Panorama (Russian satirical website) explained

Панорама
Type:	Satirical newspaper
Format:	Website
Motto:	To outpace an events (Russian: link=no|Опережая события)
Founder:	Boris Gontermakher Vitaly Mann
Editor:	Boris Gontermakher
Foundation:	2017
Headquarters:	Monte Carlo (according to the website itself)

The Informational Agency "Panorama", shortened to Panorama, is a Russian-language satirical website which publishes satirical "news" on topical regional and international issues. It is analogous to the American digital media company The Onion. The Panorama has been known for using its articles by many famous Russian public figures and the media as real news, even though each article on this website is accompanied with the note "The text is a grotesque parody and is not real news".

History

The website became operational in 2017. The project was founded by two people under the pen names of Boris Gontermakher and Vitaly Mann.^[1]

In an interview given in August 2020, Boris Gontermakher stated that the founders expected to teach Russian media and readers to fact check, but the goal was not met.^[2]

In another interview given in October 2021, Boris Gontermakher and Vitaly Mann said that they self-identified as liberals, but did not support modern left-wing ultra-liberalism.^[3]

According to Novaya Gazeta, Panorama's articles increasingly depict real news related to Russian politics. This is associated with the general degradation and exaggeration of political life in Russia.^[4]

Staff

• Boris Gontermakher – editor-in-chief^[5]
• Vitaly Mann – correspondent^[5]
• Brazhek Zgolchich – storeman^[5]

Financial situation

The Panorama is a project that is funded only on a non-profit basis. The founders needed to gain money.^[2]

Notable articles

Articles which were perceived as real news by media and public figures

• The article about Grigory Rodchenkov's hospitalization^[6] was cited by Alexander Ionov, vice-president of the Russian branch of the International Human Rights Committee. Russia Today, with a reference to Ionov, published the news about a suicide attempt committed by Grigory Rodchenkov.^[7]
• The article about the saleswoman who sold pricked condoms to foreign football fans during the 2018 FIFA World Cup with a view to achieving an "improvement of the gene pool"^[8] was republished as real news by many media outlets, including Komsomolskaya Pravda, Moskovskij Komsomolets, Life.ru.^[1]
• The article about fictional Chinese minister Dzhian Ming who refused to shake the hand of Anatoly Chubais^[9] was not just cited by, Russian journalist who was well-known in 1990s, but was also confirmed by his statement that he had met Mr. Ming and had given this fictional Chinese minister his book as a gift.^[10]
• The article about the aid provided to participants of the protest against the construction of the Temple of Sacred Yekaterina in the Oktyabrskaya square in Yekaterinburg by the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center^[11] was perceived as real news by Russian television presenter and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov (and this was not the first time that he referred the Panorama).^[12]
• The article about the European Union's claim for LGBT-character's inclusion for Russian animated television series Masha and the Bear^[13] was cited by Andrey Sidorov, the dean of the Faculty of World Politics of the Moscow State University, during television show Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov.^[14]

Articles which caused official denial

• The article about Ryazan's balalaika players who were detained during the concert in Ventspils and subsequently deported from Latvia^[15] was officially denied by Latvian law-enforcement agencies.^[16]
• The article about self-driving truck Kamaz which destroyed the building of the factory's workshop during testing^[17] was officially denied by the company management.^[1]
• The article about fraudsters who took foreign tourists in false Lenin's mausoleum^[18] was denied by TASS with the reference to law-enforcement agencies.^[19]

Articles which caused acute response by society

• The protest meeting against the Mark Rockefeller's appointment to CEO of the "Russian Federation" LLC, Seychelles-registered firm (it was another Panorama's publication^[20]), took place in Arkhangelsk in the end of 2019.^[2]
• After the article about Yelena Isinbayeva’s appointment to judge of the Constitutional Court of Russia as a reward for participation in the activity of the commission for the preparation of amendments to the Constitution of Russia,^[21] Yelena Isinbayeva was bullied in social media.^[22]

Articles which subsequently became real news

• On 10 April 2020, the Panorama published the article about homeless person who was fined for violation of the home isolation regime during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[23] Several days later, it became a reality.^[24]
• On 13 April 2021, the Panorama published the article about Federal Agency for Tourism's proposal for replacement of tourist's tours to Turkey to tours to Russian regions due the cancellation of air links with Turkey.^[25] In reality, such proposal was introduced on the next day only.^[26]
• The real news about the Sergei Shoigu's order to all military personnel to learn the Vladimir Putin's article "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians" was "predicted" by the Panorama.^[27]

Articles which caused problems with public authorities

• After the article about COVID-19 vaccine based on the blood of former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev was published,^[28] the website was blocked in Kazakhstan.^[29]
• On 24 October 2021, the Panorama published the article about the increase in ticket prices in public transport of Saint Petersburg.^[30] On 29 October 2021, the Governor of Saint Petersburg Alexander Beglov stated that he would demand to open a criminal case against employees of the Panorama.^[31]

