The Russian Independent Media Archive Covered in Nieman Reports

The Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA), developed in partnership with PEN America and Bard College, was covered in Nieman Reports. RIMA, launched by Masha Gessen with the support of Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust, advised by PEN America trustee Peter Barbey, aims to digitally preserve decades of independent Russian journalism that is otherwise at risk of erasure. “Unlike most libraries, where archives are often stowed silently away until a researcher comes knocking, RIMA’s staff and partners proactively promote its use,” writes Ann Cooper for Nieman Reports. “Bard offers small grants to faculty who use RIMA in developing courses focused on media literacy and authoritarian challenges to independent journalism, and there are stipends for graduate students whose theses incorporate the archive’s material in their research.” Additionally, RIMA’s creators are intending the archive to be a template for other journalists facing censorship and oppression. “We don’t want history erased, as it’s been before in Russia,” said Jonathan Becker, executive vice president, vice president for academic affairs, and director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College. “Unfortunately, with this growth of authoritarianism, [Russia] is not the only place where you’ll need to preserve independent media in a viable way.”

Post Date: 10-22-2024