Russian lawmakers push for disclosure of foreign media funding

A group of Russian lawmakers have submitted a bill to the State Duma that, if passed, would require media outlets to report funding they receive from abroad to media watchdog Roskomnadzor.

According to the bill, upon failure to report foreign funding to Roskomnadzor within 30 days, the officials responsible would pay personal fines of up to 50,000 rubles (approx. US$795), while the media outlets would face fines equal to the funds they omitted to declare. Should an outlet violate the law repeatedly, it would be liable to face closure.

The proposal was submitted last week by deputies from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, the Communist Party and A Just Russia.

In an interview with The Moscow Times, Ivan Zasoursky, a journalism professor at Moscow State University, expressed his belief that the law is designed solely to send a signal to the media, and will not have a great impact in practical terms.

“It’s an attempt to put a sign out there: a very simple sign [saying] ‘if you’re planning to take foreign money, be prepared to have a talk about it with certain people, or better still — think twice’,” Zasoursky said.

This development forms part of a wider crackdown on foreign control of the Russian press. A new law, which comes into force in January 2016, limits foreign owners to a 20% stake in Russian media organisations.

Source: The Moscow Times