Press paradox

Description

This devised performance by the 8lidí group begins with an event that recently rattled the world of media. The Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, living in emigration in Ukraine, was murdered. The traces of the ordering party lead to Babchenko’s homeland, to Russian high society. The world of journalism lost another colleague – as a bothersome critic of Putin’s regime, Babchenko was simply removed.

That’s what the situation would be – if, only a day after the announcement of the journalist’s death, Arkady Babchenko, alive and well, hadn’t appeared at a press conference, announcing that this was an operation by the Ukrainian secret service aimed at capturing the ordering party of the murder by faking Babchenko’s death.

What threatens journalists today? When should one prioritise safety and when, despite all risks, should one stand by one’s journalist ethics? And who really is Arkady Babchenko?

The performance was created for spectators aged 14–20 with the aim of touring the show to high schools. Performances were followed by a moderated discussion on the role of propaganda in today’s world, the safety of journalists, and source-checking. In 2020, the performance was selected into Nová síť’s programme New Blood on the Stage.

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