The New York Times Pulls Its Russia Team

As other media outlets have pulled out of Russia due to safety concerns, the New York Times has announced its editorial staff is leaving Russia over Moscow's punitive new media law. As part of its attempts to muffle dissent, the authorities have blocked several independent media outlets, and last week it imposed harsh jail sentences for "false news" about the military.

"Russia's new legislation criminalizes independent, accurate news reporting about the war against Ukraine," the Times organization said in a statement. The editorial staff in the region will be relocated out of the country for the time being in the interest of safety and security. Vladimir Putin signed a new law on Friday that creates prison sentences of up to 15 years for spreading information aimed at "discrediting" the military and punishes anyone calling for sanctions against Moscow.

For fear of reprisals, other Western media outlets have suspended their correspondents' activities in Russia, including Canada's CBC/Radio Canada, Germany's ARD and ZDF, Spain's RTVE, and the US agency Bloomberg News and Spain's EFE. The Washington Post said previously that it would remove author names and reporting locations from certain articles written by its Russia-based staff.

The BBC said last week that it was suspending its operations in Russia. But on Tuesday, the broadcaster announced that “after careful deliberation” it would resume English-language reporting from the country. “We have considered the implications of the new legislation alongside the urgent need to report from inside Russia,” the BBC said in a statement, stressing that the safety of its employees in Russia was its top priority. “We will tell this crucial part of the story independently and impartially, adhering to the BBC’s strict editorial standards.