6.6.2006 18:10 MSK
Why Russia Needs Press Freedom
Address by Gavin K. O'Reilly, President, World Association of Newspapers, at the Opening Ceremony of the 59th World Newspaper Congress & 13th World Editors Forum, Moscow, 5th June 2006

Mr President, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I wish you a very warm welcome on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers to this - the Opening Ceremony of our 59th World Newspaper Congress and 13th World Editors Forum.

I am delighted to note that the attendance at these events is the largest ever in the history of our organization - a record 1,700 participants from over 110 countries, making this truly the annual summit meeting of the world's press.

In my mind, there are two important factors behind this outstanding result:
1. firstly, that the themes of our conference has seized on the most crucial and vital issues facing our industry today; and
2. secondly, that all of us share a fascination for this great Russian nation and a desire to discover more about its life, its politics, its culture and its history.

Over the next several days, we will be looking - in our business sessions - at how some of the best companies in our industry worldwide are grappling with the twin challenge of growing our print operations whilst fully exploiting the many opportunities provided by the new digital media platforms - and vitally, of course, examining how to create synergies between the two.

Outside the conference halls, at special breakfasts and lunches and, doubtless late into the night with the odd glass of vodka in hand, at marvellous receptions and dinners offered by our generous hosts at the Russian Guild of Press Publishers and their partners, we will also examine 'Russia Beyond the Headlines', endeavouring as best we can to grasp the complexities and contradictions of this great and proud superpower at the beginning of the 21st century.

Yes, these are indeed exciting times for newspapers; times of unparalleled innovation and technological change - but also a time of some unfounded self-doubt in our industry, as we try to combat the hyped-up online misinformation. So, it is essential that we listen and learn from one another as this complex media matrix unfolds. And as we confront and successfully exploit the emerging online media channels, equally, we should never, ever forget the inherent attraction, durability and vitality of what has made us so successful - our printed newspapers... Indeed, it is worth remembering that newspapers are now read by over 1 billion consumers each and every day, and if we then include, our online efforts, that audience grows by the hundreds of millions.

As such and with that backdrop, I am confident that the programmes of this 59th World Newspaper Congress, 13th World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2006 will easily reaffirm the newspaper's pre-eminence as the leading provider of relevant quality news and information - and equally, confirm that we can continue to do so in a profitable, purposeful and balanced way.

So here we are in wonderful Moscow, in the Kremlin - the very heart of this great Russian Federation and I know that all of you in the audience will join me in saying how particularly honoured we are to be in the company of its President, Mr. Vladimir Putin.

Mr President, thank you for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule and welcoming the world's press to Moscow.

Mr. President, as a global organization which exists in the first instance to defend and promote press freedom world-wide, you will understand that we can never shy away from commentating on such matters even at the risk of offending our host... and so, I trust that you will take my candid remarks constructively, as indeed they are intended... as we are not here to lecture; we are here to engage.

Mr President, that said, I must tell you honestly that many of our members questioned the choice of Russia as the location for our 2006 world press summit and, indeed, have done so right up to the last minute. As I am sure you are aware, your country and your administration have been severely criticised internationally for an alleged unwillingness to forego control and influence over the media.

In saying that, I want to stress from the outset that such bold pronouncements and arguably undiplomatic criticisms are not grounded by any desire by foreign opinion to damage the credibility of Russia as a superpower or to challenge your country's growing influence and importance on the global scene; equally, they are not the result of any hostility, real or imagined... in fact, quite the contrary.

For our part, the opinions of the World Association of Newspapers on this question have rather been informed by hundreds of encounters, stretching back over more than a decade, with Russian publishers, editors and journalists. It is they, first of all, who have not been convinced that the Russian state is taking seriously enough, the mission of creating an environment in which a strong, free and independent press can grow and prosper.

In making these comments, it is equally important to first acknowledge that there are clear problems within the Russian newspaper industry itself, and that we should equally address these and face them squarely, as the publishing and journalistic communities here are far from being exempt from any criticism.

