Almost all American journalists just attack Russia and try to "whitewash" the United States, no matter what arguments they may be given. Among them there is a so-called "whipping boy": he tries to objectively assess any situation, honestly answers questions, fights off attacks and admits the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be.

This is Michael Bohm, an American living in Russia. What interesting biography is known about this man who firmly "put down roots" in Russia?

Youth, arrival in Russia

Michael Bohm was born in St. Louis in 1965. Michael's parents live in the USA, they are now retired. The family has a brother and a sister: a brother is a tax policy specialist, a sister is a teacher, she works at a school.

If you take an interest in Michael's student years, it will become clear - even then there were prerequisites that he would connect his life with Russia. He studied at Columbia University in New York, Department of International Relations, specializing in "Russia". He was asked: "Why exactly this," and he replied that there is no interesting political life in his native country, but in Russia every day there are disputes about laws, sharp speeches of politicians, many scandalous shows.


 Photo Instagram michaelbohm111.

2001: Bohm decided to come to Russia, but at that moment he was not going to work as a journalist. For several years he worked in our country in the insurance business, and according to him, he earned very good money. The impetus for the decision to leave a successful business, according to Michael, was an invitation to the program "Judge for Yourself", hosted by Maksim Shevchenko. The show enjoyed a scandalous reputation, and the appearance in it of an American with his non-standard outlook on life in Russia only fueled the interest of the audience. Then Michael spoke Russian badly, the conversation with him went through an interpreter.

Bohm was so interested in the opportunity to speak frankly about the United States, Russia, about the “evil” problems at that time that he decided to leave the insurance business and become a journalist. He begins to learn Russian, in 2007 he was invited to the newspaper "The Moscow Times" as editor of the "Opinions" section. In this newspaper, in a short time, he published several dozen articles, each of which became a real "bomb". The most interesting: “Look for Western agents in the wrong place”, “Homophobia is an enhancer of career growth”, his last article in this edition was titled “How Russian Journalists Serve the Fatherland”. In 2015 Bohm quit the newspaper and decided to become a freelance journalist.

Participation in political talk shows

Until now, some of the viewers are sure that Michael's appearance in popular programs is a well-organized performance, that his performances are not at all a personal opinion. Rumors are constantly circulating that he is an "agent of the Kremlin", simply well disguised, therefore it is impossible to expose him.


This opinion is “warmed up” by the fact that Michael has learned Russian excellently. They even said that he was not an American at all: well, a native of the United States cannot use free expressions such as “grandma said in two,” “tyap-blooper,” “get drunk as a lord”. Bohm replies that he studied Russian for a long time every day, and focused on the "folk" language. Regarding his opinion, he says: "I defend the interests of my country, but I also love Russia very much."

He speaks with great pleasure in the programs "Meeting Place", "Politics", "Special Correspondent", "Trial", every time he is criticized, attacked, trying to catch inconsistencies, but he brilliantly parries opponents. He, according to him, is still surprised how many people watch political shows and are interested in politics - this is not the case in the United States. He calls his role on TV “an unofficial political diplomat”.


His performances in programs with Vladimir Solovyov are especially interesting. In the show "An Evening with Vladimir Solovyov" they argue fiercely and emotionally, and few people know that Vladimir and Michael are good friends, they even go to the gym together.

Famous bloggers in social media networks gave Michael the nickname "Kremlin jester", they just can not believe that all his speeches - personal opinion, and not memorized on pieces of paper instructions "from above". Bohm objects to this: “I understand that there are many who are against me, that they do not believe me. If they don't interrupt me, I say what I think. I could return to my homeland and from there complain and cry, but this is not the case. It's more interesting here. "

Michael Bohm also takes part in programs that do not discuss political issues. Twice he came to the Andrey Malakhov show. After participating in the "Live" program, he spoke about its host Boris Korchevnikov: "Borya is a very good person, sincere."

Michael's personal life, interesting facts about him

Openly answering questions about international politics, Bohm is incredibly private about the details of his personal life. It is known that he married a Russian girl Svetlana when he was 47 years old. They had a daughter, Nicole, in 2014. Nicole's parents divorced, but Michael maintained a good relationship with his ex-wife. His words: “Nicole, as it were, conserves our bad emotions, extinguishes unpleasant memories. Thanks to her, we remain friends and communicate. " Nicole's grandparents came from America several times to see their granddaughter.

