В.Путин.Выступление.25.11.02.Part 1

Speech at a Meeting with the Media and State Duma Deputies.Part 1 November 25, 2002 The Kremlin, Moscow Выступление на встрече с представителями средств массовой информации и депутатами Государственной Думы 25 ноября 2002 года Москва, Кремль VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon. I have read your appeal and I have asked you to meet me today in this connection. Let me say right off that I do not subscribe to everything in your appeal. Let us take a look at it. You write: We agree that some actions of journalists and the media during the last terrorist act in Moscow were wrong, but these were mistakes and not a deliberate neglect of the danger such actions carried. I cannot agree with that. Let us be honest, let us not be disingenuous. The TV picture on a national channel on the day of the storming, several minutes before the storming, showed the movements of the special forces and spoke about what was happening inside the building, and that could have caused a huge tragedy. The people who did this could not but be aware of it. That was a deliberate breach of the agreement with the Press Ministry, deliberate flouting of the instructions of the head of the special operation headquarters, who proceeded in strict accordance with the law in the fight against terrorism. Why was this done? It is clear why, and you know it full well. To boost the channels rating, to raise its capitalisation and ultimately to earn money. You know my position. I have repeatedly said and I can say it again: I think that the independence of the media will only be achieved when the media become economically independent. And in this context one has to be grateful to God that somebody manages to earn some money. But it cant be done at any price and at the expense of our citizens if, of course, those who do it identify themselves with our citizens. At the same time one cannot but note some of the things that are undoubtedly fair. You write: We respect the position of the Federal Assembly and we support the move to ensure the stability and security of society. At the same time the amendments passed do not address that task. Their adoption will be counterproductive, will debar some media outlets from objective coverage of events as well as the coverage of key problems of our country from a responsible civic angle. I think we should heed that part of the message. I agree that it would be useful to pass legislation to clarify and specify the rules of how journalists should behave in emergency situations. I believe that uniform rules of coverage and clear-cut forms of joint work with the government, the security structures and the media in extreme situations are needed. I think that we could discuss these ideas and some other proposals in an informal atmosphere. I would like to note that the main weapon of the terrorists is not bullets or machine guns or grenades, it is blackmail of the state and its citizens, and the best means of blackmail is to turn a terrorist act into a public spectacle. To use the humiliated and constrained position of the hostages and their close ones to achieve their goals. Dont help them in that. You remember that during the days of the hostage crisis I repeatedly asked politicians to display the maximum of restraint and responsibility. Every careless word could result in a catastrophe. But the price of a journalists word is equally important in such situations. Journalists awareness of the degree of the public threat is equally important. I would like to take this opportunity, notwithstanding my critical remarks made at the beginning, to thank the Russian media for their civic stand, for displaying their competence and the necessary restraint in the extremely difficult conditions of those days with very few exceptions. I would like to stress the special significance of your trade and your work in the fight against the ideology of terrorism. Among the instruments at the disposal of the civil society in Russia the media is one of the most effective and important. And of course no democratic government can exist without the publicity and openness provided by the media.