Global media chiefs launched a scathing attack on Monday on Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the Kremlin’s tight grip on media flew in the face of Russia’s professed attachment to democracy and voicing deep scepticism of any ”real willingness” to allow a free press.
”Your country and your administration have been severely criticised internationally for an alleged unwillingness to forego control and influence over the media,” Gavin O’Reilly, president of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), said at the start of the annual WAN congress.
With Putin in attendance, O’Reilly proceeded to recount a litany of problems he said were rooted in heavy handed state influence on the mass media in Russia and said Putin’s efforts to improve the business climate for the press fell far short of what was needed.
”Deep public cynicism about the press cannot be changed by merely improving the legal and business environment for newspapers,” O’Reilly said.
”Why is it that the state is still accused of promoting an atmosphere of caution and self-censorship among journalists, fearful for their livelihoods if they step very visibly out of line?
”How does one counter the suggestion that oligarchic control has simply been replaced by state control?”
The WAN president noted that the levers used by the state to manipulate media in Russia were varied, highlighting, however, acquisition of important newspaper titles by financial and industrial groups either directly controlled by the government or loyal to it.
”Mr President, if words and deeds have the same meaning, we would respectfully urge that now is the time to sever such ownership links, not to increase them,” O’Reilly said.
He added: ”There is still very widespread scepticism, both inside and outside your country, about whether there exists any real willingness to see the media become a financially strong, influential and independent participant in Russian society today.”
Putin, whose two terms in the Kremlin have coincided with a marked reassertion by the state of control over national broadcast media, rejected the criticism from O’Reilly, saying it was up to journalists to prove their independence.
”To answer Mr Reilly, I have a different opinion,” Putin said in an address after the WAN chief spoke.
”In 1991, the Russian people opted for democracy and therefore for a free and independent press … The law on mass media, adopted in 1991, is recognised as one of the most liberal in the world,” he said.
Putin denied assertions that the state’s influence in the media sector was still on the rise and he repeated vows heard before of commitment to the principles of democracy.
”A progressive state requires a free press,” Putin said, smiling as he added that there were 53 000 registered publications in Russia today and ”it is hard for the state to control all of them”.
Also at Monday’s conference, the association presented the Golden Pen of Freedom award to Akbar Ganji, an investigative Iranian journalist who spent five years in prison for articles linking officials to a string of killings of intellectuals in Iran.
In his acceptance speech, Ganji, whose attendance was uncertain until the last minute, dedicated the award to ”all Iranian dissidents and freedom-fighters”, particularly those whom he said were ”slaughtered” for fighting for human rights.
Meanwhile, a report released by the Paris-based WAN showed a slight increase in worldwide sales of newspapers last year and a sharper rise in their advertising revenues as the industry resisted competition from other media.
”Newspapers are increasing their reach through the exploitation of a wide range of new distribution channels, ranging from daily free newspapers to online editions. They are proving to be incredibly resilient against the onslaught of a wide range of media competition,” said WAN chief executive officer Timothy Balding.
Sales of newspapers increased by 0,5 % in 2005, and by 6% over the past five years, while newspapers’ advertising revenues were up by 5,7% last year and 11,7% over five years, the report said.
The increase in sales is largely accounted for by sales in Asia, the report found. — AFP
