Tuesday, October 8

Who Is Katie Sakov? A Profile of a Journalist and Author

Katie Sakov

Katie Sakov is a Russian-American journalist and author who has covered some of the most important stories of the 21st century. She has worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Time magazine, reporting from Moscow, Washington, D.C., and New York. She has also written two books: The Red Web: The Kremlin’s Wars on the Internet, and Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia.

Early Life and Education Katie Sakov

Sakov was born in Moscow in 1981, during the final years of the Soviet Union. Her parents were both scientists who worked in the nuclear industry. She grew up in a small apartment with her grandparents, who taught her to love literature and history. She also developed an interest in journalism from watching CNN and reading foreign magazines.

When she was six years old, her family moved to the United States as part of a Jewish refugee program. They settled in Maryland, where Sakov learned English and adapted to a new culture. She attended public schools and excelled academically. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in journalism and Russian studies.

Career as a Reporter

Sakov began her career as a reporter for The Washington Post in 2003, covering local news and politics. She soon moved to the national desk, where she wrote about immigration, education, and social issues. In 2006, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study in Russia for a year. She used this opportunity to write freelance articles for various publications, including The New Republic and Slate.

In 2007, Sakov joined The New York Times as a correspondent in Moscow. She covered some of the most significant events of the Putin era, such as the war with Georgia, the protests of 2011-2012, the annexation of Crimea, and the conflict in Ukraine. She also wrote about Russian culture, society, and politics, exposing corruption, human rights abuses, and censorship.

Sakov faced many challenges and risks as a journalist in Russia. She was harassed by security agents, threatened by anonymous callers, and hacked by cyberattackers. She also witnessed violence and tragedy firsthand, such as the murder of her colleague Anna Politkovskaya and the bombing of the Domodedovo airport.

In 2015, Sakov moved to New York to work as a senior writer for Time magazine. She continued to write about Russia and other global issues, such as the rise of populism, the refugee crisis, and the 2016 U.S. presidential election. She also interviewed prominent figures such as Edward Snowden, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Donald Trump.

Career as an Author Katie Sakov

Sakov is also an accomplished author who has written two books based on her reporting experience in Russia. The first one is The Red Web: The Kremlin’s Wars on the Internet (2015), co-written with her husband Andrei Soldatov, who is also a journalist and an expert on Russian security services. The book reveals how the Russian government has tried to control the internet since its inception, using methods ranging from censorship and surveillance to hacking and propaganda.

The second book is Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia (2020), which explores how ordinary Russians navigate their lives under Putin’s authoritarian rule. The book features interviews with dozens of people from different walks of life, such as artists, activists, businessmen, priests, doctors, and soldiers. The book shows how they cope with fear, pressure, and uncertainty in a system that demands loyalty but offers little protection.

Final Remarks

Katie Sakov is one of the most respected and influential journalists of our time. She has shown courage, integrity, and professionalism in her work, exposing the truth about one of the most powerful and secretive regimes in the world. She has also enriched our understanding of Russian history, culture, and society through her insightful and engaging writing. She is a role model for aspiring journalists and writers everywhere.

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