E30: Alexey Kovalev on the Slutsky Scandal

In this episode, Kevin spoke again to friend-of-the-show Alexey Kovalev, an investigative journalist in Russia. We discussed the latest developments in the scandal surrounding State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky, who was exonerated this past week by the Ethics Committee, despite accusations by multiple women journalists who say he sexually harassed them at different times over the past several years. The committee’s decision, as well as the insulting questions its members asked two of Slutsky’s victims during their inquiry, have enraged the Russian news media and provoked a boycott by dozens of outlets on reporting at the State Duma.What are you going to learn about in this episode of The Russia Guy? *Who is Leonid Slutsky?*What kind of career has he had in Russian politics? *What happened exactly at the Ethics Committee inquiry on Wednesday, March 21? *How did the media boycott of the State Duma take shape, and how is the state-run media, which isn’t part of the boycott, handling the Slutsky scandal? *How will the boycott influence reporting on Russia’s legislature, and how important is the Russian State Duma, anyway?Follow Kovalev on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevRead the full Meduza story quoted in this episode here: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/23/all-i-can-do-is-recommend-a-good-therapistSupport this podcast on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)