ABSTRACT
On June 8, 1998, the body of a middle-aged woman was discovered in a pond on a lonely stretch of ground on the outskirts of the city of Elista, capital of the southern autonomous republic of Kalmykia in the Russian Federation. In the drama of Russia's transformation, however, journalists like Larisa Yudina have proved to be the exception rather than the rule. She was willing to make a stand, to dig deeper for the truth even when her intimidators turned to threats and then to real physical violence. Many of yudina's journalistic colleagues have capitulated. They have been won over by the forces of fear, money and cynicism. The consequences of such behavior are dire for journalism itself and for the future of democracy in Russia. Whereas fear and the lure of money can and does lead many ordinary citizens to compromise, both in Russia and elsewhere, it is hoped that journalists hold themselves to a different professional standard.
