Yenisei23

Don't get me started!! I've never heard of him, frankly, and Pravda is neither "leading" or a newspaper. Its website is the hub of a bunch of fairly obscure propaganda websites and online tabloids dating back to early Putin years. They have no journalistic value whatsoever, most of their content is just copypasted news briefs from state-owned newswires interspersed with anti-Western screeds and coordinated attacks on the opposition and the few remaining independent outlets. This guy clearly has a very vague idea of what journalism is in general, difference between fact and opinion etc. I can't believe his AmA got so much traction, but he's still the laughingstock on Russian internet, and for good reason.

Thanks, but I'm not nearly as brave as, say, folks from Novaya Gazeta who have to deal with stuff like this on a daily basis: https://globalvoices.org/2018/10/18/six-red-carnations-and-one-severed-rams-head-deadly-threats-sent-to-russian-independent-newspaper/

In terms of safety, I guess I've developed a habit of looking over my shoulder, but what's more important, having strong, randomly generated passwords on all my social media accounts & devices, never going online without a VPN on etc. A digital attack is still a more realistic threat than a physical one.

The problem is not misconception, I'd say that Americans on the average have a very vague, outdated notion of what modern Russia really is. A shop assistant in Austin, TX, asked me where I was from, and when I told her, she was like "oooh I have so many questions, is it true that you guys don't have enough to eat so you can only buy food with government-issued coupons or something?" Man, that was 30 years ago! Also, those anti-Trump memes, stickers, signs at rallies etc, where he has a hammer&sickle logo on the forehead, implying a Russia connection: we're not a Communist country and we haven't been since 1996, when the Commie Party of Russia candidate was annihilated in the elections (with considerable American assistance btw). In many ways Russia is more capitalist than the United States. I could go on, but you get the general idea.

Another common mistake is seeing Putin as this omnipotent, all-powerful superdictator who is behind everything. In reality, he's more or less a feudal ruler surrounded by constantly scheming, backstabbing vassals whom he cannot really fire or even fully control, although they all sing praises to him and assure him of their unwavering loyalty.

American newsrooms are far more efficient and organized! There's a lot more screaming and swearing and mad scrambling around a deadline in Russia. I was in awe at the professionalism of my American colleagues, there's a lot to be learned from them.