Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait sent the following note to Bloomberg editorial and research staff on Friday.
To All in Editorial & Research,
Now that Vladimir Putin has signed Russia’s new restrictions on the media, we have with great regret decided to temporarily suspend our news gathering inside Russia. The change to the criminal code, which seems designed to turn any independent reporter into a criminal purely by association, makes it impossible to continue any semblance of normal journalism inside the country. We will not do that to our reporters in Russia who have produced such extraordinary coverage under already trying circumstances. We will obviously continue to support our staff in the country, even if for now they can no longer do their jobs there. And of course Bloomberg will continue to write and broadcast about Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world – but for the moment we will do that from outside Russia.
John