Today in Russia, there is still a widespread, corrupt culture of 'selling' news space and influence to politicians and businessmen in too many parts of the industry. This unethical practice of 'paid-for-journalism' is unacceptable and we condemn it everywhere. Happily, there are publishers and journalists here who are resisting this practice and to those independently-minded journalists, we applaud them.

At the same time, it must also be recognized that the majority of the Russian newspaper companies still suffer a deficit of professionalism, skills and best practice knowledge, both in management and journalistically.

This is not a verdict made by W-A-N, rather it is something that is widely admitted by Russian publishers and journalists themselves, and indeed it was one of the motivations for inviting the World Association of Newspapers to hold these events in Moscow, as part of an ongoing process to further raise journalistic standards and improve the commercial viability of your nation's newspapers. We are told by our Russian colleagues, for instance, that only 10% of newspapers in Russia are profitable and that many of those are not actually news and information publications, but rather advertising publications. For the sake of the industry and this country – this surely must change.

In that, we readily recognise and commend efforts being made by your Government to help create a much better and transparent business environment for the press, by reducing taxes, improving distribution and creating a level playing field for newspapers against other media in the advertising markets.

However... we do strongly believe that such measures must be accompanied by a dramatic improvement in the political climate in which the press operates.

Mr President, you and your government are on record as having clearly expressed your attachment to freedom of the press and have repeatedly articulated its importance to your fledgling democracy. However, it should also be said that 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. And sadly, no one can pretend that this is case today, certainly not for newspapers.
In our discussions with Russian publishers, we have come to learn that the public's trust and confidence in the press in Russia is at an appallingly low point. Not surprisingly, newspapers sales and readership are suffering as a result.

And I would respectfully suggest to you that this deep public cynicism of the press cannot be changed, by merely improving the legal and business environment for newspapers. Surely, there must be real political intent - and at the highest levels of government - that must accompany this process.

It was once said by the great playwright, Arthur Millar, that a “great newspaper is a country speaking to itself”, and so it is in this vein, that I respectfully pose some questions...

How does the Russian media - echoed by right-minded journalists in the rest of the world - question, comment on and yes, at times, legitimately criticize the State?

Or in a throw back to a different era - 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?

Or with the absence of independent national television - all of which is now under direct or indirect government control – how can it be argued that objective commentary and analysis is not sorely jeopardised?

And at a time when the State is criticised – we believe with good reason - about the acquisition of important newspaper titles by financial and industrial groups that are either directly controlled by Government or loyal to it, how does one counter the suggestion that oligarchic control has simply been replaced by State control?

Or that at the same time as this State domination of key national media outlets, is it acceptable that there is a similar process of news control at regional and local levels, led by mayors, governors and strong business groups?

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, whatever the original motives... as these realities do no service to Russia, quite the opposite.

We fully recognize, Mr. President, that Russia does not have a long tradition of freedom of expression and that, with the exception of some very brief interludes, censorship and state control over opinion have been the unfortunate reality in your country's past.

Yet, it should not be forgotten that even the Great Russian writers like Pushkin fell victim to censorship and that incredibly, half of his works could not be published in his lifetime. Nor should it be forgotten that in the last century, censorship in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics constituted the longest-lasting and most ruthless period of repression of freedom of information and opinion in the world.

Nevertheless, giant personalities like Alexandr Solzhenitsyn or, before him, Boris Pasternak, and many others, braved censorship; braved the banning of their works; and, in the case of Solzhenitsyn, braved the gulag.

To my mind, the Russian people can and should be rightly inspired by, and proud of, these pioneer dissidents.

Mr President, of what importance and urgency, you may ask, is the establishment of a strong, free, critical and truly independent press, in the general scheme of things? Russia has more than its fair share of other issues - both national and international - and we know that you are vigorously and positively tackling many of them. So, why such a fuss about the press? Why does international opinion again and again place this question at the heart of its genuine and amicable concerns about Russia, when there are so many crucial domestic and geopolitical issues on the table?

