Why We're Here

Tuesday provided a sharp reminder of what OTM is doing in Moscow. It was a busy day filled with interviews, including a conversation with Igor Yakovenko of the Russian Union of Journalists. His organization, which recently hosted an international gathering of media professionals, is threatened with eviction from the building it has occupied for 27 years. Government officials have cited a number of reasons for the eviction, including Yakovenko's office menagerie, which includes a rabbit, a mongoose, a raccoon and the animal pictured to the right.

The day ended with a visit to the Moscow headquarters of Novaya Gazeta, a fiercely independent newspaper that has lost three reporters -- Igor Domnikov, Yuri Shchekochikhin and Anna Politkovskaya -- to murder since 2000 (click on the photo below).











Addendum: To be clear, the visit to Novaya Gazeta was oddly heartening. Editor Dmitry Muratov, quoted by Nina Ognianova of the Committee to Protect Journalists, has said, "When Anya was killed, I called an emergency editorial meeting and wanted to close down the paper. I told my staff no story is worth dying for. But they wouldn't let me do it." Most sad was walking into Anya (as she's affectionately known) P.'s old office to find a small shrine. I'll spare you the photo.