In the photo, the alleged ex-wife of Michael Bohm is Svetlana.

If asked if he plans to marry again, he replies that he doesn’t mind, but the main condition is that the wife is a real woman, affectionate and tender. When there are two strong people in the same family, he says, it is difficult to maintain a marriage. In raising children, Michael adds, it doesn't matter what nationality the parents are: "Mentality doesn't affect how I feel about my daughter."

Michael Bohm is of short stature, 1 m. 68 cm. But because of this, he does not complex at all, pays a lot of attention to physical form, goes to the gym. He does not like alcohol: "I can drink quite a bit for the New Year, but I don't even drink on weekends."


In social networks, Michael also adheres to the principles of honesty and openness, he always writes there only his personal opinion. For example, on the anniversary of the September 11 tragedy, he very sharply on his FB page spoke out to his American colleagues, who urged not to celebrate this date and called the event a "rigged provocation." And after the introduction of US sanctions against Russia in 2017 and Russia's response to them, he was outraged by the actions of the Russian authorities: "You only make your people worse!"

Calm, with a great sense of humor, he transforms and begins to get angry when he is called "the Kremlin foundling in the media." "If I am naive and honest, immediately an agent?"

Michael Bohm still has not bought an apartment in Moscow, he is renting a house. He also does not have a car, he uses the metro, the bus, if he is late somewhere, he takes a taxi.

He doesn't mind if he is recognized on the street and stopped to talk. Although, he says, it is sometimes boring and burdensome to answer questions. Michael is surprised that he has been living in Russia for so many years, but he has never been robbed, although he has heard about the bad criminal situation in the country. “Although it’s not over yet,” he once said with a laugh.

Michael Bohm submitted a personal petition to the Russian President for citizenship. Even here he took a non-standard path, especially since he wrote many articles with impartial statements about Putin. So far, the issue of granting Russian citizenship to Bohm has not been resolved.

Real name Michael Bohm
Date and place of birth 08 November 1965, St. Louis America
By horoscope I am Scorpion
Occupation Journalist
Where lives Moscow
Height and weight 168 centimeters
How many years 53 years
Family status divorced
Children Daughter Nicole
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michaelbohm111/
Twitter https://twitter.com/m_bohm1

On television, a unique genre is gradually gaining immense popularity - political talk shows. On almost every channel, you can see how political scientists, deputies, media personalities defend their opinions. Sometimes such dialogues develop into fights, conflicts and fights on the air, especially if the topic concerns the relationship between Russia, the United States and Ukraine. The hero of our article is a regular guest and consultant of such projects, originally from distant America. In the article, we will talk about the biography of Michael Bohm and his family life, becoming on domestic television, as well as about scandals and conflicts associated with a public name.

Biography

If you turn on the TV on a weekday and flip through the channels, you will surely stumble upon a political program. The main feature of such programs is to analyze the conflict between two opposite sides with different views and understanding of a certain topic. Given the great activity in Ukraine in recent years, it is the problems in the neighboring country that attract particular interest from the viewer.


According to the standard scheme, representatives of Russia sit in the same room and representatives of Ukraine are sitting opposite them, and together with the presenter they discuss specific issues. The hero of our article is a constant participant in such projects and acts as a consultant from the United States.

After the first appearance on the air, viewers became interested in his personality. Initially, no one believed that he was in fact an American, most called him a decoy duck to increase the rating of projects. In fact, this is not the case, Michael Bohm is a successful journalist who at a certain moment decided to give up everything in his homeland and try to find himself in Russia.

In one interview, he told why it was our country that became the subject of his choice, only our political programs are very popular among viewers and are broadcast almost from morning to evening. In each program, Bohm tries to shield the United States and is critical of the opinion of Russian politicians, but despite this he adores Russia, which is why he is here for most of his life.