See also

• List of satirical news websites

Notes and References

1. News: Suleymanov. Sultan. Сайт «Панорама» стал русским The Onion. ru. 10 July 2018. Meduza.
2. News: Миссия провалена. «Медуза» рассказывает, как устроен сайт фейковых новостей ИА «Панорама» — и что думают его создатели о просвещении журналистов и читателей. ru. 6 August 2020. Meduza.
3. News: Великие махинаторы: кто делает ИА «Панорама». ru. 7 October 2021. Pravilamag.ru.
4. News: Polovinko. Vyacheslav. Torop. Anastasia. Pavlyuk. Yelizaveta. Вместо смеха – «Панорама». Юмор в России взяли в кольцо репрессий. Выживают самые хитрые — но и за ними начали приходить. История агентства выдуманных новостей, которые стали реальностью. ru. 24 November 2021. Novaya Gazeta.
5. Web site: Об издании. ru. Panorama.
6. Web site: Gontermakher. Boris. Родченков госпитализирован с нервным срывом. ru. 19 June 2018. Panorama.
7. News: Zhdanova. Natalya. Телеканал RT опроверг свою новость о попытке самоубийства Родченкова. Она оказалась очень похожа на новость с сатирического сайта. ru. 27 June 2018. Meduza.
8. Web site: Gontermakher. Boris. В Нижнем Новгороде уволили продавщицу, продававшую иностранным болельщикам проколотые презервативы "для улучшения генофонда". ru. 2 July 2018. Panorama.
9. Web site: Gontermakher. Boris. Китайский министр объяснил, почему не пожал руку Анатолию Чубайсу. ru. 11 February 2019. Panorama.
10. News: Zhdanova. Natalya. Тележурналист Андрей Караулов рассказал о встрече с министром, выдуманным сайтом фейковых новостей. ru. 18 February 2019. Dozhd.
11. Web site: Gontermakher. Boris. Ельцин-Центр предоставил противникам храма палатки, полевые кухни и генераторы. ru. 18 May 2019. Panorama.
12. News: "Господи, опять!» Владимир Соловьев дважды за неделю процитировал пародийные новости сайта «Панорама". ru. 19 May 2019. Meduza.
13. Web site: Mitskelyunas. Anton. ЕС потребовал добавить в мультфильм «Маша и медведь» ЛГБТ-персонажей. ru. 5 March 2021. Panorama.
14. News: Pozdeeva. Maria. «Не надо читать новости с телефона»: декан факультета МГУ объяснил, почему принял фейк за правду. ru. 11 March 2021. Dailystorm.ru.
15. Web site: Mann. Vitaly. Российских балалаечников арестовали на сцене в Латвии и выдворили из страны. ru. 12 March 2018. Panorama.
16. News: Gailāne. Gunita. Viltusziņu autoru izdomas augstākais punkts – balalaikistu apcietināšana uz skatuves. lv. 15 March 2018. DELFI.
17. Web site: Mann. Vitaly. На первых испытаниях беспилотного КАМАЗа грузовик разрушил цех, в котором был собран. ru. 12 April 2018. Panorama.
18. Web site: Mann. Vitaly. В Москве арестовали мошенников, водивших иностранцев в фальшивый мавзолей. ru. 4 July 2018. Panorama.
19. News: Информация о мошенниках, водивших иностранцев в ненастоящий мавзолей, оказалась фейком. ru. 5 July 2018. TASS.
20. Web site: Freydenberg. Maksim. Марк Рокфеллер назначен новым генеральным директором ООО "Российская Федерация". ru. 10 August 2019. Panorama.
21. Web site: Mann. Vitaly. Елена Исинбаева назначена судьёй Конституционного суда России. ru. 12 December 2020. Panorama.
22. News: Shebika. Anton. «Сколько можно лить грязи и желчи?!». Исинбаева — о реакции на слухи о её назначении судьёй. ru. 16 December 2020. Сhampionat.com.
23. Web site: Mann. Vitaly. В Москве оштрафовали бездомного за нарушение режима самоизоляции. ru. 10 April 2020. Panorama.
24. News: Московские полицейские выписали бездомному протокол за нарушение «режима самоизоляции». ru. 17 April 2020. Mediazona.
25. Web site: Neizvestny. Yefim. Ростуризм предложил обменять сгоревшие путевки в Турцию на поездку по Золотому кольцу России. ru. 13 April 2021. Panorama.
26. News: Ростуризм предложил обменять поездку в Турцию на путешествие по России. ru. 14 April 2021. RIA Novosti.
27. News: Военных обязали изучить статью Путина об Украине. Нет, это не новость ИА «Панорама»… хотя погодите-ка! Сайт сатирических новостей (снова) предсказал будущее. ru. 16 July 2021. Meduza.
28. Web site: Feldshtein. Valery. В Казахстане начнут разработку вакцины от коронавируса на материалах крови Назарбаева. ru. 2 July 2020. Panorama.
29. News: В Казахстане заблокировали сатирический сайт «Панорама». ru. 4 July 2020. News.ru.
30. Web site: Mitskelyunas. Anton. В нерабочие дни стоимость поездки в петербургском метро вырастет в 10 раз. ru. 24 October 2021. Panorama.
31. News: Власти Петербурга обратятся в полицию из-за новости о подорожании проезда во время локдауна. Ее опубликовал сатирический сайт ИА «Панорама». ru. 29 October 2021. Meduza.