Forest Fires Now a Political Problem in Russia Because Bloggers Cover Them More Quickly than Officials Do and Set the Terms in Which They are Discussed, Russian Analyst Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Aug. 14 – Forest fires are rapidly becoming a major political problem in Russia because independent bloggers can get to the scene and report far more quickly than officials do and thus set the narrative in which those fires will be discussed, putting officials increasingly on the defensive, Valery Prokhorov says.

            In an Octagon Media post, the Russian commentator says that this problem is especially glaring in the case of forest fires where officials have been especially slow to react and then come up with an official version they can disseminate and set the terms of discussion (octagon.media/istorii/pochemu_lesnye_pozhary_v_rossii_prevratilis_v_politicheskij_faktor.html).

            Prokhorov, a political scientist who is a member of the Russian Association of Political Consultants, says that officials must respond far more rapidly in order to “reduce the time between the emergence, detection, management decision and public explanation.”

            “The shorter this gap,” Prokhorov says, “the less space remains for sensations, politically charged interpretations of what is happening and the trivial guidance of the shadow of a wicker by idle commentators.” Otherwise, the political weather in Russia will be set not by officials but by bloggers who are more fleetfooted than they.