How did he end up in Russia and become a famous person on television? What is behind the mask of a public person outside the set? To answer these questions, let's get to know Michael better and go back to his childhood, when he was just beginning his ascent on the path to success.

Born in 1965 on November 8 in the American city of St. Louis. The guy was not the only child in the family, a brother and sister were brought up with him. Throughout his childhood, he grew up in a cheerful atmosphere and in a full-fledged family. Boma's brother is currently a tax specialist and his sister teaches lessons at a local school. As for the parents, they tried to provide their children with a bright future and open the way to life, now they are resting in retirement in their hometown.

In childhood, the young man showed excellent results in education and diligently went in for sports, football became his favorite direction.


 Michael Bohm as a child (second from left in bottom row)

Many years later, Michael continues to monitor his health and regularly visits the gym. During this time, he was not much different from any teenager. The guy was very attracted to politics and he wanted to try himself in this direction. That is why Bohm successfully enters Columbia University of International Relations, where he already then chose to study Russian specifics.

For a long time he was attracted by Russia, the future journalist wanted to know what was overseas. In his student years, he began to study Russian, thanks to which he now speaks it fluently. The turning point has come, Michael is successfully completing his studies. After some time, Bohm decides to get to know the Russian mentality better and makes his first flight across the ocean. As a result, the guy infinitely falls in love with our homeland, stays here and finds his first job abroad. From this moment on, a new stage begins in the life of the future journalist and consultant from the United States.

Career: early years


The first time, after completing his studies at the university, he gets a permanent job, but not in the field of political science and journalism, but in the field of insurance services. As an office worker, he was listed for ten whole years. All this time I studied politics diligently. He did not like the position in the insurance business, although it brought a lot of money. Therefore, Michael begins to study Russia in depth.

This kind of work gradually turned into the first book, which dealt with the unique mentality of the peculiarities of the Russian people. Several years of hard work have been put into this brochure, but no one really appreciated the printed creation.

At first he had a rather difficult time explaining himself in a foreign language. Soon he begins to speak freely and express his opinion without an interpreter. At present, it is difficult to distinguish him from a native of Moscow; in his speech he likes to use folk proverbs and aphorisms, which surprises his interlocutors. After a long search for himself, Michael finally decides to plunge headlong into the world of politics and first appears on the big screen.

Where does such a craving for participation in scandalous talk shows come from?


Why was Bohm attracted to Russian politics? In one of his interviews, the journalist said that in his home country there is no such excitement and popularity of political programs on television. People are simply not interested in international relations. If such programs were broadcast, then they did not differ in special energy. In the Russian Federation, it is enough to remember what Zhirinovsky and other colorful characters are doing from the thought. The speeches of our deputies and other figures are difficult to predict, they are not subject to certain rules and regulations.

At the beginning of 2000, he was first invited to take part in the filming of the television project "Judge for Yourself", the host was Maxim Shevchenko. The appearance of a new character in the program, especially a foreign one, increased the interest and ratings for viewing the scandalous program. It was interesting to hear the opinion of not only one side, but also overseas citizens in the person of Bohm. At this point, he had not yet managed to switch to spoken Russian, so he was accompanied by an interpreter.

Gradually, his career began to develop successfully. In 2007, he was offered a permanent editorial position at the popular Moscow Times newspaper. For a long time, he delighted readers in a foreign language with frank publications and his personal view of the current political situation in Russia and in the world, he was not afraid to touch upon topics such as patriotism, homophobia, openly spoke about President Putin and his actions on the world stage.

Here he worked until 2014. During this period, Michael decided to take up independent journalism. Proposals came from all sides. Bohm appeared periodically on the radio Echo of Moscow, wrote articles for them, and later began to collaborate with the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets. Later he was invited to a teaching position at the Moscow State University of International Relations, but he did not show much desire.

The American journalist is becoming a sought-after person on various television projects as an international expert. The audience immediately noted his unscrupulousness and strong character. In talk shows, he calmly expresses his personal opinion, which often does not coincide with the point of view of other participants and viewers, for which aggression is often directed towards him. He is not afraid of the constant atmosphere of conflict, tension and outright hatred towards each other within the framework of the project. In an interview, he said that nothing like this has ever been filmed in the United States, but here he can calmly express himself on any topic.

