Columnists
Women Talk: The Escapist Journalism Dilemma
Weekly column by Svetlana Kolchik
When this past weekend I was about to write yet another column about the intricacies of modern romantic relationships, the chilling news of Kommersant journalist Oleg Kashin's horrendous beating arrived. I froze in disbelief and then asked myself — why am I doing what I am doing? Writing about love, sex and travel instead of covering the Khodorkovskiy trial or investigating a high-profile economic scandal? Why do I opt for easy, safe and sometimes superficial journalism and not get into the meaningful stuff? Am I afraid? Pessimistic? Disillusioned?
Svetlana Kolchik
Probably all of the above.
I got my first job in journalism in the mid-90s, when the profession still boasted the romantic image of if not being able to save the world then at least change it a good deal. Well, at least this is what becoming a reporter meant for many of us when we were first year students at the Moscow State University Journalism Faculty. My role models back then were, in fact, Kommersant political and economics reporters who frequently gave talks at the writing seminar I attended. In 1996, I became a metro reporter at "Argumenty i Fakty," Russia's biggest weekly newspaper at the time and now, but back then it was also influential, relatively independent in terms of content and in many ways even liberal. I covered the city government, roads construction, schools, city rats, housing, homeless, small businesses, garbage recycling and other metro issues for five years until I dropped it all and went to study at New York's Columbia University and then worked as a reporter for USA Today in Washington, D.C.
When I came back to Russia eight years ago, going back to the newspaper milieu was out of the question for me. Another, more inviting universe had emerged - glossy magazines. They offered more money, fairly flexible schedules and an opportunity to lead the lifestyle of a "citizen of the world" which for me was and still is most alluring. More important, I knew I could write what I wanted if I worked there because our realities would hardly intersect with the regime's official line of media coverage, which had become very censorship-prone. I took an editor's position at a woman's magazine, happily resigning myself to a kind of information vacuum.
The vacuum turned out to be quite accommodating. My medium looks nice, smells nice and offers pret-a-porter solutions of how to be (or to become) a "have it all" woman. Granted, Marie Claire is probably the least sugar-coated of Russian women's glossies, but compared with French, British or Australian editions of this magazine, ours is light as a breeze. It's almost 100% politics-free (A pre-2008 election syndicated interview with Barack Obama doesn't count. Ironically, when we wanted to do a profile of President Medvedev's wife, Svetlana, her camp didn't return calls.) Still, during my time at the magazine, I have got do to my share of relatively "hard" stories like, for instance, going to the North Caucasus to write about the women working for humanitarian aid organizations there, or to Tchuvashia region to do a piece on women in the local government. Even so, I actually don't mind my magazine promoting a carefree consumerist dolce vita. We are selling a dream, an escape, a temporary distraction from the reality that bites. Perhaps the French or British women don't need this kind of distraction, but Russian ones do. Even if only a small percentage of our readers can actually afford to buy the fashion items we promote or take the vacations we write about, it's still important for the rest to be stimulated to dream, set the goals or make the wish-lists.
I don't watch TV and I don't read newspapers — I get most of my news online. My escapist stand is a kind of a compromise I've got with myself for living in today's Russia. Not everyone should be a fighter for the truth, I have convinced myself, and a well-researched and witty-written piece on relationships is as relevant as a ground-breaking political investigation. I also go abroad about once a month and, like so many of my colleagues, I occasionally update my Facebook status based on my exciting travels. This way I pretend I live in a free and open country — just like my peers in the West — or even better, perhaps, as the emerging economy's opportunities are vast and plenty for the younger generation.
Still, when I hear of my other colleagues who are doing a different kind of journalism and don't get sent to all-expenses-paid SPA trips to Maldives, getting nearly destroyed for what they say or write, I stop wanting to live in this country anymore. But I still believe in the power of the written word and in the change it can induce — at least in the minds. I also think in order for the change to take place, there should be a lot more journalists like Oleg Kashin out there. Sadly, seeing what could happen if you do a reporter's job in Russia will not inspire many to join his camp.
