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On World Press Freedom Day 2025, Focus Turns to Journalists in Exile and the Fight for Truth
April 30, 2025
April 30, 2025 – General –
A renewed focus on the life and death of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya is emerging nearly two decades after her assassination, driven by a powerful new film and a broader reckoning with the threats faced by journalists worldwide. The film Words of War, set to release in theaters this summer, dramatizes Politkovskaya’s unflinching reporting and the oppressive climate in which she worked, offering both a tribute to her courage and a warning about the current state of global press freedom.
Politkovskaya, a renowned war correspondent for Novaya Gazeta, was known for her fearless coverage of the Chechen conflict and her outspoken criticism of the Kremlin. She was murdered in her Moscow apartment building in 2006—a killing widely believed to have been politically motivated. While several men were convicted in connection with the case, the masterminds behind her death were never publicly identified or brought to justice.
The upcoming film stars Maxine Peake as Politkovskaya and Jason Isaacs in a key supporting role. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ava Greenfield, Words of War is being praised for its emotional depth and political urgency. The story highlights the personal cost of truth-telling in an authoritarian environment and explores the complex pressures facing reporters who defy powerful interests.
Beyond cinema, the film has sparked broader conversation about the escalating threats journalists face globally. In an op-ed, The Guardian emphasized that Politkovskaya’s story remains deeply relevant today, as reporters around the world continue to face surveillance, arrest, harassment, and even murder for doing their jobs. The piece calls on democratic governments and media institutions to do more to protect press freedom and support those who risk everything to expose the truth.
As anticipation builds for Words of War‘s release, it is already serving as a cultural moment to reflect on journalism’s role in holding power accountable—and the high price many pay for that responsibility. Politkovskaya’s legacy lives on not only in the film but in the work of journalists everywhere who persist, despite the danger.
Reference –
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/26/anna-politkovskaya-brave-threats-journalists