I think the answer is quite simple: all available evidence demonstrates that a strong, free and independent press is a fundamental precondition for truly sustainable economic, social and political prosperity.

Whilst once only the mantra of groups like W-A-N, this argument has now been accepted, embraced and adopted by governments and inter-governmental organisations world-wide. The World Bank President put it succinctly in a recent speech, when he said: "You really can't talk about economic development without talking about freedom of the press".

Mr President, I said earlier that WAN had been criticised by many for its decision to hold these events in Russia, precisely because of deeply-held concerns about the press freedom situation here and the apparent lack of progress towards the establishment of strong, independent media that can fulfil their proper role in democratic life and debate.

One of our several counter arguments to these opponents was that we might finally have an opportunity, in coming here to Moscow, to appeal to you personally to take vital new measures, to personally create the right tone, if you like, to help your great and fine country develop the strong press that it merits and which can only add to the prestige and influence of Russia on the world stage.

Our belief is that history will judge your legacy as President, whether in Russia or in the rest of the world, as much by the fate of the media - perhaps more - than by any other measure.

And as I said before - but it is worth repeating again - we are not here to lecture from some pulpit - we are merely here to encourage critical debate and to support progress towards a truly independent press in Russia - one that befits this great country.

At these events every year, it is the W-A-N President's sombre duty to remind the global press community of the painful struggle which our colleagues - in too many corners of the world - are engaged in on a daily basis to protect press freedom, often at huge personal cost. I have focussed especially on some of the problems of the Russian press, because we are here and that is our tradition and my duty.

So, I would like to take a few minutes of your time to illustrate - in this short video clip - the depth and breadth of this struggle around the world over the past year. You will see clearly that the Russian press is not alone in facing serious challenges, though that is no reason, of course, not to want or to take measures to improve the situation here also.

(WAN press freedom video is played)

As you can see, this past year has been a particularly murderous one for our profession, and I am sure you will all join me in paying solemn tribute to all those media workers who have lost their lives to bring news and information to our public; to those who have been jailed and are still in prison; and to those who persist in trying to do their jobs under constant persecution and harassment. As appalling as this vista is - our job at W-A-N goes on... here in Russia and across the world.

So in closing, Mr. President, on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers, let me state for the record that:
We are happy that we have been so warmly and graciously welcomed to your country;
We are happy that we have been able to convey our strong opinions on these fundamental issues in such a public form, as this; and
We are encouraged by your small progressive steps, but hope that they can be built upon, greatly.

Before I leave this podium, I would like to express a few thanks:

First of all to the Russian Guild of Press Publishers, the GIPP - its President, Leonid Makaron, the W-A-N Vice President for Russia, Eugene Abov, and Julia Kazakova, the Executive Director of the association and her staff.

GIPP's emergence as a strong and very resourceful representative organization for the Russian press industry has been an absolutely key factor in the presence of this Congress and Forum in Russia. Without GIPP, I know that we couldn't have even considered Moscow as a venue.

Independent press industry associations of this kind, both at national and local level, are absolutely fundamental to the development of the newspaper business. Only such organizations can collectively defend the financial and moral interests of an industry, as GIPP is now doing very effectively indeed.

At the same time, I would also like to express our warm thanks to the Federal Agency for Media and Mass Communications for its support to GIPP, and personally to the agency's head, Michail Seslavinsky, who generously invested his time and energy in helping make this event happen.

And, finally, to you - President Putin - for giving us the great honour of your presence this morning and for listening to our position on these most fundamental of issues. On the many points of detail, we may surely differ in emphasis and tone - but the underlying proposition that I have tried to engage you on - is something that I sense that we can ultimately agree upon - and that is simply, that without a free and independent press in Russia, there is simply no way of truly achieving a lasting and broad-based democracy to which your country aspires and, I believe, importantly deserves.

I thank you.
http://www.prima-news.ru/eng/news/articles/2006/6/6/36211.html