Since 2015, the peak of the activity of a foreign journalist begins, he can be seen on almost any television channel. Michael takes part in the program "Meeting Place", "Duel" with Solovyov, "Special Correspondent". The principle of all programs is the same; on the screen, the two sides of the conflict discuss a certain issue from different angles and points of view. Most often he is invited to the Vremya Pokazhet project on the first channel. In 2017, Bohm becomes a member of everyone's favorite KVN program, where he performed together with the UK Team. In KVN, he played himself.

Michael Bohm and Artem Sheinin - a provocation?

Most recently, he appeared at the center of a scandal and brawl on live television. The situation took place on the Vremya Pokazhet program on Channel One. Host Artem Sheinin led a discussion about the Russian flag. During his speech, Michael interrupted several times with his remarks, which infuriated the host Artyom, he approached the American expert and began to threaten him, grabbing his neck with his hand.

The reason was simple - they did not agree on political views. The video clearly shows how Sheinin threatened to use force and forced him to sit in silence. The host's colleague Ekaterina Strizhenova came to the rescue in time, and the American was never hit. After that, emotions gradually began to cool down and the program went according to the standard scenario.

The next day, he detailed the situation on his Twitter. In his opinion, such behavior of the leading central TV channel of Russia is unacceptable, but he still managed to forgive and reacted with understanding to the act of aggression at his own expense. Many viewers were skeptical about such an incident and believe that it was only a special production to attract public attention. The perpetrators of the scandal themselves did not make statements on this score. Despite this attitude towards himself, Michael continued to appear on the set of his favorite show.

American Whipping Boy Fees

The financial side of participation in television projects is of particular interest to viewers. How much is paid to a journalist for being humiliated or aggressive towards him during a live broadcast. In his interview on the radio, our hero shared with the audience that, on average, for one episode, each participant receives from 10 to 30 thousand rubles, depending on the role. Everyone's favorite Ukrainian activist Kovtun, who can earn up to 500,000 rubles a month, has the highest fees. Michael himself said that he does not take a monetary reward for participating in the show, according to him, he already has enough to live on.

Private life - family

We gradually moved on to the most interesting, to the personal life of an American journalist and an expert in international relations. Little is known about his personal relationship, Bohm tries not to advertise information in the media and in public, trying to protect loved ones from increased attention. Having moved to live in Russia, he found his love here. Beloved name is Svetlana, she soon became his wife, despite the big difference in age, her husband is 16 years younger than Michael. The gala event took place in Moscow in 2013.


 Michael Bohm's wife - Svetlana

After some time, a miracle happened in a young family, a daughter was born, who was named Nicole. Unfortunately, the happy family life did not last long; two years later, the couple decided to divorce. Currently, Svetlana lives with her daughter in the Moscow region, and Bohm periodically visits Nicole and takes part in her upbringing. Whether he found a new lover is unknown, but on his Facebook page the status is established - in a relationship. A possible reason for the discrepancy between the spouses was Bohm's constant employment at work and the frantic pace of his life.

In his free time from journalism and filming on television, our hero loves to spend in the gym for a treadmill and dumbbells. He spends most of his life in Russia, but sometimes he tries to travel home to visit relatives, parents and brother and sister. Our hero is registered in all popular social networks. On Instagram, he periodically uploads photos from everyday life or from the filming of television projects. Twitter is an online platform where he can calmly share his opinion and point of view on political problems of a global scale.


Despite having lived in Moscow for a long time, he retained his traditional American features. He never drives a private car, tries to get to his place of work by public transport or the subway, he is not averse to talking and answering questions from any passer-by. Michael does not have bad habits, does not smoke and does not drink alcoholic beverages, only on New Year's holidays can he allow him to drink another glass. There are many rumors on the network about him, according to which the real nationality of the journalist is Jewish, but there was no confirmation.

