The Activities of Censor S. Melik-Mehrabov in the Caucasus Censorship Committee (1872–1890)

Section: History of Journalism

The article presents some aspects of the activities of censor S. Melik-Mehrabov. On the material of archival documents and newspaper publications, the factors that influenced the work of the censor and his attitude towards the press staff, as well as his colleagues at the Caucasus Censorship Committee, are revealed. The reviewed materials allowed the author to conclude that during the years in the Censorship Committee, S. Melik-Mehrabov was guided by personal ambitions. His attitude towards the local press in most cases depended on interpersonal relations with the editorial staff, and the interpretation of the creative products and activities of local and foreign authors was often governed by the judgment of colleagues, irrespective of whose opinion he could draw directly opposite conclusions. Discussions on the content of the local and foreign press were of a wary and proactive nature, which often served as a means of compromising the chairman and some employees of the Caucasus Censorship Committee in order to discredit their work and ultimately isolate them from the team. Subsequently, he was dismissed from the Censorship Committee. The demonstrative aspiration to please the Russian throne contributed to the building of a stereotypical image of the Tiflis press, in which the censor, not without reason, recorded the generation of narrowly national ideas on the part of forces disloyal to the Russian political system. This circumstance was often ignored by the local leadership, but sometimes it had a rather serious impact on decision-making by the city authorities.

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To cite this article: Danielyan T.R. (2023) Deyatel'nost' tsenzora S. Melik-Megrabova v Kavkazskom tsenzurnom komitete (1872–1890 gg.) [The Activities of Censor S. Melik-Mehrabov in the Caucasus Censorship Committee (1872–1890)]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika 1: 164–187. DOI: 10.30547/vestnik.journ.1.2023.164187