Writing Breaking News Stories Covering Russian Society and Politics
By Owen Gramley ‘25Novaya Gazeta Europe (NGE), which was founded in Riga, Latvia in 2022, is the current home in exile for the staff of the Nobel Prize-winning Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, who have been unable to work in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine due to strict censorship laws and police harassment.
At NGE, I wrote breaking news stories covering Russian society European geopolitics, human rights atrocities, and the war in Ukraine. I also translated, fact-checked, edited, and assisted in reporting for NGE’s long-form investigative pieces.
In one investigation, I looked into sexual misconduct allegations in the Russian Orthodox Church. When our article was published, there was significant clerical restructuring in the church, leading to the removal of one particularly powerful priest who was a former Putin ally and vocal advocate of the war.
Although journalism is relatively new to me, NGE was an incredible opportunity to employ my Russian major and language skills and contribute to independent media from Russia. I also had the privilege of working with an extraordinary staff who risk their lives every day to report in Russia because they believe in the value of journalism and the role it plays in democracy and governmental transparency.
Internship funded by the CXD Funded Experiences and Skills Fund.