Novaya in English

by Sean on August 28, 2007

The acerbic and often controversial Novaya gazeta is now available in English. Check it out.

{ 23 comments }

Michael Averko August 28, 2007 at 2:43 pm: Oy!

I wish this site had better Eng. lang. translation:

http://en.fondsk.ru/

Mot that I always agree with everything in it.
Michael Averko August 28, 2007 at 2:50 pm: Pardon misspell.
Lyndon August 28, 2007 at 3:08 pm: Sean, thanks for pointing this out. Good news (imo), and it’s good they’re doing this, but I can’t say the translation at the NG website is exactly flowing (e.g., this article), though it’s certainly better than nothing.
Sean August 28, 2007 at 4:23 pm: I think it’s good new too. The more Russian media accessible to English readers the better. They are clearly still getting the kinks out. According to the Moscow Times announcement, they have only one freelance translator.
W. Shedd August 28, 2007 at 5:11 pm: It will be interesting to see how they differentiate themselves from other English language news media on Russia.

I’m usually disappointed by differences in articles found in Russian and English, even from the same news sites or services (RIA Novosti immediately comes to mind). What is translated into English is often an entirely different product from the Russian news.
Greg Moulds August 28, 2007 at 5:20 pm: I cannot believe the muted response to the the media to the arrests in the Politkovskaya case. It is by far too convenient that the perpetrators were from outside the Russia. Even more outrageous is the assumption that the people she was most critical of (in the Kremlin) could have nothing to gain by silencing her.

Stalinism is alive and well in Russia.
Chrisius Maximus August 28, 2007 at 5:26 pm: “Even more outrageous is the assumption that the people she was most critical of (in the Kremlin) could have nothing to gain by silencing her.”

What would they have to gain, please?
Sean August 28, 2007 at 5:29 pm: Greg I don’t know what you are talking about when you say there is a “muted response.” By who? Every Russian daily has it as their top story. And if you look at the papers, like Komsomolskaya pravda and Moskovskii Komsomolets, they are focusing on the fact that two of the arrested are former FSB. The ones who are focusing on the alleged Berezovsky connection is the Western media!
Chrisius Maximus August 28, 2007 at 5:35 pm: Just look how tabloidy/yellow journalism NG is:

“Slanderers from Russia”! shrieks Latynina’s headline.

My favorite bit of Latynina logic was in the Moscow Times after the Kremlin reversed monetization of benefits after protests. Latynina’s argument was:

Premise 1. After the protests over monetization of benefits, the Kremlin reversed its policy.

Premise 2. After the protests after Bush was reelected president, Bush did not step down.

Premise 3. The US is a democracy.

Conclusion. Russia is not a democracy.

This woman is unbelievable.
Sean August 28, 2007 at 6:07 pm: I’m just reading her article in EZh: “A Trotskyist-Berezovsky Operation.”
Chrisius Maximus August 28, 2007 at 6:52 pm: The woman is mind-blowing. Behold the raving madness of the Russian liberal intellectual.

I totally lost any respect for her when she said that the government should not fund health care because death is a personal issue with which the government should not become involved. That would be totalitarian or something.

She also had real problems dealing with Hurricane Katrina, given that it interfered with her “the US is the best thing ever and never does anything wrong” lunatic worldview. IIRC she mumbled something on Ekho Moskvy about how the people who suffered were all lazy poor people anyway so it didn’t matter. Breathtaking.
Lyndon August 28, 2007 at 8:02 pm: I’m usually disappointed by differences in articles found in Russian and English, even from the same news sites or services (RIA Novosti immediately comes to mind). What is translated into English is often an entirely different product from the Russian news.

For RIAN, this makes sense – one Russia for the inostrantsy; another Russia for domestic consumption! Sarcasm aside, I think they have some original English-language content, some of which may not make it into Russian.

As for Latynina, say what you will, she’s often eloquent and always provocative and entertaining, and while she often takes a muckraking and overly conclusive tone, she’s hardly crazy. Perhaps a bit creative at times, but certainly not “raving” enough to be forcibly committed, even in today’s Russia.

