Trouble with the Truth is the podcast produced by Lana Estemirova in partnership with the Justice for Journalists Foundation. Lana talks to brave and resilient journalists from around the world who face persecution just for doing their job and lets her audience hear voices that usually remain hidden behind the curtain.
Protests in Belarus
The conversation is focused on the challenges of reporting in times of the revolution, how and why the protests started, what is happening with the President-elect Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and finally – what the international response to President Lukashenko’s war against his people should be.
Since 9 August, Belarus witnessed the most remarkable protests in its history. Angered by the rigged presidential election, people took to the streets, calling for Alexander Lukashenko to resign. His government responded with brutal force: riot police indiscriminately attacked peaceful protesters and imprisoned thousands. The reports coming from journalists and ordinary citizens speak of violent beating, torture and inhumane conditions in prisons. The work of independent journalists was also hindered by blocked internet, targeted beatings and illegal imprisonments.
Trouble with the Truth is the podcast produced by Lana Estemirova in partnership with the Justice for Journalists Foundation. Lana talks to brave and resilient journalists from around the world who face persecution just for doing their job and lets her audience hear voices that usually remain hidden behind the curtain.
Ivan Safronov’s treason charge- a warning to the Russian journalist community?
They discuss the case of Ivan Safronov, a former journalist who was arrested and charged with treason in what appears to be a politically motivated move. A correspondent for Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers and military reporter in the past, Ivan had been working for the Russian Space agency when he was arrested and charged. His friends and colleagues are convinced that his arrest is politically motivated. Ivan has published exclusive exposes on sensitive military topics and has been threatened on multiple occasions for his work. His father, also a journalist and columnist who covered military affairs for the daily newspaper Kommersant, died after falling from the fifth floor of his Moscow apartment building in 2007.
The conversation also touches upon the rising trend of treason charges, the important role of investigative journalism and the difficulties of being an independent journalist in Putin’s Russia.
After Daphne: Shift News continues the fight against corruption in Malta
It’s impossible to talk about independent media in Malta without mentioning Daphne Caruana Galizia- a courageous investigative journalist who was killed three years ago for exposing the corrupt underbelly of her country. Caroline analyses the public enquiry into her murder. Daphne’s gruesome death pushed Caroline to found her own media outlet- Shift News: sponsored through public donations, it takes on corrupt politicians and businessmen, while remaining fully independent. Caroline discusses her team’s latest journalistic investigations and safety precautions they need to take.
The humiliation of Salman Tepsurkaev: Another love of depravity in the crackdown on Kadyrov’s critics
On the 7th of September, a shocking video started circulating across Chechen social media. In the video, a young man called Salman Tepsurkaev denounces his work for Adat telegram channel and is forced to rape himself with a bottle. Adat is one of the few outlets that writes about human rights abuses in Chechnya and corruption amongst the elites. In Chechen, Adat means an unwritten set of laws and rules, a fitting name for the outlet. These channels are being constantly hunted by the authorities. Salman is their first victim.
For this podcast, Lana spoke to several journalists working in the region and incorporated their responses into the podcast without revealing their identities. Criticism of the regime is not tolerated in Ramzan Kadyrov’s Chechnya – it is dangerous for foreign and Russian journalists and is deadly for the locals. The republic is a very challenging place for reporting because the lives of the sources are under threat too if they speak out. Social platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and telegram provide a space for ordinary Chechens to express their anger with the regime anonymously and it is where journalists can find all the information they need.
However, as Salman’s case shows, you can still be identified and caught. In the podcast, Lana also talks about murders and attempted murders of Chechen bloggers critical of Kadyrov’s regime who live abroad – it is a terrifying trend that proves that nowhere is safe anymore.
Kyrgyz Kloop media and the power of youth journalism
Several days prior to Kyrgyzstan’s post-election protests that resulted in toppling of the government, Lana recorded an interview with Bektour Iskender, one of the founders of Kloopmedia. What started as a website run by a university dropout in 2006, turned into a successful online platform that carries out impressive investigative work and trains a generation of new journalists.
Fittingly, they spoke about the impact of the revolution of 2010 and how it helped to put their website on the map. They also discussed the power of youth journalism, what media organisations can learn from international drug cartels and the fate of the first Kyrgyz satellite, build by a team of girls.
In Mexico, being a journalist is a deadly business
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist. More than 140 journalists have been killed there since 2000 and countless more have been intimidated, harassed, attacked and driven out of the country. In more than 99% of cases, the murderers have not been found and prosecuted. How does one decide to become a journalist in such a risky environment? Can certain politicians be as dangerous as drug cartels when it comes to stoking up hated against independent media? How easy is it cover the pandemic in Mexico? We discussed all the above and much more in the new episode of Trouble with the Truth.
Breaking taboos – the danger of speaking out on women’s rights in the North Caucasus
“I’ve been given orders to handle the feminists,”– said man’s voice on the phone. It wasn’t the first time Dagestani journalist Svetlana Anokhina has been threatened. Daptar, the online portal where she works, dares to frankly discuss topics considered taboo in the North Caucasus: domestic violence, bride kidnappings, honour killing, feminism amongst others. It is not the only outlet that talks about women’s rights. There are multiple accounts on Telegram, Vkontakte, Instagram that do the same – and quickly become swamped with threats and abuse, mostly from men. In this ultra-conservative, patriarchal region of Russia, women are finding their own ways of talking about what matters to them, despite the danger that truth brings. To bring this episode to life, Lana has spoken to Svetlana Anokhina and anonymous admins from a successful women’s Telegram channel. A representative from a civil rights organization Janette Akhilgova kindly provided some background to this complicated issue.
This is bigger than one man: Rebecca Vincent on Julian Assange’s trial, how to combat disinformation and handle twitter trolls
Rebecca has been monitoring the extradition trial of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. After spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy, the journalist has been arrested by the Met police in 2019 and if extradited to the US, he’s facing 175 years in prison. Rebecca talks about the importance of this case for freedom of the speech worldwide and why we must look beyond Assange’s controversial persona when talking about the trial. They also spoke about the pandemic of disinformation that was exacerbated by Donald Trump’s presidency and how to handle online hate from twitter trolls.
In Mexico, being a journalist is deadly business – Part 2
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist. More than 140 journalists have been killed there since 2000 and countless more have been intimidated, harassed, attacked and driven out of the country. In more than 99% of cases, the murderers have not been found and prosecuted. How does one decide to become a journalist in such a risky environment? Can certain politicians be as dangerous as drug cartels when it comes to stoking up hated against independent media? What mechanisms are in place to ensure the safety of journalists and what are the limitations? We discussed all the above and much more in the new episode of Trouble with the Truth.
Tackling disinformation in the times of the coronavirus pandemic
The news about vaccine was met with glee but also contributed to the spread of conspiracy theories and false information online. What impact has the continuous disinformation had on independent journalism before and during the pandemic? Why have some populist leaders thrived because of the coronavirus falsehoods? Against all of this, has the role a journalist morphed into something more than simple reporting of the truth? Find out in the new episode.
Inside the Justice for Journalists Foundation
Maria Ordzhonikidze, the JFJ’s Director, talks about the origins of the foundation, the projects it sponsored over the course of this year, and how their Media Safety Academy is helping journalists from the post-Soviet space stay safe. Maria also reflects on the events that help feel hopeful during these uncertain times.