Editor-in-Chief of TV Rain Tikhon Dzyadko to Give Talk at the University of Tennessee
The Information Integrity Institute, Department of World Languages and Cultures, and Department of Political Science are hosting Tikhon Dzyadko who will give his talk Independent Media in the Era of Autocratic Triumph: Russia’s Experience.
Dzyadko’s leadership at TV Rain, based in the Netherlands since 2022 after facing threats from the Russian government, exemplifies the challenges and triumphs of independent journalism in oppressive environments. TV Rain was recognized with the Peabody Journalistic Integrity Award during the Ukrainian war. “Given the dangers and difficulties of speaking out against the Russian government, as well as increasing attacks against press freedom around the world, TV Rain stands as a beacon for speaking truth to power,” says Peabody. Dzyadko, along with colleagues from independent Russian-speaking media, was the first to interview Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Russian after the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Prior to becoming the editor-in-chief of TV Rain, Dzyadko worked in the United States as the deputy editor-in-chief and host of the RTVI TV network.
“Mr. Dzyadko has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity,” says Institute Postdoctoral Research Associate Matthew Craig, who says the opportunity for students to come hear the perspective of journalistic inquiry under crisis speaks to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s goal of serving as a beacon for respectful exchange of ideas. “Our institute is committed to hosting events designed to broaden knowledge regarding pertinent information integrity issues, which helps fulfill its mission to build understanding of how people interact with information integrity across all information sources,” says Craig.
Dzyadko’s talk is 5-6 pm Wednesday, February 26, in the Lindsay Young Auditorium on the first floor of Hodges Library. Members of the community, faculty, staff, and students are all encouraged to attend this event, which is open to the public.
The Information Integrity Institute harnesses the expertise of faculty in order to generate interdisciplinary research designed to enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that shape how the public consumes, shares, and is influenced by the large amounts of information they continuously encounter, especially via social media, on a daily basis. The institute’s mission is to build understanding of and create insights about information integrity and how people interact with it across all information sources.
