Polina Blinova, Grade 12
UWC Maastricht
When asked about a person I admire the most, my mind frequently goes blank as I am unable to come up with a single name. While there are many people I look up to and agree with, it is somewhat baffling for me to distinguish an individual that I can consider my role model. There will always be something that inevitably distorts my perception of certain people, be it a controversial belief or a discrete action. As a consequence, the person I will talk about now is in no way my 'idol'; I recognize the importance of his work, and I value the impact he has on others. He deserves to be heard about, howbeit the fact that I might condemn some of his actions.
Yuri Dud (Юрий Дудь) is a Ukrainian journalist brought up in Russia. His sustained from an early childhood interest in this field led him to become a sports correspondent, and later on create one of the most influential shows in the entirety of Russian media. Starting off as an initiative to interview various celebrities to practice journalism skills, Yuri's YouTube channel transformed into a source of multiple historical and political documentaries, interviews with members of the Russian opposition, and cultural episodes concerning post-Soviet countries. Despite the fact that the majority of his releases are dedicated to people in the entertainment industry, his most important works, in my opinion, are his full-length films, among which there are ones about Stalinist repressions, AIDS, and the Beslan school siege.
In order to avoid the intense censorship faced by everyone whose content is made available by the Russian media, Dud's only choice is resorting to YouTube, where his 'unpopular' and 'controversial', according to the government, opinions cannot be brought down. He is frank in his dislike for Putin and others in power, even though not many are able to call out such people in the way Yuri does as it is notoriously hard to do so in the context of Russia. His bluntness makes his films unique, and even the somewhat banal and predictable topics that he discusses in his interviews help uncover personal stories and opinions better than subtle and precise questions. I value the bravery inherent to people who choose to go against the exhortations of the oppressive government. Yes, a lot of people do not approve of his projects, but it does not stop Dud to spread important messages amongst the change-anticipating majority of Russia.
As depressing as it sounds, many young people here are not aware of the dreadful things that make up our reality, both past and present. According to one of the VTsIOM surveys, 47 percent of Russians between the ages of 18-24 are completely unaware of the Stalinist repressions; Yuri's documentary viewed by 21 million hopefully changed that. The majority is uninformed about the gravity of the situation with HIV in Russia; Yuri's documentary viewed by 18 million hopefully changed that. I, personally, do not grasp everything about the story of Beslan; Yuri's documentary viewed by 20 million that I am yet to watch will hopefully change that. In his films, he not only talks to people that share his perspectives but also tries to get the other picture from those he does not agree with.
"Alas, we never comment on the material we release. This happens for several reasons, but the main one is that we don't get distracted by past projects but work on new things", - this is a valid stance one might take in terms of journalism, especially of the kind that Dud is associated with. At the same time, it prevents from clarifying the controversy surrounding a lot of his work. One of the things he has been accused of was not inviting enough female guests on his show, and, therefore, buying into sexist beliefs. Dud himself has mentioned that he invites people he is genuinely interested in regardless of their gender, as well as the fact that a lot of women he did invite rejected to partake in the interviews. I cannot assess the truthfulness of his words; however, I do see how they are problematic. We do not live in a fairyland where one can choose to not care about things like that; in reality, the attitude of that manner devalues the uniqueness and the incomparable experiences intrinsic to different genders. Now is not the time to act the way Yuri does, now it is time to purposefully invite women and others who do not conform with the label 'man' to the media, in order to increase the visibility they are severely lacking.
All in all, Yuri Dud is an important figure in the Russian media. I sincerely aspire to be someone who is not afraid to speak their mind and educate others on important topics, especially in a place where it is not welcome. Yuri became that person, and in the future, I hope to see other people who were inspired by his work and proceeded with a similar endeavor.