Furthermore, she’s hardly an unabashed cheerleader for America. Here’s a portion of one of her radio broadcasts that I translated way back at the end of 2004 (sorry for the cut-and-paste, but hopefully this is short enough to be within acceptable bounds):

I don’t want to discuss the Iraq war here, I don’t think it was justified, and I don’t think President Bush was a smart man for starting it, that was all falsehoods, stupidity, and lies. Just like all lies, this one has ended badly; Bush wanted to use the Iraq war to help defeat terrorism, but he’s only made it stronger. He wanted to lower the cost of gasoline for his voters, but he’s raised it. And most importantly, the war in Iraq has changed the USA from a power which controlled the world through certain mechanisms, certain economic, financial, and, as funny as it may sound in relation to the US, cultural mechanisms, to the extent that Hollywood and McDonald’s can be considered culture. So anyway, this war has transformed the USA from America into an empire. To be what America was and become an empire, that’s sort of like what happened to Spain in the 16th century, what a fall.

She does say some outlandish things at times, and is prone to conspiracy theorizing, but just as often she seems to hit the mark.

As for the “yellow journalism” tag, here’s Wikipedia’s summary definition (which I grant may not encompass all of the nuances the term “zholtaya pressa” embodies in Russian):

Yellow journalism is a pejorative reference to journalism that features scandal-mongering, sensationalism, jingoism or other unethical or unprofessional practices by news media organizations or journalists. It has been loosely defined as “not quite libel”.

My opinion is that Novaya is at times sensationalistic and “scandal-mongering” in the manner of the partisan outlets in the British press. So perhaps they fit part of this definition, though I don’t think that having a political point of view alone is enough to make a publication “yellow.”

But I don’t think it can be said that Politkovskaya practiced “unethical” or “unprofessional” journalism – seems to me that she was an old-fashioned first-person investigative journalist, who used anonymous sources at times, as such journalists often do, but who also interviewed people to flesh out her personal observations.

Anyway, I guess some of this is a matter of opinion, so don’t take this the wrong way, Chris – I’m looking forward to seeing your response at the other thread. By the way, my copy of Politkovskaya’s “Vtoraia Chechenskaia” (2002) indicates a print run of only 5,000 copies – not a lot, but pretty standard for a book like that, and there was a second edition of the book in 2003, so it must have met with at least some success in Russia (unless all of the copies were bought by Russophilic expats in Moscow such as myself).
Lyndon August 28, 2007 at 8:21 pm: PS – I realize that I’m mixing threads in my last comment, and that picking up the conversation from here makes the last two paras look like a non sequitur. Sorry.
Sean August 28, 2007 at 8:25 pm: my copy of Politkovskaya’s “Vtoraia Chechenskaia” (2002) indicates a print run of only 5,000 copies – not a lot, but pretty standard for a book like that, and there was a second edition of the book in 2003, so it must have met with at least some success in Russia

And I wonder about the press run for her books in English. Her A Small Corner of Hell was published by the University of Chicago Press. Not known for high print runs (usually 1000), but for this book they probably did more. I would imagine that Politkovskaya’s readership in the States is the same in Russia–lefty/liberal intellectual types. I greatly respect her work. I also don’t mind the term yellow press. I’m not a fan of conspiracy theories as analysis. They are fun to read nonetheless.

It is difficult to measure Politkovskaya’s impact and frankly I don’t see the point. She probably had/has as much impact as the Nation does in the States. According to the Moscow Times, Novaya has a print run of 180,000 with a distribution as far as Israel and has a run of about 10,000 in Germany. I wonder if I could find it here in LA. Their website gets about 73,000 hits a week. Not too shabby compared to some US lefty press if you ask me.
W. Shedd August 28, 2007 at 9:08 pm: Sarcasm aside, I think they have some original English-language content, some of which may not make it into Russian.

