In April-May 2024, the Alexey Navalny YouTube channel aired the series “Traitors,” which was created by Maria Pevchikh, head of the investigation department of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). This series explores various topics such as the 1996 elections, the era of oligarchs, and the transition of power to Vladimir Putin in Russia. The series has garnered millions of views and incorporates footage from documentaries by various directors including Alexander Gentelev.
However, concerns were raised among viewers and commentators regarding the lack of credits for the authors of materials used in the first two episodes. It wasn’t until after public backlash and demand for acknowledgement that proper credit was given in episode three.
Vera Krichevskaya, a TV director and producer whose work was used in the series, expressed her disappointment at the lack of communication and proper acknowledgement from FBK team. She highlighted Gentelev’s archives as unique and valuable work that should be respected. Tanya Genteleva, wife of Alexander Gentelev who passed away before his work being used without permission in this series shared her emotional experience on discovering it. Despite attempts to contact Maria Pevchikh there was no satisfactory explanation or resolution regarding unauthorized use of Gentelev’s materials.
This controversy brings up ethical questions about intellectual property rights and responsibilities of creators to respect others work. Both Vera Krichevskaya and Tanya Genteleva have emphasized on transparency and accountability in production process highlighting need for proper attribution while using external materials.
Overall, it is important for media outlets to be aware of their responsibilities when it comes to copyrighted materials and to ensure that they are properly credited or sought permission before using them in their content.
