In the United States, Russia’s descent into autocracy has long been cited as a cautionary tale by those warning of democratic backsliding. Now, we risk parts of that history becoming our own.

In the early 2000s in Russia, the outward facade of democracy remained in place, even as authoritarianism took deeper root. Reporters still asked hard questions of those in power. Independent news outlets still published investigations into governments and corporations. And the Kremlin, while tightening its grip, still cared enough about keeping up appearances to conceal its authoritarian actions.

Over time, though, the Russian government hollowed out the country’s once-diverse media landscape, leaving behind only state media and other outlets loyally parroting government talking points.

Similar dynamics are taking hold here in the United States: the exclusion and punishment of those who scrutinize power, the rewarding of compliant media and the consolidation of influence over government narratives.

Losing a free press doesn't happen all at once

The deterioration of U.S. press freedom is unfolding in plain sight, seen in the Pentagon’s reorganizing its press corps, in the government’s attempt to pressure and intimidate journalists to shape coverage, in the defunding of public media, in media owners bending coverage toward the president, and in the rise of handpicked, partisan influencers granted special government access in place of an independent press. 

In Russia, the backsliding began after the turn of the century, when state-aligned oligarchs – most of whom are now effectively President Vladimir Putin’s officials – bought out major private news outlets in a transition to state ownership.

The 2001 takeover of NTV marked a turning point, silencing one of the few television outlets willing to challenge Putin even as his........

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