But I've got tremendous respect for the handful of journalists who choose to remain there.
Women Talk: Have relationships become too easy?
Women Talk: Russian men don't exist any more
Women Talk: Confusion in Options
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Russia has always been referred to as feminine and Russian women have been one of the most popular stereotypes of this nation, both positive and negative. But is this an all-male fantasy? Here is a hip, modern, professional and increasingly globalized Russian woman looking at the trends around her, both about her gender and the society at large. She talks and lets other women talk.
Svetlana Kolchik, 33, is deputy editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of Marie Claire magazine. She holds degrees from the Moscow State University Journalism Department and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has worked for Argumenty i Fakty weekly in Moscow and USA Today in Washington, D.C., and contributed to RussiaProfile.org, Russian editions of Vogue, Forbes and other publications.
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- arnoldvinette@yahoo.comYou're on the right path Svetlana17:59, 09/11/2010It is interesting to look inside the mind of a journalist when a fellow reported is injured or killed doing his job. I have become aware over the past four years of several journalists who have been killed in the course of doing their job in Moscow / Russia.
You have time to reflect upon your career and the decisions that you have made during your life that have brought you to the point where you are.
In the end ultimately you can only do what YOU LOVE to do. Because in the end that makes you happy.
Although your education and work history is located at the end of article, I never really paid attention to it before. Upon reading your article today I was able to learn how well traveled you are and educated having gone to school both in Moscow and New York City.
It was also very interesting to learn of your different journalism jobs both in Russia and America.
As a person who loves to write myself I never really got into journalism because I just could not see myself writing about bad news all the time. Personality wise I'm a very positive person and so I like to write about life.
By 10 years of age, I had written my first 200 page science fiction adventure that some how got lost on the roadway of life.
Then my writing skill more or less vanished until I started to have kids. Then a passion for writing was ignited in me that I had never before experienced. I had a very simple goal in my life at that point and that was to write about my children's adventures for the first five years of their lives. Every morning I set aside a little time before work to write down a sentence or two, that lead to a paragraph or two, that leaded to a page or two, that lead to 120 novels, 8 years later.
“Reid's Adventures - 1st Year – Breaking in Your New Parents” was my first master piece.
Unfortunately my former spouse did not like the idea of being written about nor her children even less. Being of Japanese heritage she was very private with regards to family affairs. The rest of the family was likewise.
Upon our divorce in 2006 all of material was thrown away in hopes it would eventually be destroyed. The first book written for my oldest son was too thrown out so that he would never know about his father and his passion and love for him.
People do odd things at an end of a romance and some women I will never quite understand.
With the destruction of my family and my 8 years of writing about my family, I then turned my full attention to the kids in Russia when I learned what great artists they were. I had already started a series of art album eBooks based on my own children's work.
Reid's Adventure's – 2005 October Art Album
Danielle's Adventure's – 2005 October Art Album
Colin's Adventure's – 2005 October Art Album
These were experimental kids art album eBooks released for Christmas 2005 much to the dismay of my former spouse and her family.
For months the three kids had drawn two pieces of artwork everyday for their first art albums. I was eager for their artwork to be published so that they could share it with friends and enjoy it when they were older. All of my own artwork had been thrown out over the course of time as a kid.
My former spouse was horrified when her children's art albums were published.
As part of the 2006 divorce declaration the three kids were forbidden to draw artwork again.
Unfortunately my passion for doing these types of “Kids Art Album eBooks” had already been ignited and I could not have been happier to discover art teachers in Russia who were not only happy to have someone publish their student artwork they were downright EAGER and EXCITED!
How is it that two cultures can be so different?
