freedom of the press

Wed Sep 20 12:48:53 UTC 2000

Hello, Alina,

Tuesday, September 19, 2000, 8:35:05 PM, you wrote:

AI> Today we may be witnessing the end of the freedom of the press in
AI> Russia.

Very interesting.

Let me describe my point of view - I am living in Moscow and I think,
my opinion can be interesting. You can agree with it or not.

Please read the following quote:

> "Nam veljat verit'.., chto... tak nazyvaemaja pressa est' vyrazhenie
> obschestvennogo mnenija... Kto zhe predstaviteli etoj strashnoj
> vlasti, imeujuschej sebja obschestvennym mneniem? Kto dal im pravo i
> polnomochie - vo imja zelogo obschestva - pravit', nisprovergat'
> suschestvujuschie uchrezhdenija, vystavljat' novye idealy
> nravstvennogo i polozhitel'nogo mnenija?..
> V etom javlenii "...my raspoznaem odno iz bezobraznejshih
> logicheskih protivorechij novejshej kul'tury... imenno tam, gde
> trebuetsja dlja kazhdogo uchrezhdenija sankcija vybora,
> <BOLD>AVTORITET VSENARODNOJ VOLI, GDE PRAVLENIE SOSREDOTOCHIVAETSJA
> V RUKAH LIZ, OPIRAJUSCHIHSJA NA MNENIE BOL'SHINSTVA V SOBRANII
> PREDSTAVITELEJ NARODNYH. OT ODNOGO TOL'KO ZHURNALISTA, VLAST' KOEGO
> NA VSE PROSTIRAETSJA, - NE TREBUETSJA NIKAKOJ SANKCII. NIKTO EGO NE
> VYBIRAET I NE UTVERZHDAET...</BOLD> Pervyj vstrechnyj mozhet stat'
> organom etoj vlasti.., - i pritom vpolne bezotvetstvennym, kak
> nikakaja inaja vlast' v mire...".

This is the thought of K. P. Pobedonoscev - written about century ago

I hope, it isn't necessary to remind, what happened with the Russian
press, which was so enthusiastic when it was fomenting the mass hysteria in
1916 one year after..

There were (and there are, as the tragedy with the submarine showed)
not enough people with the responsibility - criticizing and making the
soap opera from tragic event is much easier.

I think that the independent press, as well as other normal democratic
institutions - effective juridicial system, parliament, minicipal
government ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

But the problem is that only 5% of Russian mass media are
"zhurnalisty" and other 95% - "zhurnaljugi".

And it is very sad.

Only few newspapers okupajutsia (Sorry, I failed to translate it.
Maybe "pay off" - I am not sure). But they exist, they work! How can this be?!!!

Newspapers and TV channels became parts of large holdings owned by
'oligarchs' - and they were the soldiers of the 'information wars'.
In the same time they were talking that they express the will of the
people. Funny, isn't it?

I remember the story when one oil company planned to create its own
newspaper but changed its plans later. It has hired many
journalists, payed for the building etc. Nothing was published - even
single page - but they were paying huge money for the staff about one
year - for nothing! - until they 'have decided, that the project is not
necessary' and have dismissed the staff. They have spent millions of
$$$ - but the aim of this was not to create independent media, but
another weapon for the 'information war'.

If you mean NTV by saying that you are "witnessing the end of the
freedom of the press in Russia" - here is another example.
Maybe you do remember the presidential elections in Russia in the 1996?

NTV was supporting Yavlinsky and was flirting with communists, then
something happened and the channel has changed its position to 180
degrees (in two weeks! they were saying absolutely different things
two weeks after!).

After the inauguration of the President Yeltsin NTV got the whole 4th
channel (it had only about 12 hours on this channel before) and 50%
discount from the sandard broadcasting tariff, credits from the
government-owned Vneshekonombank and Gazprom (which are still not
returned).

Need other examples of 'independence'? There are lots of.

And let me remind that 'N' in 'NTV' means 'Nezavisimoe'....

If you think that Russia is unique - read Mark Twain's 'Journalism in
Tenessee' and 'How I was elected to governor' (sorry, I do not
know the exact English titles of both novells - I have read them
in translation to Russian).

I am terribly tired of the people, who tell me that I should think
that, what their channel/newspaper says. It does not matter is it
private or state channel.

I am terribly tired of the people, who aren't ready for something
else than hysteria.

I am terribly tired of the fact that there are only few people with
the feeling of responsibility - those, who are ready to work hard to
make their home, street, city and country better, and not crying, that
"things are so bad!"

I need <b>really</b> free press, not a waxwork of it, normally working
state institutions, normal open economy and democracy. And that is why
I voted for the current president. This was my choice. The choice I
made and the choice for which I am responsible.

If Gusinky, the owner of NTV, will lose his channel (by the way, he
will get $400 Million for it) - I will not regret about it. He is the
dinosaur of the Yeltsin's epoch - and this epoch is over.

AI> Russian public opinion in this matter is on the side of the government
AI> simply because it always has been on the side of the government and because
AI> Russians philosophically hate rich people.

"In God we trust. All others must bring data." I am sociologist, and I
hope, not bad sociologist. Can you prove the fact that "Russians
philosophically hate rich people"?

Can you show me the results of the researches, that show, that such
social values have significant importance. Or you can not?

'Dlya krasnogo slovtsa...'

AI> The only thing that may still have an effect is the Western public opinion.

Yes, it is very important. But why 'only'? You forgot about the Russian public opinion.

Please read http://www.russ.ru/politics/articles/20000624_gpavl.html.
G.Pavlovsky has expressed the ideas I share much better than I can.

The article was written in August, but it is still very fresh and
interesting.

Cordially,

Alexandre Bougakov <mailto:bougakov at mail.ru>

Sociological faculty of the Higher School of Economics
(http://www.hse.ru/fakultet/sociology/default.html),
Moscow, Russian Federation

My PGP key ID is 0x97F20C99, Key Fingerprint is C83C 5998 F43A BEB7
70DF B8FC CC5E 960E 97F2 0C99 (PGP version is 6.0.2i)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                http://members.home.net/lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------