Michael Bohm - how he sees his future

In 2016, Bohm applied for permanent citizenship of the Russian Federation. He has become so accustomed to the local mentality that he no longer imagines living elsewhere. At present, this issue has not yet been finally resolved. Recently, he began to appear on TV less and less often, everyone is interested in where has gone and where is the American now? Now he has completely immersed himself in independent journalism and continues to collaborate with the radio station Echo Moskvy and popular newspapers. He has not forgotten about television either, he is trying to appear on new broadcasts, but with less intensity than a year ago.


The article examined in detail the biography of Michael Bohm, known on television as a "whipping boy" or an American expert. Many viewers still believe that he is just a dummy and imitates an accent to be mistaken for a real person, but this is just empty gossip that has no confirmation. As long as the genre of political programs is in demand on the central TV of Russia, Michael will never be left without his favorite work.

After graduating from the School of International Relations at Columbia University in New York, American journalist Michael Bohm chose Russia as the country of his interests and has been living in it for about 20 years. During this time, he managed to perfectly master the Russian language and says that he now thinks in Russian too. Be that as it may, but in Russian, Michael speaks really excellent, with an almost imperceptible accent and perfectly copes with all idiomatic turns, slang and jargon. According to rumors, Michael Bohm's wife is Russian and they got married on March 15, 2013.

The conversation about Bohm's wife took place on the Russian TV talk show Vremya Pokazhet, hosted by Vladimir Solovyov. On TV shows, an American journalist is quite often and is almost always the person to whom other participants in the event make their "anti-American" claims. He usually reacts to such criticism quite good-naturedly and calls himself an "independent" journalist who publishes articles on the "Russian question". After talking about Michael's life in our country and its living conditions, Solovyov asked about his marriage and received an answer "" ... And divorced. With a Russian girl. "

There was no further evidence of Michael Bohm's family life on the air. True, curious and meticulous Internet subscribers, at the next mention of this issue, gave out a few more information about this story. On his Facebook account, the journalist, it turns out, indicated the date of his wedding - March 15, 2013 and posted a photo of his wife. This is the only image of Michael's chosen one to date and the name of the girl on it is Lana (presumably from "Svetlana"). Later, information obtained somewhere else in the depths of the Network appeared that Michael is now married and has a daughter named Nicole. The girl is almost 3 years old.

It is no secret that journalists often do not like to talk about their personal lives, perhaps considering it dangerous. It may well be that such a decision is relevant for Bohm, especially since he, in December 2016, announced that he had applied for Russian citizenship. However, there are also people who have a different, very specific opinion about the life of an American reporter in the Russian state. They consider the former editor of the opinion page at The Moscow Times and now the “free journalist” not who he claims to be.

The impetus for this was the opinion of one American woman on YouTube, who heard Bohm's speech. She expressed extreme surprise that a person born and raised in the United States speaks their native English with a pronounced Russian accent. This doubt about the authenticity of Michael's American origin, gave rise to a lot of suspicions and assumptions that he is simply a "sent Cossack" performing certain functions in a "staged Kremlin performance". How correct these guesses are is difficult to say: some of Bohm's actions, indeed, look strange, and the lack of information about Michael Bohm's wife fits well into this scheme. And yet, do not rush to conclusions: time will put everything in its place.

Michael Bohm is an independent American journalist who has been working successfully in Russia for a long time. In the last couple of years Michael Bohm became a regular at political shows lacking any interesting opponents to the official pro-Kremlin position (especially on foreign policy issues). Michael Bohm is currently the editor of the Opinions section of The Moscow Times.

Andrey Bystritsky: Our guest Michael Bohm, editor of the "Opinions" department of the newspaper "The Moscow Times"... Good afternoon.

Michael Bohm: Good afternoon.

Andrey Bystritsky: Do you watch Public Television?

Michael Bohm: No, I don't even have a TV, everything is on the Internet. There is so much to read and watch, I just didn't get to that. Although I've heard about it.

Andrey Bystritsky: Have you been working in Russia for a long time?

Michael Bohm: 15 years old.

Andrey Bystritsky: Why? Not tired?

Michael Bohm: Tired, hard, of course. But the Russian language is my specialty. I myself chose such a "stupid" specialty. Russian language, literature, international relations. Now I am disentangling it all.

Andrey Bystritsky: Have you been working for The Moscow Times all these 15 years?