And so was born the concept of the “Russian Kids Art Album eBooks”, which has now lead to the $407.61 million dollar project that I am now working on with the Canadian Government. This project will fund the art programs at 500 Russian public schools for a period of 5 years. The students are to draw artwork and write short stories on three specific themes. 1) What do the kids love about their community? 2) What do the kids love about their city? 3) What do the kids love about their country of Russia?
This artwork will the be scanned and assembled into a series of 25,000 “Russian Kids Art Album eBooks” by a team of 1,025 Canadians in Ottawa, Canada.
At the end of the project each of the 500 participating Russian schools will get a brand new school playground. Why? Because on my very first trip to Russia to many smaller communities in Mari El I discovered that public schools just did not have the budget for them.
I have now found a way to empower Russian students to earn their school playgrounds. It is fun work and beneficial to their community, city and Russia.
Although I have never been as famous as Svetlana in my own writing and publishing, I have always followed my heart with regards to what I love to do.
And ultimately in the end that is all Svetlana can do too.
It is very scary to see your fellow journalists being severely hurt and killed for following their passion to report on serious issues that affect their community, city and country.
A journalist in Russia should not have to fear for their own life when covering a critical story that affects their area. And people in Russia need to become mature enough not to use such aggressive violence to silence a journalist who does not share their same point of view. This is not the middle ages. There are other avenues for affected people and businesses to take with regards to a news story.
To be a journalist in Russia covering these more controversial stories requires a lot of bravery and care. Certain journalists have that dare all attitude where as others do not. It is important to get the story out without fully realizing the potential danger.
Being from Canada and the United States I simply cannot remember a journalist ever being killed over a controversial story. And we have the same societal issues over here. Perhaps it is because the news in general is just bigger than any one particular journalist. With the advent of the internet, email, instant messaging, cell phone cameras, etc entire communities will rise up when an issue bothers them.
In this way neither a newspaper or journalist is creating the story, it is a creation of the community itself. In this way affected businesses and individuals cannot go after a journalist because it makes no sense. The journalist is just writing down widely available media information.
With regards to Svetlana and her work the only that matters is this, “Do you follow your heart? Do you write about the things you love? Do you do the best job you can every day? Do you touch people with your words? Are they inspired by you and your stories? Do you make people think?
If your answers are yes to any or all of the above then you are on the right track.
Ultimately as writers, publishers, and Kids Art Album eBook developers we can only do what we love, because in the end that is what makes us happy and fulfilled as a person.
I may never be successful. I may never be rich. But I will have always have made every single student for whom I have published artwork for feel like the most important person in the world. That is my job and I really love it.
You are a great writer Svetlana, please keep doing what you are doing. People enjoy your work and the passion and care you put into it.
Sincerely
Arnold Vinette
Ottawa, Canada
arnoldvinette@yahoo.com
Arnold Vinette is actively involved promoting positive relations between Russia, Canada and the United States publishing the artwork of Russian public school students in “Russian Kids Art Album eBooks”. He is neither successful nor famous, but absolutely loves what he does. - DawishklFreedom for Svetlana. Freedom for all Russian journalists to write what they want to write.04:06, 10/11/2010I wish Svetlana Kolchik all the freedom to write whatever she wants to write. I am however sorry that she has to live in a country where she is obliged to apologize for this choice because she is scared to write on political matters. Why, r...eally, are we talking about Russia anymore as a 'hybrid' or only 'semi' authoritarian state? How many journalists have to die in Russia, how many journalists have to switch careers, or leave the country entirely, for us to say that the state has become a fully authoritarian country? Now does that exclude the possibility that leader x might occasionally lament that 'we really do need to punish these murderers?' But when the only trials we see are not of journalists' killers but of Khodorkovsky, then what else can we call this country? When even former mayor Luzhkov runs to London, and only there can he say that in Russia, "the situation is going in a different direction. It has not yet become a fully-formed hardcore regime. But the tendency is clear," we in the free countries need to ask, what should we be doing to support journalism in Russia.
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