(Bloomberg) — The New York Times is moving its journalists out of Russia, following similar moves by other news groups after President Vladimir Putin signed legislation that clamps down on independent reporting in the country.
“Russia’s new legislation seeks to criminalize independent, accurate news reporting about the war against Ukraine,” the Times said Tuesday in a statement. “For the safety and security of our editorial staff working in the region, we are moving them out of the country for now. We look forward to them returning as soon as possible while we monitor the application of the new law.”
The measure threatens prison terms of up to 15 years for people charged with spreading “fake news” about the military or calling for sanctions against the country. It’s the latest step in a major crackdown on independent media in Russia.
On Friday, the BBC and Bloomberg News said they were temporarily suspending the work of their journalists in Russia, while CNN, CBS News and ABC News said they would stop broadcasting in the country as they evaluate the situation.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
