Head of the Union of Journalists of Russia Vladimir Solovyov: “The front page is becoming more dangerous than the front page”

May 3rd is World Press Freedom Day. This year, the date is almost round – by decision of the UN General Assembly, the holiday has been celebrated since 1994. However, this time it is just right to celebrate it with tears in the eyes. Freedom of the press in the world, more precisely, in its “civilized” western part, is melting faster than the glaciers in the Arctic.

Journalists and entire newsrooms have become an instrument of information warfare, which seems to have no rules. How reporters respond to new challenges and why today the front page is almost more dangerous than the front page at the front, Vladimir Solovyov, chairman of the Union of Journalists of Russia, told MK.

— Vladimir Gennadievich, May 3 is a professional holiday for journalists — Freedom of the Press Day. Do you think there is real freedom of the press anywhere else in the world?

— On May 3 every year, Reporters Without Borders determines the press freedom rating. But this rating, as well as the organization itself, should be treated very carefully. You don’t need to pay attention to them at all. These are just a handful of impostors in Paris who form their rankings based on dubious data.

With regard to Russia, they receive information from the most violent Russophobes, which is why our country is at the bottom of the list, even below Ukraine. Reporters Without Borders is not respected anywhere. Even in the International Federation of Journalists they are treated with irony. On the whole, so much has happened over the past almost 30 years… The world has changed significantly. He became more dangerous, tougher and more difficult. Many military conflicts have appeared, and international tensions are growing.

Help “MK”: The World Press Freedom Index, or the Press Freedom Index, is a list of 180 countries of the world compiled annually by the international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders. The place in the rating is determined on the basis of ratings on a 100-point press freedom scale, where the highest score is “good situation”, the lowest is “very difficult situation”. In 2022, the top five countries in the ranking included Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and Finland. Russia was in 155th place. Ukraine – on the 106th. The United States took 42nd place in the ranking, China – 175th.

How has journalism changed over these three decades? Has the journalist himself become freer?

— There are new ways of transmitting information. The journalist has become multifunctional. Often one journalist works for the entire editorial office. Being, as they say, in the fields, he writes, and takes photos and videos, and goes on air, and connects to the radio.

Formats and circumstances have changed. But our postulates remain unchanged. We are required to double-check the information ten times before publishing it. This is what distinguishes a professional journalist from all kinds of bloggers, who have recently appeared in great numbers and who are now seriously competing with us.

– Speaking at a meeting of the Council of Legislators in St. Petersburg, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that Russia today remains the only island of freedom for the media. Do you agree with this statement?

– Once upon a time, we at the Faculty of Journalism considered CNN, BBC and other major Western media corporations to be examples of professionalism. CNN owner Ted Turner came to us and said that in all offices in the US State Department, the White House and the UN headquarters there are televisions with CNN turned on. He said: “These guys think that if the war starts, we will tell them about it.”

But now we see that what is happening in the West in terms of freedom of the media is very similar to the last years of the USSR, when the truth could only be told in a whisper to your wife in the kitchen.

– At the end of April, the United States did not give visas to journalists from the Sergei Lavrov pool for a visit to the UN headquarters in New York. White House strategic communications coordinator John Kirby told CNN, by the way, that this was necessary “to protect freedom of the press” as “the Russian media has become a propaganda tool.” What is this new interpretation of the concept of “freedom” by the Americans?

– In the West, everything has been decided by the “general regional committee” for a long time. How the ideological structure should be built, what can be said and what is not, everything is decided centrally. There is no freedom of speech. For example, former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson said media freedom is being stifled in the US by all means. So Vyacheslav Volodin is largely right when he talks about Russia as the last island of freedom for the press.

“But we don’t have absolute freedom either, do we?”

– An unprecedented information war has been launched against Russia. In such conditions, the main restriction of freedom of speech is the principle of “do no harm.” Journalists should be guided by them like doctors. Unfortunately, some of our military correspondents have already faced the consequences of non-compliance with this important rule. Even such a genre appeared: “I’m at war.” They published videos and photos of themselves in the NVO zone on their social networks and telegram channels, and then enemy shells flew into these places, our soldiers died. Of course, when the special military operation ends, we will insist that all restrictions be lifted.

“Nevertheless, even in today’s conditions we can read Western sources of information if we wish.

We can see everything. Not only Western sources of information, but also Ukrainian and Russian, who openly went over to the side of the enemy and are working against our country. We can see all this on Youtube and Telegram. In the West, it is impossible to see the point of view of Russia in principle.

“Now many journalists have begun to think not about their professional freedom, but about personal safety. Can it be argued that against the background of the information war with the West, our profession has really become more dangerous?

“It started back in Yugoslavia. At that time, there were constant threats against state media workers. Threatened them personally, their families, children. Threats were written on the doors of their apartments, journalists were beaten. It was an attempt to undermine the work of the media.

The same thing is happening now. For those who are often on the screen or on the front page, it is very difficult to work today. Daria Dugina and Vladlen Tatarsky have already become victims of the information war. Our well-known colleagues are guarded. All journalists now need to be vigilant and careful. Unfortunately, the front lane becomes no less dangerous than the front line.