Editor quits over hostage coverage
MOSCOW -- The editor of Russia's prominent daily newspaper Izvestia said yesterday that he is stepping down in a dispute with his publisher over the paper's coverage of the school hostage standoff, including its publication of graphic pictures of wounded and dead children and other victims.
The editor, Raf Shakirov, said in an interview with Radio Liberty that he had published a sensational photo spread of victims in Saturday's edition, the day after hundreds died in the standoff, to convey "this is a war."
"The leadership of Prof-Media [Izvestia's publisher], and I disagreed on the format of this issue. It is considered too emotional and posterlike, and in general papers aren't made like that," Shakirov said, according to an interview transcript published on the website www.newsru.com.
"We did it . . . proceeding from our perception of what this means for the country. And actually this perception proved to be right -- that this is a war," Shakirov said. "Nevertheless, I am forced to resign from this position."
Prof-Media declined to comment. Izvestia posted a brief news report about Shakirov's resignation on its website.
Some have criticized the government for initially trying to ward off public anger over the school crisis by seeking to downplay its extent, including by avoiding graphic images. Other newspapers have shown gruesome photos of the violence that ended the standoff on Friday. Government television held off from showing graphic images until late.
The gunmen seized the school on Wednesday in the southern town of Beslan, holding nearly 1,200 children, parents and teachers hostage until Russian forces stormed the building Friday. More than 300 hostages died, about half of them children, and more than 700 were wounded during the violence Friday.
Izvestia published some of the most thorough and probing accounts of the crisis and was among the first Russian media outlets to cast doubt on the government's statement that about 350 hostages were in the school.
Analysts have speculated that in the aftermath of the tragedy, the state would strengthen control over society and the media.
"Judging from what is being said, and based on my information, it was the Saturday issue of Izvestia, which contained page-wide photos about what was happening in Beslan," said Anna Kachkayeva, a television analyst for Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty.
"This very emotional and harsh coverage ran counter to someone in the authorities, and the shareholders were asked to take measures," she said.
Masha Lipman, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment's Moscow Center, said it was still unclear whether Shakirov's exit was a move "by a fearful owner or it is the new state policy."
Izvestia is one of Russia's largest daily newspapers, with a circulation of 234,500. It is run by Prof-Media, owned by metals magnate Vladimir Potanin.
Lipman said Shakirov's resignation was another illustration of a "quite strange situation" in the Russian media -- the state's total control over television channels, contrasting with lively and critical newspaper reporting.
Shakirov, 44, was named chief editor of Izvestia in October.