Michael Bohm: No, I was in business before. Then I decided that money wasn’t happiness, I wanted more creative work.

Andrey Bystritsky: And how?

Michael Bohm: Interesting. You won't get bored of being a journalist in Russia. Of course, there is more excitement here in Russia than in America. We don't have Zhirinovsky, it's boring to be a journalist in America. We do not have Putin, the State Duma, the law on foreign agents, insulting the feelings of believers.

Andrey Bystritsky: There are foreign agents, I am his victim.

Michael Bohm: It's different.

Andrey Bystritsky: Have you read this law?

Michael Bohm: Yes, this is not an NGO law, that's the trick. He is lobbied.

Andrey Bystritsky: I don't want to criticize America.

Michael Bohm: I want to criticize the MPs. They "hear the ringing, but do not know where it is." They took the 1938 law. This law has changed 100 times since then. Now this law is not about NGOs. This is a lobbied law. Andranik Migranyan's non-profit organization is not included, he himself said. It is the leading Russian non-profit organization in America. They protect Americans from violent political repression.

Michael Bohm: Yes, and in "Russia Today" too, these are government agencies. That’s why I’m curious: there is such a law on foreign agents. He can be ridiculed and written for a long time. Russia gives me so much material for condemnation and discussion.

Andrey Bystritsky: And Sarah Paley in the USA? an outstanding woman.

Michael Bohm: It's natural, but Zhirinovsky's is all theater. The first is more honest. Zhirinovsky is an artist, I take off my hat to him. But at what cost? After all, this is the face of Russia. I am for laughter, but politicians are not entirely funny.

Andrey Bystritsky: What is the target audience of The Moscow Times?

Michael Bohm: About half: Russians who speak English, and half foreigners.

Michael Bohm: We are very narrowly focused on Russia. The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times do not write about Russia every day. Maybe twice a week. They have a Moscow staff, but we write every day. Those who are interested in Russia for personal interests, for professional activities, will read us.

Andrey Bystritsky: How does the newspaper live?

Andrey Bystritsky: How many subscribers do you have?

Michael Bohm: I don't know. Now the number is decreasing because many people go online. The paper newspaper will disappear sooner or later, the best example being News Week. This is a sample for American magazines and can only be read on the internet. This is the first swallow.

Andrey Bystritsky: "The Washington Post" was bought for $ 250 million, what do you think about that?

Michael Bohm: Everyone says it's cheap. This is such a trademark! These are Pentagon documents, this is a reputation, this is an example of journalism.

Andrey Bystritsky: Why was it sold?

Michael Bohm: Bad financial situation. This is the problem of almost all newspapers.

Andrey Bystritsky: Is this an inevitable misfortune of all paper publications, or is it a flaw in the management?

Michael Bohm: It's just that the new competitor is the Internet. This is a good process, it forces newspapers to come up with new approaches, you cannot rest.

Andrey Bystritsky: Is it not about the quality of leadership?

Michael Bohm: They made their mistakes. There are problems everywhere, even The New York Times has problems. I mean financial mistakes. There were problems, so the newspaper was sold for such a price.

Andrey Bystritsky: Why does Amazon need it?

Michael Bohm: They explained that they want to change the face of the newspaper. This is a challenge for them. Jeff Bezos has done such wonders at Amazon, he has unique brains, and he wants to use those brains and make The Washington Post a financial success. In a journalistic sense, it's okay, it's a great newspaper.

Andrey Bystritsky: Is this an “individual challenge”?

Michael Bohm: Yes.

Andrey Bystritsky: Or does he have a plan?

Michael Bohm: Of course he wants profit, that goes without saying. He has global media views. Vanity also has a place to be. He wants to be spoken of as the man who revamped The Washington Post. He thinks about the synergy between electronic media and paper media.

Andrey Bystritsky: I thought that he wants to bind his audience even more to himself, to give a person the opportunity not to leave the space of "Amazon", to live there.

Michael Bohm: Probably yes. To attract more people. The circulation is several hundred thousand people, this is a new audience.

Andrey Bystritsky: Why do you need a paper copy?

