Russian journalist beaten to a pulp for planning story
Imagine writing a story about a planning application to put a motorway through Sherwood Forest near Nottingham. You file your copy and stroll out of your media organisation office and head for home - a beer and takeaway pizza on the menu - as you approach your door, three men emerge from the shadows and beat you senseless, they hit you 54 times with a steel pipe and put you in a coma.
This is the reality for reporting planning stories in Russia where the applicants don't want you to report any details about their plans.
At the International Journalism Festival we heard from Oleg Kashin, a reporter with Kommersant, about how the above happened to him when he tried to report about a developer's plans to build a highway through the Hinki forest near Moscow.
This is the CCTV which apparently shows Oleg being beaten up
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w-YhStbTkc&w=600&h=368]
The forest was the place where in 1941 the German tanks stopped short of the capital. It's been a public area for people to enjoy since the time of Catherine the Great. But, the authorities appear to be working with the developers to ensure the plans go through unapposed.
It makes me realise how lucky we are in the UK when reporting local government, and while we may get annoyed with the 300-page long PDF document at least we are free to report new developments and put questions to developers and planners. It's a vital part of democracy and it's vital local media continue to report on the planning process - which can often impact on thousands of people's lives and the future of our local areas.