Voices of frustration
In some instances the details are so graphic, her editor chooses not to publish them. For years, investigative journalist Fatima Tlisova has documented the torture of prisoners and the corruption of government officials in Russia’s Northern Caucuses. And for years, Russian officials, and the mainstream media, have largely ignored her stories. But the work is vital and needs to reach a wider audience, said Tlisova during a discussion at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. The afternoon talk explored the challenges of reporting international stories to U.S. and global audiences. Because many members of the Russian media are also corrupt or controlled by the government, the real stories are never told, Tlisova said. “That is why attention from the Western audience is needed,” she said, so that the world knows what is happening. She recalled reporting on a corrupt Chechnyan official who, though he earned a mere $5,000 salary, had a fleet of...