Vladimir Pozner on Ukraine, Crimea, Putin and Journalism

On YouTube:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Published on Jul 22, 2015 by KMVT
Russian TV personality, Vladimir Pozner, talks to American delegates from the Center for Citizen Initiatives about Ukraine, Crimea, President Putin and the state of Journalism today. This program was filmed in Moscow, Russia in June, 2015. This program was aired on KMVT15 Community Media.

From: Sharon Tennison [email protected]>
To: 1389 Blog Mailbox
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 10:21 PM
Subject: Moscow––Pozner: Ukraine, Crimea and Putin

Hi Friends,

We spent a couple of hours with Vladimir Pozner while in Moscow. In case you may not know of him, he is Russia’s #1 Icon for TV broadcasting and has been for about 50 years. As always, he was cordial, frank and fascinating.

I’ve extracted a 30 minute piece out of the longer version for you to get what is probably most salient. It follows:

Vladimir Pozner Ukraine, Crimea, Journalism and Putin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG2beCe2AUw

In case any of you wish to view the longer piece, it can be clicked on next.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFBqdeKtlFc

This piece is about an hour and half and contains the above 30-minute extract.

FYI, our first delegation to the USSR met with Pozner in 1983. Off camera he was more forthcoming than we expected regarding the system he represented on Soviet TV. Since few Americans traveled there during that dangerous period, he frequently had time for us as one CCI delegation after another began showing up in Moscow. He was enjoyed by all of our travelers since he seemed so “American.” In the second and longer URL above Pozner gives his checkered family history which included living in New York up into his teen years. One thing I remember vividly: the story about when his father chose to depart the U.S.(after being told he must renounce his birth country or leave). The family moved Russia in the early 1950s when it was just recovering from WWII. Vladimir found himself in a radically different circumstance compared to New York to which he was accustomed. When asked what he missed about America, he retorted, “When you are a teenager, the thing you miss most is a hamburger and a coke!” It couldn’t have been an easy transition.

In 2004 we brought 100 Russian entrepreneurs to Washington to get ideas from the world’s top 15 Embassies whose countries had significantly reduced corruption. Afterward they flew back to Moscow where Vladimir hosted all 100 on his weekly TV show which was carried across 11 time zones. Four of the 100 sat at his round table and described their plights about dealing with Russia’s endemic corruption. The other 96 held hand-operated devices with which they voted on each question asked. It was the first time entrepreneurs had risked talking publically about the corruptors in their cities.

Another tale of the past: In 2007 Vladimir showed up in a dingy District Court in StPetersburg where I was being sued for $400,000 for a broken pipe in my flat which had supposedly destroyed two Bechstein grand pianos below, along with assorted antiques, a closet of full length furs, 60 pair of Italian shoes, on and on and on. I was being sued by one of the grand divas of the Marienskii Theatre. Vladimir strolled into court as though he belonged there and made it known he was watching. He stayed the entire day, counseling me during breaks. I’m forever grateful, since I’m sure due to his presence, the suit was reduced to below $60K and a few other court costs.