Presidential hoax for dummies

Andrey Ryabtsev, KP.RU — 21.04.2008

Today it's clear how the biggest newspaper hoax of the decade was born. Ten days ago, Moskovsky Korrespondent reported that President Putin had divorced his wife and planned to marry former rhythmic gymnast and current State Duma Deputy Alina Kabayeva. Putin refuted the claims while at a press conference in Sardinia with Italian Prime Minister-elect Silvio Berlusconi.

Shortly after, news agencies reported that Moskovsky Korrespondent was suspending publication.

I went to the Moskovsky Korrespondent editorial offices to meet the author of the hoax that has taken Western news outlets by storm. I also wanted to learn if the newspaper had actually been shut down.

"We just didn't have anything to put on the page, so we thought up this tall-tale," said columnist Lev Ryzhkov, who looks a bit like a reclusive bookworm. Ryzhkov was on vacation when the scandalous issue went to press. When he returned to work and learned what happened, Ryzhkov created another sensation by describing how the editorial team constructed the intricate hoax on his Internet forum.

It still smells like gunpowder in the editorial office's smoking room at the entrance to Moskovsky Korrespondent. Ryzhkov's colleagues greet him sullenly – some with reservations and others with pity.

"Lev! Take off your glasses!" said Sergey Topol, co-author of the misguided article on Putin's alleged marriage to Kabayev. Swinging his arm skillfully in the narrow corridor, Topol caught Ryzhkov square in the eye. "Take that, you bastard!"

I was dumbfounded. Hearing the noise, Ryzhkov's colleagues came out from behind their partitions and into the hallway.

"Did you see that?!" Ryzhkov said, jumping towards me.

In the next room Deputy Chief Editor Igor Dudinsky nervously spoke with Canadian TV. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Our sources are very serious! Everyone knows about the affair," Dudinsky said.

"Okay," the Canadian correspondent said and quickly put two and two together. "But they want to shut you down. Does this mean there's no free press in Russia?"

"How did you get in here?" the receptionists said, finally noticing me.

Through the door, I answered. I then asked them to explain how the hoax had come into being.

"Send an official request and we'll answer," they said.

Only National Media Company General Director Artem Artemov agreed to speak with me. His company owns Moskovsky Korrespondent.

"No one closed the newspaper. We've simply haulted print," Artemov said. "Go ahead and print that... This isn't connected with the story about Kabayev."

"What's it connected with then?" I asked.

"We're going to turn this newspaper into a tabloid for intelligent readers," he said.

Topol and Ryzhkov started fighting again in the hallway.

"The editorial team has been writing a lot about big politics lately. We want to make this a newspaper about the problems of residents living in a big city," Artemov said.

"Did you know a week ago that this article was being prepared for print?" I asked.

"No. I only saw the article on the day of the issue," he said. "I knew right away it was a hoax. The editorial group couldn't explain where they had gotten their information."

"And then what?" I asked.

"Well, they'll have to answer for their lie," he said. "The editorial team is responsible for spreading inaccurate information."

According to Artemov, Chief Editor Grigoriy Nekhoroshev was the first to leave the publication. He wrote his own resignation. Ryzhkov followed. He was called a traitor and asked to leave the company.

"So what did you acheive?" Ryzhkov's colleagues asked him about his confession on the Internet forum. "We made up the hoax and now what...?"

"I just wanted to tell the truth," Ryzhkov said. They grinned and took a step aside.

And I thought: "So this means Ryzhkov is right?"

Word for Word

Journalist's Confession

Lev Ryzhkov (columnist, Moskovsky Korrespondent)

Taken from Litprom.ru

After thinking about it I came to the following conclusion – why shouldn't I just say what really happened? I mean a big part of this whole scandal took place before my very eyes. I hope my info will help provide some finality to the issue.

For reference: I'm a staff journalist at Moskovsky Korrespondent – the same publication that published the hoax. I've worked as a columnist in the literature and arts section for 6 months already, basically from the moment of founding.

I learned about the sensation after our entire country. I'll explain why. I was on vacation. So I found out on Tuesday.

This is the real story about Vladmir Vladirmovich's wedding.

The newspaper was a 24-page daily. That's a lot of space. It doesn't matter how many huge articles you slap on the page, you'll always have small holes left over that need to be filled with something...

The evening when the sensation was born the situation was about the same – as far as I know. There was an empty space on one of the pages. The Hollywood stars that usually patch up these spaces didn't cut it this time. Why? Because the hole was on the front page – where we print political news. You can't put Dima Bilan or Filip Kirkorov there regardless of how much you want to.

I don't need to explain how tired journalists get rid of their stress and weariness. I don't know whose hot head came up with the idea to marry the president and Kabayev. Honestly. Officially the article was written by two journalists. But they didn't come up with the idea. That's for sure.

And that's how things unfolded more or less. They used Putin to fill the hole.

I don't know what went on in the first days following the sensation. I guess the country was quiet... (ed. shocked). Everyone all the sudden knew the publication where I worked.

When I came to work on Tuesday, I don't even know what I saw... The journalists were strangely excited.

"We've made some serious PR!" the smoke room beamed. "Now everyone knows us."

Initially, yes, I also felt some strange euphoria. The editor demanded that a continuation be written on the "successful" theme.

I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears how our journalists called the Presidential Administration: "How do you feel about the rumors regarding…" They also called poor Alina Kabayeva: "Alina! Please confirm or refute…" I'll say once again – this was their sick imagination. Kabayev's press secretary picked up the phone and politely asked our journalists to go to... Meaning, I'll explain this again for those who haven't yet caught on – they made up the cock-and-bull story about her and then called her nonstop demanding that she comment on the situation.

The smoke room was buzzing.

"They're refusing to give commentary!" our journalists said exultantly like little kids. "That means they have been in the jam pot!" Something must have really happened. Grisha (ed. Grigoriy) guessed right!"

Let's remember the name Grisha.

But in any event I was gone for two whole weeks and suddenly realized everyone had gone mad. It happens with creative people. I talk to writers often. Many experience very human feelings for their characters... It's the same with journalists. They all just believed in the story that they had come up with.

However, before long the euphoria passed. Some people in uniform came to the editorial offices. Really big guys. I don't who they were. Maybe the FSB, but I don't think so. My guess – they came to pick up the editor and take him to the owner of the newspaper. I saw him being taken away with my own eyes. He glanced around and said: "I'll be back."

After the "Hasta la vista," everyone was nervous. Me, too.

Then the editor returned. Jumping ahead, I'll say that he started to come to work only on rare occasions. Some international and national press still tried to reach him on his work number. They were given the same spiel: "The editor is being interrogated at Lubyanka." I should say he went to these interrogations without a convoy and with some strange glitter in his eyes – as if with pleasure. If there was such a thing as an interrogation-oholic, he certainly was one.

...On Friday, Japanese television showed up. The editor didn't greet them but prefered to see him in his office. He was preaching like a bombastic old man talking about free press, exclusive sources of information. After he finished he shook their hands proudly...