Yes, and vice versa which is usually where I am left asking my wife for help translating something. You joke about the two different Russia’s, but really there are some surprising differences in content. The English version seems much more stale (probably because I haven’t had years of Russian-language political commentary to make me weary of certain arguments or points of view).

She probably had/has as much impact as the Nation does in the States.

Wow, that much? Ya think?

Actually, I used to subscribe to the Nation, so who am I to joke about it.

I would imagine that Politkovskaya’s readership in the States is the same in Russia–lefty/liberal intellectual types.

I actually have had the impression that the only place that Left meets Right is in the agreement (some might go so far as to say conspiring) of hawkish Right-wing American politicans and Russian-liberal intellectuals.
Michael Averko August 29, 2007 at 3:43 am: “As for Latynina, say what you will, she’s often eloquent and always provocative and entertaining, and while she often takes a muckraking and overly conclusive tone, she’s hardly crazy.”

****

Like her equating Mikhail Khodorkovsky to Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Lech Walesa. Her repeating the lie of the Milseovic led Serbs responsible for 200,000 Killed (a most bloated figure that has been retracted by even the BBC and NYT) in the wars of the last decade in former Yugoslavia.

Yulia Latynina is the classic example of a Russian media person towing the preferred line of Eng. lang. mass media elites. I’ve it on good word that the reason she’s not on RTTV is because of her fee expectations.
ivanov August 30, 2007 at 8:47 pm: Difference between Russian and English versions?
Guys, you’re kidding.
They just learning from BBC. You should check their Eng and Rus versions… to find 10 различий.
Michael Averko August 31, 2007 at 4:12 am: Regarding Eng. lang. Russia basede media, is this below link part of an increasingly centralized media, prone to recycling/putting out the same spin with limits of perspectives?

http://www.rbth.rg.ru/

What if any significance is there with the main offices of The Moscow News, RIAN, RTTV and Russia Profile being located in the same building? Note RIAN’s affiliation with all of them. Added to that is the Sanoma (not so Russia friendly media outlet)/Independent Media (Moscow Times)/JRL influence with Russia Profile.
Michael Averko August 31, 2007 at 4:13 am: Pardon the e after based.
Michael Averko August 31, 2007 at 4:34 am: “I’m usually disappointed by differences in articles found in Russian and English, even from the same news sites or services (RIA Novosti immediately comes to mind). What is translated into English is often an entirely different product from the Russian news.”

****

Someone in the business whose views are opposite mine said that some Russian bilingual (Russian and English) outlets seek to save money by having Russian translators as opposed to Anglo-American ones. According to this source, the better (grammar wise) Eng. translation comes from the latter. This makes sense. However, a few people in the business told me that the translation of a mainstream Russian view can get somewhat nixed by the biases of the Anglo-American translator. Those outlets with poor Eng. lang. translation don’t especially care about quality control. Their backers often don’t read the translation.
Michael Averko August 31, 2007 at 4:43 am: Lyndon:

You’ve a point about what some Russian outlets put out to different audiences. It would be interesting to contrast the Arab version of RTTV with the Eng. lang. one. I suspect that the Eng. lang. RTTV probably does more features on Jewish culture and other Jewish/Israeli political issues.

In fairness, the BBC has similar target market type differences with its assorted branches. In either instance (Russian media wise and otherwise) some of these target market differences are legitimate, with others maybe being more Machiavellian inclined.
Chrisius Maximus August 31, 2007 at 9:13 am: Hey, Lyndon, if you’re reading this — on the subject of the use of the word “cherny,” which we weer discussing on another, now-closed thread, according to Andrei Sinyavsky’s history of Russian folk belief, in Old Russia “chern” refered to the lowest levels of society — peasants and beggars and so forth. Maybe there is a connection here to “chernaya zemlya.” I do not know if there is a link to the modern derogatory use of the trem for certain ethnic groups.
Michael Averko August 31, 2007 at 11:51 am: Schwartze (Black in Yiddish) and shiptar (which has been derisively and not derisively used when referencing Albanians) fall in that category as well.