Vitaly Korotich

[8] In the late 1980s and early 1990s Vitaly Korotich was editor-in-chief of Ogonyok magazine in Moscow, which made, some say, a substantial contribution to the promotion of media freedom in the former USSR.

In his hands Ogonyok became the point of the spear and also a blunt instrument flailing away at the enemies of change and renewal, including Communist party notables and formerly inviolate institutions like the K. G. B. and the Soviet Army.

Korotich says that he is on a civilizing mission whose goal is «a normal life in an abnormal society» and explains, «For seventy years, we were taught that the son who betrayed his father, or a person who burned a church, was a hero.

«The New Yorker» [9] «For his leadership in a new age of journalism in the Soviet Union; for his devotion to reform and democratization despite efforts by conservatives to minimize his influence; and for his work to correct «official» but false history and promote the rehabilitation of victims of Stalinist repression.

He is the first Soviet journalist to receive our award, which is made annually for the demonstration of courage, enterprise, and leadership in advancing press freedom and responsibility, enhancing world understanding, defending human rights and fostering excellence in journalism».

Vitaly Korotich in Novy Vzglyad