Inside Putin’s Russia

PBS NewsHour special correspondent Nick Schifrin and producer Zach Fannin spent seven weeks in Russia, traveling to more than 12 cities as they provided viewers with a context for thinking about President Vladimir Putin’s global impact: How did this KGB veteran rise to power, and how has he shaped public opinion through appeals to nationalism and through manufacturing consent via “fake news”? What factors have turned Russia’s Islamic minority into prime recruits for ISIS? How has Putin disposed of his domestic enemies and deployed cyberwar against America? Not since the Cold War has a Russian leader cast such a shadow over world events or generated such intense concern within American politics. Each segment takes us deeper into understanding the mechanisms of power Putin has at his disposal. For such timely and nuanced coverage of this Russian strongman, we award “Inside Putin’s Russia” a Peabody.