Best Of: Fighting for free press in Russia / ‘Fear and Fury’

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Fresh Air Weekend features filmmaker Julia Lochdev on her documentary about young independent Russian journalists who were branded “foreign agents” and forced into exile as Putin’s crackdown and the Ukraine invasion intensified, followed by historian Heather Ann Thompson on Bernard Goetz and how the 1984 subway shooting became a template for racialized fear, media distortion, and public praise of violence.

Main Topics: Russian press freedom and criminalization of dissent (Priority: 5/5): Lochtive explains how Russia revived the Soviet-era “foreign agent” label to target journalists, activists, and NGOs, making ordinary reporting legally risky and eventually impossible. Making a documentary in real time (Priority: 4/5): The film was shot largely on an iPhone with intimate access to Russian journalists, capturing private spaces and fast-moving events as the state closed in. The invasion of Ukraine and mass exile of journalists (Priority: 5/5): The first week of Russia’s full-scale invasion made independent reporting untenable; journalists faced arrest, censorship, and the choice to flee or be jailed. Community, humor, and resistance (Priority: 4/5): Lochtive emphasizes that the journalists survive through friendship networks, dark humor, and joy as acts of resistance under authoritarian pressure. Bernard Goetz and the politics of fear (Priority: 5/5): Thompson reframes the 1984 subway shooting as a racialized public panic event in which Goetz became a hero because his violence aligned with white resentment and media narratives. Historical parallels to the present (Priority: 4/5): Both interviews draw parallels between past and current U.S. and global moments: attacks on press freedom, public violence, and the erosion of truth and accountability.

Key Arguments: Russia’s “foreign agent” laws function as a tool of repression, forcing journalists to self-mark as suspect and making routine expression punishable. Independent Russian media did exist before the crackdown, covering corruption, social issues, and human rights openly. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine turned legal pressure into existential danger, pushing journalists into exile so they could keep reporting. Lochtive’s phone-based filming created a more intimate and realistic portrait of everyday life under authoritarianism. The journalists’ resilience depends heavily on community, laughter, and shared life, not just political ideology. Thompson argues the Goetz case was not just about crime but about race, austerity, and the weaponization of fear by elites and media. The public celebration of Goetz reveals how violence against marginalized people can be normalized when racial resentment is politically useful. Historical patterns from Goetz to later cases like George Zimmerman and Daniel Penny show continuity in how fear and race shape public judgment. When truth and the rule of law lose credibility, violence and scapegoating can spread beyond any single case or location.

Data Points: Documentary length: 5.5 hours - My Undesirable Friends, Part 1: Last Air in Moscow Initial size of Russia’s foreign-agent list: Around 25 people - Lochtive describes the early stage of the crackdown in 2021 Foreign agents by end of 2021: More than 100 individuals and outlets - Kremlin expansion of the designation Age of youngest Russian journalist mentioned: 23 - Ksusha, one of the film’s central figures Age of Liera when introduced: 22 - Young TV Rain anchor in exile storyline Year Russia first invaded Ukraine: 2014 - Background to the later full-scale invasion Year of full-scale invasion: 2022 - The event that ended independent journalism inside Russia Bernard Goetz victims: 4 teenagers - Goetz shot four Black teenagers on the subway in 1984 Goetz’s run from authorities: 9 days - He was on the lam before turning himself in Bernard Goetz prison time: Less than 1 year - After acquittal on most charges, he served time on gun charge only Year of the subway shooting: 1984 - The incident analyzed in Heather Ann Thompson’s book Distance/context of the teens’ trip: South Bronx to Lower Manhattan - The teens were headed downtown to an arcade

Pivotal Quotes: "The world you're about to see no longer exists." — Julia Lochtive: Describing the documentary’s setting in pre-invasion Moscow "Up will become down, down will become up." — Heather Ann Thompson: Explaining how Goetz’s violence was publicly reframed and celebrated "let joy and laughter also be a part of our resistance" — Lawyer in Lochtive’s film (as quoted by Julia Lochtive): On community and humor as political survival

Implications: The episodes warn that press repression and racialized fear thrive when institutions reward intimidation over truth. For listeners, they underscore the need to protect journalism, resist scapegoating, and recognize repeating historical patterns early.