Yuri Dud (Юрий Дудь) is a Ukrainian journalist brought up in Russia. His sustained from an early childhood interest in this field led him to become a sports correspondent, and later on create one of the most influential shows in the entirety of Russian media. Starting off as an initiative to interview various celebrities to practice journalism skills, Yuri's YouTube channel transformed into a source of multiple historical and political documentaries, interviews with members of the Russian opposition, and cultural episodes concerning post-Soviet countries. Despite the fact that the majority of his releases are dedicated to people in the entertainment industry, his most important works, in my opinion, are his full-length films, among which there are ones about Stalinist repressions, AIDS, and the Beslan school siege.
In order to avoid the intense censorship faced by everyone whose content is made available by the Russian media, Dud's only choice is resorting to YouTube, where his 'unpopular' and 'controversial', according to the government, opinions cannot be brought down. He is frank in his dislike for Putin and others in power, even though not many are able to call out such people in the way Yuri does as it is notoriously hard to do so in the context of Russia. His bluntness makes his films unique, and even the somewhat banal and predictable topics that he discusses in his interviews help uncover personal stories and opinions better than subtle and precise questions. I value the bravery inherent to people who choose to go against the exhortations of the oppressive government. Yes, a lot of people do not approve of his projects, but it does not stop Dud to spread important messages amongst the change-anticipating majority of Russia.
As depressing as it sounds, many young people here are not aware of the dreadful things that make up our reality, both past and present. According to one of the VTsIOM surveys, 47 percent of Russians between the ages of 18-24 are completely unaware of the Stalinist repressions; Yuri's documentary viewed by 21 million hopefully changed that. The majority is uninformed about the gravity of the situation with HIV in Russia; Yuri's documentary viewed by 18 million hopefully changed that. I, personally, do not grasp everything about the story of Beslan; Yuri's documentary viewed by 20 million that I am yet to watch will hopefully change that. In his films, he not only talks to people that share his perspectives but also tries to get the other picture from those he does not agree with.
"Alas, we never comment on the material we release. This happens for several reasons, but the main one is that we don't get distracted by past projects but work on new things", - this is a valid stance one might take in terms of journalism, especially of the kind that Dud is associated with. At the same time, it prevents from clarifying the controversy surrounding a lot of his work. One of the things he has been accused of was not inviting enough female guests on his show, and, therefore, buying into sexist beliefs. Dud himself has mentioned that he invites people he is genuinely interested in regardless of their gender, as well as the fact that a lot of women he did invite rejected to partake in the interviews. I cannot assess the truthfulness of his words; however, I do see how they are problematic. We do not live in a fairyland where one can choose to not care about things like that; in reality, the attitude of that manner devalues the uniqueness and the incomparable experiences intrinsic to different genders. Now is not the time to act the way Yuri does, now it is time to purposefully invite women and others who do not conform with the label 'man' to the media, in order to increase the visibility they are severely lacking.
All in all, Yuri Dud is an important figure in the Russian media. I sincerely aspire to be someone who is not afraid to speak their mind and educate others on important topics, especially in a place where it is not welcome. Yuri became that person, and in the future, I hope to see other people who were inspired by his work and proceeded with a similar endeavor.
Bibliography:
https://www.rferl.org/a/more-than-clickbait-millions-tune-in-as-russian-youtuber-tours-stalin-s-legacy/29908512.html
https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/11401/watch-russias-divisive-youtuber-yuri-dud-in-english
https://www.rbc.ru/magazine/2017/06/592555cc9a7947d4c8585415
https://ru.espreso.tv/article/2017/10/27/kto_takoy_yuryy_dud_y_kak_zhurnalystu_ukraynskogo_
proyskhozhdenyya_udaetsya_krytykovat_putyna_v_rossyy
https://www.rferl.org/a/more-than-clickbait-millions-tune-in-as-russian-youtuber-tours-stalin-s-legacy/29908512.html
https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/11401/watch-russias-divisive-youtuber-yuri-dud-in-english
https://www.rbc.ru/magazine/2017/06/592555cc9a7947d4c8585415
https://ru.espreso.tv/article/2017/10/27/kto_takoy_yuryy_dud_y_kak_zhurnalystu_ukraynskogo_
proyskhozhdenyya_udaetsya_krytykovat_putyna_v_rossyy
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