It’s been just over a year since Russian authorities arrested 30 activists aboard Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior III -- a ship protesting Russia’s controversial oil rig in the Arctic. Among those arrested was the ship’s captain, Peter Willcox, a Greenpeace veteran and resident of Norwalk, Connecticut.
In October, Joe Bergantino of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting had a similar experience. Both he and his colleague, Randy Covington, were detained by Russian authorities for teaching a journalism workshop in St. Petersburg.
This hour, Joe and Peter join us to share their experiences. We look more closely at Russia's actions and ask: What sort of message are Russian authorities trying to send the rest of the world?
Later in the program, we introduce the first installment of Topline. It’s a new biweekly series we’re doing in partnership with the Roper Center at UConn. We kick it off with a conversation about Ebola, and what its taught us about public confidence in hospital care.
GUESTS:
- Peter Willcox - American Greenpeace activist from Norwalk, Connecticut
- Joe Bergantino - Director and senior investigative reporter of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting
- Timothy Snyder - Bird White Housum Professor of History at Yale University
- Kathleen Weldon - Research manager for the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at UConn
John Dankosky and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.