In Russia — a country that constitutes one-seventh of the world’s landmass, spans eight time zones and has a population of 143 million — TV unites the nation. It is “the only force that can unify and rule and bind this country,” writes Russian-born British journalist Peter Pomerantsev. “It’s the central mechanism of a new type of authoritarianism, one far subtler than twentieth-century strains.”
In his aptly named book, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible, Pomerantsev uses his experiences as a Moscow-based reality-TV producer in the early 2000s to depict the profound unreality of Russian media. TV, the most popular news medium in Russia, has become a political means to an end, with powerful, state-controlled outlets dictating public opinion and disseminating the Kremlin’s narrative. Pomerantsev offers a peek at what’s behind the Kremlin’s smoke and mirrors: modern Russia’s authoritarian landscape.
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