My cartoon was inspired by this New York Times story. The Times reports that journalists at one of Russia’s largest news services were instructed that “at least 50 percent of the reports about Russia must be ‘positive.'” In light of the passing of former President Boris Yeltsin, who ushered in sweeping democratic and free-market reforms after the fall of the Soviet Union, current President Vladimir Putin’s iron-handed crackdown on free speech seems all the more appalling.
By the way, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written anything on this blog. Running a blog is a lot like keeping a diary, and I’ve never kept one of those in my life. Also, I’m a cartoonist — not a writer — so many days I feel like my drawing communicates everything I want to say. However, I will try to be better and add more written commentary in the future. In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying my cartoons!
