Establishment Attack Dog Megyn Kelly in Turn Accused of Kremlin Collusion in Bizarre Twist of Fate
Nearly 6 million Americans watched Putin's last interview which he gave to U.S. journalist, Megyn Kelly, last summer. It brought Kelly herself to a new level of popularity. But the responses weren't all positive: she had been called an agent of the Kremlin.
Mikhail Terentiev will tell us more. We'll find the details from him.
- Hello Mikhail. So how can a conversation like this with a President turn out?
- Good evening. In reality, everything depends on the person, the depth of the discussion, and the skill of the journalist.
Since last year, Megyn Kelly was labeled as an "agent of the Kremlin." She was accused of unprofessionalism because US analysts thought she was too loyal to Putin. However, Kelly herself later explained the difference between loyalty and common respect.
Of course, it's strange to hear accusations against a person who embodies the "American dream" better than anyone. Megyn Kelly was born in an ordinary family, and achieved the height of her career herself. After law school she had positions in large companies. She plays sports, teaches aerobics. In 2003, she got a job at a local television station in Washington, then she was noticed by the Fox News management. Last year, she went to Russia as an author of her own column for the NBC TV channel. The interview with Putin was her own program's first release.
Mikhail Sinelnikov-Orishak, political scientist-publicist: "These accusations fit into the mold where there's only the US point of view, and all the other ones are wrong. They start to perceive this suspiciously. Why do you give him the right to speak? Why do you show them not as monsters but as people who are trying to explain something?"
In general, the fate of those who are trying to hear a different point of view is not desirable. The Russian footprint and the Kremlin's hand was searched for in every frame of Oliver Stone's documentary "The Putin Interviews". He was even accused of being paid by Moscow, since no one got so close to Putin before. But in reality, the ease of making the documentary was a long period of huge negotiations. And all for the sake of director's vision, politics from the President with no strings attached.
Stanislav Bishok, political analyst: "You can't say that he's afraid that after the film about Putin he will be accused of being too sympathetic towards Russia, because any accusations that he is negative towards the current US government is likely a plus, and those people who appreciate and respect him and his work, are the same people who are also critical of the US international policy".
Just in Russia, the film was viewed by more than 1.5 million people. And last year the film received the Audience Award, as the best documentary at the European Film Festival.
The number of interviews Vladimir Putin gave during his Presidential terms can't be counted. An estimate is that this figure is more than a 1,000. But these are just estimates. And here's the main question: if there were so many interviews, then why are only a few remembered? And what happened to those who couldn't get noticed because of Russia?
Mikhail Sinelnikov-Orishak:"An interview with Putin is undoubtedly a test of professionalism. You can't pressure Putin and try to get him to follow the path of your agenda for the interview, although many US or western journalists will try to do it repeatedly. This is because he has certain information and he is many steps ahead".
A German journalist, Hubert Seipel, was also unable to put his questions in an interview format and made a whole documentary. Even before the premiere, he admitted: sympathy for Putin doesn't prevent him from being objective. The film discussed the most acute issues: Crimea, sanctions, relations between Russia and the West. Of course, many criticized the film. But there were those who supported it. As a result, Seipel unexpectedly wrote a book about Putin. The global circulation exceeded hundreds of thousands of copies.
Hubert Seipel, Journalist: "First of all, I don't attempt to represent Russian or German interests, I try to be objective. Yes, I showed my attitude towards the Federal Chancellor's position. I don't think that I will have too many problems at home, in any case, I won't be put in jail".
723 seconds with Putin became fateful for a journalist from Kyrgyzstan. Syyagul Karaman's interview with the Russian leader in Sochi last year has become a new milestone in her career. The interview was later extensively quoted. But few people know that the interview application was submitted as a chance.
Syyagul Karaman: "To be honest, we expected an answer like this: We'll record a few minutes ourselves and send it. Or: Sorry, he has a tight schedule. But now when I'm making arrangements for interviews I just say my name, and without even knowing the interview topic, experts invite me to come right away".
Answering questions from their colleagues, journalists who interviewed Putin agree: that it's important to understand the cause-effect relationship. Why is all of this happening? It's more important to try to understand the subject being interviewed than to try to appease him.
- So that's the story, Maria.
- Thank you, Mikhail. This was Mikhail Terentiev reporting about interviews with Vladimir Putin.