Galina Timchenko, chief editor of Lenta.ru, resigned on Wednesday over forced censorship from the Kremlin. Employees of the popular news site believe she was forced to resign and 39 resigned on Thursday in protest.
From Lenta.ru (translated from original site):
39 Staff members of Lenta.ru will leave revision of their own free will. Among them – 32 to journalists, all photo editors (five people) and two members of the administrative department.
“Lenta.ru” with the full composition of the leaving staff divisions “Russia”, “peace”, “the Internet and the media”, as well as analysts, and a text control. The editor social networks Igor romantic story also goes from the publication. In the divisions “culture” and “Science and technology” is the one person, in addition remains the agent Denis Mayevsky. 84 people work at Lenta.ru and all 13 of the technical department employees will leave. The outlet does not know how to finish any work they left behind. The last day for all the employees is March 24.
After Timchenko resigned, her employees released this statement:
Over the past couple of years the space of free journalism in Russia has decreased dramatically. Some publications are controlled directly from the Kremlin, others – through curators, and others – editors, who fear losing their jobs. Some media outlets were closed, others will close in the coming months. The problem is not that we have nowhere to run. The trouble is that you seem to have nothing more to read.
We certainly expected that they would come and for us.
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