Аннотация: MMMDLXII. A brief history of war correspondents in Russia. A culturological essay. - November 1, 2024.
A brief history of war correspondents in Russia. A culturological essay.
Until 1905 (before the October Manifesto), there was no free press in Russia. Accordingly, there were no correspondents who wrote relatively freely, who was living on the means of readers.
Between 1803 and the sale of Alaska in 1867, long-range (round-the-world and sub-round-the-world) navigations developed in Russia. Outside of this period, the culture of keeping ship logs existed in an elementary state, there were no conditions for the widespread development of diary creativity. Let's take a look at Alexander Pushkin's diaries: as if a powerful "shadow" is standing behind (back), for long periods the diary was not kept.
In the Western World, the influence of Ancient Rome with its developed epistolary creativity was felt, as well as the influence of round-the-world expeditions, during which the up-to-date information was required to be entered daily in the ship's log.
Under the conditions of parliamentarism, newspapers and correspondents appeared who lived (existed) on the readers' money.
It was difficult to transmit information from Sudan or from South Africa or from Manchuria during the war actions. The activities of war correspondents were intertwined with the keeping of diaries (which took the form of published books), with the writing works of art.
Nevertheless, creative people periodically appeared in pre-revolutionary Russia, who can be directly or indirectly attributed to "war correspondents": there were, for example, Leo Tolstoy, Vasily Vereshchagin.
From their works, the public received information about the course of affairs during the Crimean War (1853-1856) or during other military campaigns.
However, there were no systematic publications in the media about the Patriotic War of 1812 or about campaigns related to the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
How, for example, was the robbery in relation of the local wealthy layers developing during the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth?
We read, for example, the biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky. His father was a doctor, he was in charge of one of the capital's hospitals. And where did he come from, Dostoevsky the elder? As if from nowhere. He studied to be a doctor, made a career with his hump [by own heavy efforts], earned some money, even seemed to have acquired something like an estate.
But where did he (Dostoevsky the elder) come from? Why did he start his life from scratch? History does not say of this: very little information has been preserved about the mass robbery during the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And who of the robbers is interested in spreading information about the robbery?
Where did Pushkin's character Dubrovsky come from? It's not very clear. The brilliant Pushkin never completed his novel "Dubrovsky".
The novel "Dubrovsky" dates back to 1833. By this time, the Digest of Laws of the Russian Empire by Speransky was compiled (1830 - it was prepared, 1832 - published in 15 volumes). It's clear that this Digest of Laws was capable of providing Dubrovsky with a significant assistance, it could to be a good support for Dubrovsky. Unfortunately, the useful Digest of Laws was not mentioned in Pushkin's novel.
So if there was no culture of publications in the media during military campaigns, then perhaps there was a culture of secret (dark) historical robberies (in historical darkness and in historical silence, in a depth of historical night, with virtually no external witnesses).
The period after 1905 did not last long. Maxim Gorky's newspaper was shut down by the Bolsheviks. But people (in some numbers) who have gained the experience of a free press have remained. In addition, the authorities of the post-Leninist period pushed people with pre-revolutionary culture to the fore (Maxim Gorky, Alexei Tolstoy ...). There were names of Krupskaya, Krzhizhanovsky, Dzerzhinsky, Bonch-Bruevich..., too.
Thus, it was not Demyan Bedny who defined the cultural atmosphere in the period 1941 - 1945. There were conditions for Paustovsky and Tvardovsky to "come to the surface".
After 1945, the story did not end. There were, for example, military campaigns in Vietnam and Korea. In Afghanistan. Can anyone remember the names of war correspondents who would systematically write interesting journalistic works about those military events?
But here come the "holy" nineties - after 1991. It turns out, that citizens have a right to to publish (to establish) newspapers and other media. And some people even make money from it.
There is a relatively small group of people who have breathed this air.
The time is coming, events begin on the southern and western borders. In some places, relatively free political figures appeared who were ready to receive correspondents, to tell them something, and to create at least minimal working conditions for them.
A man with the media experience, gained in the "holy" nineties, and with a good media intuition, who heads a large media company, sends several people to well-known areas. Such persons are named "war correspondents".
There was no a particularly need in these people, wide public didn't really read their publications.
But at some point, events reach a new level.
"Everything is going according to plan." A man in a uniform reads out an optimistic text every day. And are "war correspondents" needed? What can they add to the optimistic text?
But at the same time, no one bothers them. They get the experience of rotating in certain circles, among certain people, the experience of penetrating into territories, which were inaccessible for other people.
When the idea that "everything is going according to plan" exhausts itself, and when everyone gets tired of optimistic texts, suddenly these war correspondents become widely popular: they work under a variety of risks, they communicate with a variety of people, they have their own opinion...
These people do not raise the most important issues (planning, logistics, personnel, qualification, responsibility...): no one dares to raise such issues (publicly) (for a number of reasons). But they at least somehow satisfy the huge public interest in the events taking place.
In addition, they become something like agents of charity: they deliver the necessary items from one territory to another. And this is very necessary!
Gradually, these people "adapt", but they adapt slowly. Their experience of journalistic existence in the period of the "holy" nineties affects them. They have their own reputations, their own connections, their own resources, their own opinions.
Public opinion is an important thing. If they are slow to adapt, then it's necessary to influence them: to speed up the adaptation process.
However, they are used to sense of own importance, to having of their own reputation, of their own connections, of their own resources. They are not quite ready to join the ranks (rows) and to stick to the "correct line".
There are not enough (for all) red carpets, tangible proximity to the top and significant income (direct and indirect).
It is not so difficult to minimize the access of overly independent figures into the most wide media.
If war correspondents are popular, then what is the difficulty to create the necessary number of war correspondents?
And so new figures come to the fore: "do you have the appropriate special education?" "yes! I studied, I listened to special lectures, I took notes, I have special education and special training!", "are you currently in the service?" "yes!", "do your eyes burn?" "yes!".
It's a bit of a pity: people (readers, listeners, viewers) are used to some surnames. Of course, a small-scaling of themes, of course, a camouflage (or avoidance) of the main problems... But they seem to be so sincere, they are, nevertheless, at least independent (up to some level), they were "there", they took risks, they helped...
But what to do... times are changing, and the type of media figures with access to the broad media is changing.
October 31, 2024 23:59
Translation from Russian into English: October 31, 2024 01:06
Владимир Владимирович Залесский ' Краткая история военкоров в России. Культурологический очерк '.
{ 3591. Краткая история военкоров в России. Культурологический очерк. - 1 ноября 2024 г.
MMMDLXII. A brief history of war correspondents in Russia. A culturological essay. - November 1, 2024.
Vladimir Zalessky Internet-bibliotheca. Интернет-библиотека Владимира Залесского. }