need. One striking communicative was a woody location with a monolithic Russian emblem connected its facade. Inside, 7 oregon 8 families lived successful dire conditions, with holes successful the level and nary sewage. A nonmigratory had hung the emblem retired of patriotism, and for me, it symbolized our state — nary sewage, but plentifulness of pride. Pride for what?

I’d similar to extremity connected a hopeful note. Do you imagination of returning to Russia?

After the warfare began, erstwhile my beingness stabilized, I wrote connected a poster: “I volition spot a escaped Russia, and I volition instrumentality to a escaped Russia.” It’s the archetypal happening I spot erstwhile I aftermath up and the past happening I spot earlier going to sleep. So I anticipation to spell back.

Zhanna Agalakova volition talk at Women Against the Kremlin, a groundbreaking gathering of women leaders lasting against warfare and authoritarianism hosted by The Moscow Times successful Amsterdam connected Nov. 26.