Amid the tacky, low-quality and often even chauvinist Russian television products that are increasingly broadcast in Ukraine, one name stands out from the crowd – Leonid Parfyonov.
The visit of the famous Russian television journalist to Ukraine on Nov. 28 came as a breath of fresh air, attracting a crowd of 1,200 people to a presentation of the latest book in his popular series tracking Soviet and Russian history through news reports.
The book is “Namedni: Our Era.” It covers the period of 2001-2005, and comes fifth in a series that stemmed from his popular namesake TV show Namedni, which is an archaic word for recently.
The current affairs program was shut down in 2004 as a part of Kremlin’s effort to clear alien elements off the air. Parfyonov, the former editor of the defunct Russian version of Newsweek, remained on TV with his documentaries, though, along with his trademark ironic persona.
Outspoken Russian author, journalist faults Ukrainian elite for having no ‘remorse’ about Ukraine’s lack of progress
But lately he showed that he has not lost his magic touch, delivering an explosive speech criticizing the Russian media landscape in November 2010 at an award ceremony named for Vladislav Listyev, a Russian journalist murdered in 1995.
He told an audience of media executives that journalists were simply bureaucrats, following orders from the authorities.
Ukraine’s audience, which gets to watch the products of Russian TV in abundance, perhaps has even more reasons to be frustrated. Tacky, poor quality, brutal Russian TV productions end up on Ukrainian channels a few years after they have screened in Russia. At the same time, many Russian channels broadcast in Ukraine through cable and satellite.
Parfyonov’s public appearances come in sharp contrast with the brutal TV reality. His brilliant grasp of the language, his sniper-style accuracy and his passion for research of the nation’s past make him one of the most brilliant critics of communism in the history of Russian television, respected even by foes, suffering from an incurable virus of Soviet nostalgia.
Having sold more than 1,000 tickets to his speech at Hr 200-Hr 800, he trumped many pop singers. Having answered dozens of questions spontaneously, wittily and without attempts to dodge the toughest ones, he shamed many politicians.
Asked to comment on his fellow Russian TV star journalists Savik Shuster and Yevgeny Kiselyov who host pro-government political talk shows, Parfyonov said they were just doing their jobs, like he does.
On Ukraine’s political reality, Parfyonov observed: “I see upper-class people in Bulgaria or Romania somewhat embarrassed by their nations inferior performance, not quite meeting the democratic, liberal, economic, social and cultural standards of … fellow nations in the EU.
“I see nothing like that remorse in today’s Ukraine.”
Dmytro Mossienko is editor-in-chief of OILMARKET magazine, found at http://www.oilmarket-magazine.com. He can be reached at [email protected].