Michael Bohm: Sooner or later, almost everyone will give it up. Maybe The New York Times will stay. There are conservatives, they are allergic to computers, they just want to feel. I'm not a conservative, but I love the newspaper. I look at the computer all day, I want to look at paper.

Andrey Bystritsky: The paper copy will not disappear. It will be of a souvenir nature.

Michael Bohm: It is not profitable, it is very expensive.

Andrey Bystritsky: But how much forest will we save!

Michael Bohm: People at the computer print anyway. I personally print a lot. Personally, I love the archive, I love the library.

Andrei Bystritsky: Whom do you print in the Opinions section?

Michael Bohm: The page comes out every day. Half of the seats are our regular observers, they are different: conservative, liberal, Russian, not Russian. And half are guests on hot topics. Now it is Syria. My job is to find Syrian experts to describe this topic.

Andrey Bystritsky: What would you like to achieve? What would you like for your newspaper?

Michael Bohm: Circulation first. Better reputation, more recognition. Now "The Moscow Times" is a small newspaper, its circulation is difficult to say. The Internet comes first. If Russia grows, then The Moscow Times will grow with it, because there will be more Americans, Europeans who cannot live without Russia. If Russia is on the sidelines, no one will read us. We are in the same team.

Andrey Bystritsky: Do you write only in English or in French too?

Michael Bohm: No, only in English.

Andrey Bystritsky: Is that correct? More people here speak Turkic languages.

Michael Bohm: I think more in Russian.

Andrey Bystritsky: I'm talking about foreigners.

Michael Bohm: These are other foreigners. I'm talking about English speakers. English is an international language.

Andrey Bystritsky: Does it make sense to release applications for gadgets?

Michael Bohm: If we do it, it will be in Russian first. But so far there are no such plans.

Andrey Bystritsky: Do you cooperate with the English-language radio?

Michael Bohm: In my opinion, yes, let's start.

Andrey Bystritsky: We were thinking about radio in Moscow like MultiCult in Berlin.

Michael Bohm: If it is in Russian, then you kill all birds with one stone.

Andrey Bystritsky: Is it easier for you to be a digest of foreign publications than to spend money on an independent journalist? In hotels, "leaflets" are distributed, there is a basic set of information. There are many newspapers that write about Russia. Maybe you should summarize what others are writing?

Michael Bohm: We have this, but this is a very small part of our newspaper. Although in demand.

Andrey Bystritsky: Is it difficult to advance in this market?

Michael Bohm: We found our niche. Our audience is small for "The New York Times".

Andrey Bystritsky: Let's talk about the fourth estate. What do you mean by it?

Michael Bohm: Is there a fourth estate in Russia or not? As the main component of the system of checks and balances, does the fourth estate work in Russia? I must say that Russia is a young country, not all at once. Journalism in Russia is very far from the fourth estate. Precisely by function. “The dog barks, but the wind carries” - this is not the fourth estate. The fourth estate, when journalism is a real leverage.

Andrey Bystritsky: The newspaper came out, something has been done, it has been circulated. In my opinion, the harm from journalism is much less than the benefit. Journalism is often superficial. The standards that gave the fourth estate a deep meaning (reliability of information, verification), they are leaving.

Michael Bohm: Blogs, of course, litter journalism. Not everyone can be at The Washington Post or The New York Times. I don’t like the word “blog” itself, it’s already annoying. There are good blogs, but this is not journalism.

Andrey Bystritsky: The main threat is that competition is being created?

Michael Bohm: This is not competition. They don't select the audience, they dilute the audience. The blogosphere is not a substitute, but it can distract people. Ban the blogosphere? It is forbidden.

Andrey Bystritsky: We need to reconsider the financial existence of blogs and newspapers. Maybe create a "lysense fi" for the Internet?

Michael Bohm: Every newspaper has its own 'lysense fi'.

Andrey Bystritskiy: Do you know what a lysense fi is? This, for example, in every household is obliged to pay a certain amount per year, for example, to the BBC. Maybe it is worth introducing such a permanent payment on the Internet?

Michael Bohm: No, it won't help. All the same, the blogosphere will trivialize journalism in one way or another. This field is too wide.

