The Naked Pravda
Meduza’s first English-language podcast, The Naked Pravda highlights how our top reporting intersects with the wider research and expertise that exists about Russia. The broader context of Meduza’s in-depth, original journalism isn’t always clear, which is where this show comes in. Here you’ll hear from the world’s community of Russia experts, activists, and reporters about the issues at the heart of Meduza’s stories.
‘The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad New Boss’: Editorial changes at ‘Vedomosti’ jeopardize one of Russia's best-respected business newspapers
To understand the significance of recent editorial troubles at Vedomosti, “The Naked Pravda” turns to Vedomosti editor-at-large Maxim Trudolyubov, who helped launched the publication more than 20 years ago.
‘Queer Science Fiction in Russian’: What space epics and tech dystopias tell us about post-Soviet minority activism
As governments and vigilantes ramp up violence against LGBTQ Russian speakers, queer activists are turning to science fiction to map out a political future when it seems like any future is impossible.
‘Russia's Chances Against Coronavirus’: Sizing up the country's healthcare capacity and social readiness for a pandemic
With Russia's suspiciously low coronavirus numbers raising concerns about the reliability of official statistics, Meduza turns to several healthcare experts to understand the challenges ahead.
‘Constitutional Gymnastics’: Russia's strange initiative to keep Vladimir Putin in office for years to come
The Russian authorities are marching forward with sweeping reforms to the country's Constitution. What laws are being bent or trampled in the campaign to allow Vladimir Putin another two presidential terms?
‘Russians in America’: Russian immigrants and visitors in the U.S. discuss the 2020 Democratic primaries
Americans worried about election interference talk constantly about “the Russians.” Here's what Russian people living the U.S. think about that.
‘Starting WWII’: Today's war of words between Russia and Poland over the history of the late 1930s
Four historians explain why assigning blame in WWII is more complicated than it seems and how the fight over memory in Russia and Poland muddies the path to the truth.
‘Academic Freedom’: The fight over political activism inside Moscow's Higher School of Economics
An in-depth look at controversial amendments to the internal rules and regulations on political activism by students and faculty at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, perhaps the best university in Russia.
‘RuNet Sovereignty’: How Russia is trying to isolate its Internet segment from the rest of the world, maybe
More crippling regulations and censorship saddles the Russian Internet every year, but it remains a space for surprisingly free speech and remarkable profits. How?
‘Conspiracy theories’: What Americans and Russians reveal about themselves in the stories they tell about each other
Conspiracy theories in America and Russia are booming and even converging today. What do these false narratives say about the two countries' politics and cultures?
‘Executive power in Russia’: How we know what we know about Kremlin politics and what to expect from Putin's new Constitutional shakeup
Vladimir Putin has proposed a redistribution of executive power in Russia. Or has he? Let's dive deep into the politics of the Kremlin and the presidential administration.
‘Tabloids and an inferiority complex’: The business and political strategy behind the media's biased Russia coverage
A recent study by Russia's state media says half of Western reporting about Russia is “negative.” It turns out that a single tabloid journalist writes a big chunk of these stories.
‘The Information Nation’: Kremlin researchers and forensic journalists intersect at Russia’s black market for leaked personal data
Kremlin computer researchers and forensic journalists are natural enemies, but both groups sometimes rely on illegally traded leaked databases. Meduza asked three reporters to explain how these Internet black markets lead to strange bedfellows in Russia.
‘Instead of her face, I saw a pizza’: How women in Russia are fighting back against sexual assault
What compels rape survivors in Russia to come forward publicly? Are women’s rights advocates optimistic about making the country safer for women? How should we even talk about sexual assault? Tune in for a discussion with journalists and activists.
‘The Naked Pravda’ premiere trailer: Meduza’s new English-language podcast
The Naked Pravda highlights how Meduza’s top reporting intersects with the wider research and expertise that exists about Russia.
Producer, sound editing and mixing — Kevin Rothrock
Executive producer — Alexandr Sadikov
Music — Victor Davydov