Holod is possibly the coolest thing on Russia’s independent media scene today.
The independent online magazine, whose name translates as “coldness”, has captivated Russian audiences with its deep longform stories from far-flung regions, which are often covered only superficially by federal media. These stories are appropriately chilling, seeking to raise awareness of manifold social and economic inequalities in the world’s largest country.
Holod shot to fame in August 2019, as a mini-site featuring one article about a murder from Khakassia, a region in southern Siberia. A man from the regional capital of Abakan killed four local women and raped many more, under the nose of law enforcement. He was known to police, but evaded punishment for his crimes.
Taisia Bekbulatova worked on the story for three months after she left Meduza, an independent publication where she had worked as a news reporter for two years. She was previously a political correspondent for Kommersant, a national business daily.
Bekbulatova has since assembled a small team of professional journalists and editors. Over the year since it was founded, Holod has already won three prizes from Redkollegia, one of Russia’s most prestigious journalism awards.
I spoke to Bekbulatova about Holod’s goals, outlook on Russia, and her hopes for the project’s future.
Maxim Edwards: Your project, as you’ve described it, is inspired by “Russia as our fatherland, an icy desert on which a dashing person walks. These are big stories about Russia and the dashing people who inhabit it.” Could you elaborate on this, and explain the publication’s name?
ME: Holod’s first story was about a serial murderer from Abakan in Khakassia, a region many Russian readers are probably unfamiliar with. It seems to me that Holod is trying to reinvent regional-focused journalism in Russia, a trend which other sites such as Meduza, TakieDela, and Batenka have also followed. What’s the state of reporting on Russia’s regions, and what could be done better?
ME: You don’t shirk from covering depressing and often disturbing stories about the reality of life for many people in Russia today. It seems that you are not just motivated by “stories about dashing people”; you’ve published about sects, transgender rights, domestic violence, alcoholism, and incels. There seems to be a social sensitivity here, about inequality, injustice, hopelessness, and perhaps hope. What drives your work, and are there specific areas of focus?
ME: Holod is also known for its success with podcasting; Route 161 has proven to be incredibly popular. What is the role of podcasts in the Russian media landscape today?
ME: What success has Holod had with crowdfunding and other methods of self-sufficiency, and are there lessons for other Russian independent media here?
ME: What are your plans for the future of Holod?
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This post was previously published on globalvoices.org under a Creative Commons License.
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