Andrey Bystritsky: On this life-affirming note, we will end our program. Good luck.

I worked with him for a year, when he, as he says here, "was in business." Everyone who worked for him tried to get rid of him. And they got rid of. He studied Russian for 20 years. Day and night. It is not surprising that after that he speaks it decently enough. But he achieved his goal. For him, the worst punishment was to return to the States, and the longed-for dream was to settle in Moscow. And now - the dream has come true.

Hi Michael! Almost everything I wanted to tell you, it turns out, has already been said for me. For example, Irina (August 19, 2014), almost unexpectedly quoted my thoughts ... a year ago ... All that remains is to apologize for the manner of conducting a discussion on Russian television. There, everyone speaks at the same time, not respecting the interlocutors ... and not observing the rules ... Despite the fact that I do not agree with you in everything, I want to wish you not to change your style of behavior. Yes, in Russia it is much more interesting but also more difficult than in other countries. There will be something to remember, compared to other journalists sailing in calm water).

I sympathize with Michael Bohm, although I strongly disagree with him on many issues. But we must give him his due: he is the only one "blown away" for all American journalists in TV programs, defending his country. Our members often behave disgustingly, and he is always restrained and correct. He also knows Russian perfectly, which also commands respect. Who needs to learn from him is our liberals who hate Russia .. Michael will never say bad things about his homeland, he always tries to explain what caused certain actions of the United States. Liberoids, learn from him!

Donald Trump is the only person who says Putin is a good guy.

Michael Bohm(eng. Michael Bohm) - American journalist and political columnist. A very famous journalist in Russia, he is constantly invited to various political shows.

Biography

Michael Bohm was born in November 1965 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Studied at the School of International Relations at Columbia University in New York.

Lives and works in Russia for about twenty years. He is fluent in Russian, speaks with a slight accent, declares that he thinks in Russian.

From 2007 to 2014, he worked as editor of the Opinions department at The Moscow Times.

On March 15, 2013, he married a Russian girl, Svetlana. The couple soon broke up. There is a daughter, Nicole.

Participation in a TV show

  • He twice took part in the talk show "Duel" by Vladimir Solovyov: on October 8, 2015 he fought against Semyon Arkadievich Bagdasarov and on October 6, 2016 - against Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky (both times he lost the vote).
  • Frequent participant in TV shows on political topics. Among them are Norkin's List (NTV), Meeting Place (NTV), Vremya Pokazhet (First), Special Correspondent (RTR), Vesti.dok (RTR), Right to Vote (TV Center), "Right to Know!" (TV Center), Politics (First), Structure of the Moment (First), Open Studio (Channel Five), 60 minutes (Russia 1), Evening with Vladimir Solovyov (RTR), Most ”(NTV),“ Process ”(Star),“ Forecasts ”(Star),“ Special Article ”(Star),“ Fetisov ”(Star),“ First Studio ”(Channel One (Russia)).

Russian citizenship

In December 2016, Michael said in an interview with the media that he had applied for Russian citizenship - "he was tired of working on a visa for 20 years."

Bibliography

  • Michael Bohm. Russian specificity. A guidebook for effective management of the Russian team. = Understanding the Russian Character. Guide for American Expatriates Managing a Russian Company. - SPb .: Publishing house of A. Goloda, 2003 .-- 94 p. - ISBN 5-94974-010-6
  • Michael Bohm. The Russian Specific: an Analysis of the Post-Soviet Work Culture and the Russian National Character Through the Eyes of an American Manager. - St. Petersburg: A. Golod Publishing, 2007 .-- 207 p. - ISBN 978-5-94974-054-8
  • Michael Bohm. President Putin's mistake. - Moscow: Algorithm, 2015 .-- 238 p. - (Project Putin); ISBN 978-5-906798-14-5

    <…>Mr. Bohm admitted that he only found out about the publication of this book when one of his acquaintances congratulated him on this publication.<…>

Links

  • // novosti-online.info
  • Michael Bohm - biography // sta-sta.ru
  • // bolshoyvopros.ru
  • // ndoisjiuty.ru
  • Articles by Michael Bohm // The Moscow Times (English)