CNN Stops Broadcasting in Russia as Law Changes

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Bloomberg, BBC also pull signals

CNN Wolf Blitzer

CNN pulled the plug on its broadcasts in Russia as Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law making reporting a crime.

“CNN will stop broadcasting in Russia while we continue to evaluate the situation and our next steps moving forward,” a network spokesperson said Friday.

CNN still has journalists in Russia covering the country and the invasion of Ukraine.

Bloomberg and the BBC also stopped broadcasting in Russia.

“We have with great regret decided to temporarily suspend our news gathering inside Russia,” Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait said Friday. “The change to the criminal code, which seems designed to turn any independent reporter into a criminal purely by association, makes it impossible to continue any semblance of normal journalism inside the country.”

Bloomberg reported that the Russian legislation will impose prison terms of up to 15 years for people charged with spreading “fake news” about the military or calling for sanctions against the country.

Putin’s government has also been cracking down on independent Russian media outlets. ■

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.