"The photograph was taken on Thursday, June 18, outside a hip Moscow bar called...

"The photograph was taken on Thursday, June 18, outside a hip Moscow bar called 'Redaktsiya.' That same evening, and for several days to follow, the 'selfie with Borodai' would fuel a heated debate on the RuNet, where reporters, activists, and intellectuals have growled at one another and pontificated about ethics, the definition of terrorism, and the role journalists should play in society.

"But the debate about the photo with Borodai is more than just a hipster gladiator spectacle; it also reveals how contentious journalism in Russia is today. Whether you blame it on the war in Ukraine, the Putin regime, or a thousand years of Slavic history, the decision to pose for a picture with the former leader of the Donetsk rebels has forced many of Moscow’s “opinion-makers” to say exactly what they think a journalist should be."


A Picture Worth a Thousand Russian Expletives · Global Voices
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Last week, eight of the most prominent journalists working in Russia posed for a controversial group photo with the former leader of Donetsk's separatists. Here's what happened.