Russian authorities expand list of ‘foreign agent’ media

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have labeled nine more journalists and three media organizations as “foreign agents,” part of official efforts to sideline critics — just as a Russian journalist won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Dmitry Muratov, and fellow journalist Maria Ressa of the Philippines, won the prize Friday for their fight for freedom of expression. Many in Russia had hoped that the award would restrain the authorities’ crackdown on critical media outlets. But hours after the prize announcement, Russia’s Justice Ministry added another nine journalists and three entities to its lists of foreign agents, a label that carries strong pejorative connotations and implies increased official scrutiny.