Mass media accept challenge

Over 400 reporters and politicians from Belarus, Moscow and other Russian regions, Ukraine, and the Baltic States visited the forum of professionals. The organizers of the assembly did not choose the topic by chance, as modern challenges seem topical as never before. International terrorism, illegal migration, drug trafficking are the key modern challenges that journalists have to deal with. What can reporters do to respond to challenges? “They can work well and perform their duty,” Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Nikolai Bordyuzha told a news conference.

— Media influence public conscience, their main instrument being information. Journalists have the power to bring information to everyone, and it depends on personal efforts and persistence of every reporter whether media will be able to meet such challenges as terrorism and drug trafficking.

In Belarus this information policy is being implemented now, specialists attending the forum noted. Belarus has about 1,500 state and privately-owned newspapers, television and radio channels and magazines. More than 6,000 foreign media outlets and over 40 foreign TV and radio stations are available in Belarus. This means Belarus’ information space is open, which is normal for a country located in the very heart of Europe. It is amid this information openness that professionals from the former Soviet Union were considering the place and role of the media in modern society. Besides the abovementioned challenges there have appeared new ones, especially information challenges via the Internet. Globalization of mass media and appearance of the so-called mediacracy may hamper free and objective dissemination of information, editor-in-chief of the authoritative Russian daily “Moskovskie Novosti” told the forum.

The problem of responsibility of mass media is getting more and more urgent now, and the participants in the conference approved a resolution to address the issue.

by Vladimir Yakovlev