Mikhail Zygar: Journalism, Cynicism and Healthy Democracy
- Lily Bradford
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
Exiled Russian journalist, Mikhail Zygar, presented Journalism against autocracy: Putin, Trump and the future of news as the A N Smith Lecture at the University of Melbourne on the 31st of March.
The 44-year-old is a firm opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He promotes the importance of journalism, press freedom, and personal ideals in the health and maintenance of democracy.
Since 2022, Zygar has lived in exile in the US after becoming the founding editor-in-chief of contentious Russian news channel TV Rain, the first Russian independent news channel under Putin's rule. TV Rain spoke freely on political issues and quite frequently criticised the Russian President. The channel is now based in the Netherlands.
“We were not the regular Russian media, we had a very high degree of independence,” Zygar said during the lecture, describing his news channel.
Zygar uses speeches like these, as well as his social media platforms and large array of published works, to promote free and fair access to uncensored information.
He suggests that such freedoms act as a foundation for individuals to build on their ideals and positions in democracy.
He says it is independently formed beliefs and ideologies that feed a healthy democracy.
“When the population stops believing in the cornerstone ideology, the state falls apart. That’s the moment where we are now”, Zygar said.
Zygar said the collapse of the Soviet Union was a result of a common distrust in the State apparatuses and because “it was clear that no one really believed in communism.”
“Those Kremlin ideologists truly believe that the faith in liberal democracy is over and that, at least the United States, are going to repeat the scenario of the Soviet Union.”
The Soviet Union officially collapsed on December 26, 1991, after a long period of political and economic turmoil.
Zygar attributes an increasingly popular value system known as ‘cynicism’ to the fall of democracies around the world.
Cynicism, he said, is characterised by a general distrust in motives as well as a belief that values and ideals are not real. For Zygar, Putin’s interests lie in the destabilisation of Western values such as liberal democracy.
“He has been challenging the values which for many years have been important for the Western world.”
Zygar said the growing popularity of ‘cynicism’ has resulted in a distrust in democracy and a rise in the popularity of authoritarian rulers.
“He [Putin] definitely was convinced that there was no real democracy,” Zygar said, adding he believes that US President Donald Trump is also embracing the new ideology of cynicism.
Despite Donald Trump winning the popular vote in the 2024 US Election, according to the US Institute of Politics and Public Service, 81% of US voters believe democracy is under threat.
“The new world order does not guarantee any alliance based on values,” Zygar said about people losing faith in democracy.
He also reminded the audience of the importance of the free press and democracy, and the interconnectedness between democracy, press freedom and individual values.
“It's really important, not only for Russians and not only for Americans, but for all of us,” Zygar said, stating that strong personal value systems moderate a larger abuse of power.
He reminded the audience of the interconnectedness between democracy, press freedom and individual values.
Zygar said when discussing future strategies on how to maintain stable democracies, that it is access to truth, remaining informed, and forming one’s own values which make up the fundamentals of democracy. He reinforced that a strong personal value system is the foundation on which democracy thrives.
“I think the only possibility to continue working [on democracy] is to address those people that are undecided.”
“We have to fight for our own values, and we have to believe”, Zygar concluded.