Russia's Media Policy

Åslund opened by describing Lesin's career and asked "the strong man who has pursued Russian media policy" to comment on his four-year experience as a minister. Lesin was appointed to his current position in July 1999. Speaking through an interpreter, Lesin began by briefly describing the key developments in Russian mass media over the last decade. His emphasis lay on economic aspects. It was important for the audience to know the timeframe from which the current situation developed. The first law on media, based on European media laws, was adopted after the break-up of the Soviet Union. While this law provided the basis for the free and private press, it did not reflect the developing market structure in Russia. According to Lesin, this explains why the initial development period of the mass media appeared chaotic.

Lesin said that in the early 1990's there was no economic model for mass media's infrastructure, advertising and distribution. He argued that the Yeltsin government did not have a clear strategy on how the media market should develop. Consequentially, the media fractured into three major groups: one for special interests, one owned by large companies, and one owned by government media.

The second period started in August 1998. The ruble default decreased the size of the media advertising market and total media revenues, by a factor of 10. These events stipulated that media operate on the basis of an economic model. Thematic and cable TV channels and net works that bought up regional TV stations, for example TNT and STS, began to play a more important role.

When he was elected in 2000, President Vladimir Putin declared that mass media could be independent and free only when it was economically independent. Lesin described a new media law that would create economic possibilities for the future development of Russian mass media. Under this law, developed by the Press Ministry, the licenses for the electronic media would be issued for ten rather than just five years. The law would also clarify the rights and responsibilities of the media owners, allow for an automatic extension and sale of licenses, and the creation of a services market.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Fund for Public Opinion, 57 percent of the Russian citizens support media censorship. The minister explained that such a high number indicates poor quality of media coverage. Lesin said his ministry currently focuses on creating media stability and transparency, improving journalistic ethics and professionalism, and facilitating self-organization and self-regulation of Russian mass media.

"We do not believe that the government should regulate media … the less the government intervenes on media the better it is for the media," the minister remarked.

On that note, Åslund added that ORT, RTR and NTV, three main Russian TV channels, were under state ownership. He asked Lesin to comment on Berezovsky's role in ORT, Gazprom, and the Ministry's policy in general regarding state and private ownership of TV channels. Lesin stressed that the government did not have controlling shares in Gazprom. As for the ORT, the minister said it was Berezovsky's idea to name the channel Public Russian Television (ORT). Initially, Berezovsky came to the government and offered to invest in the Ostankino channels, promising to be loyal to the government and make a Public Russian Television channel. Eventually Berezovksy bought 49 percent of the shares and started "walking around with a big stick" demanding loan and tax breaks for his company. Lesin said that happened because at the time the government did not have a clear media policy. This experience led to the formation of a government policy not only for ORT but also all Russian mass media.

As for another main channel, RTR, Lesin said it is a government channel and "there is nothing wrong with the fact that it provides information the way the government views it." Finally, he said that NTV is not state owned and is "doing whatever they want."

Addressing a question about media restrictions on Chechnya coverage, the minister said that adequate information has been provided for journalists. He asserted that the government has been conducting "anti-terrorist operation" rather than a war. During this "anti-terrorist" operation the government issued certain rules of conduct for journalists. "Today I do not see any problems with media coverage of the Chechnya situation," he stated.

According to a survey the Press Ministry conducted prior to Putin's current U.S. visit, 70 percent of Americans do not distinguish between Russia and the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the common stereotypes most Americans have for Russia are vodka, cold climate and poverty. Lesin agreed that these elements are present but he also said that many positive processes have taken place in Russia that should be reflected in mass media. In the last two years, the Russian government has been working on a Russian image promotion project. Mikhail Lesin concluded that this project would allow the Russians "to understand the image they want to project" to the rest of the world and break common stereotypes about Russia.

Summary prepared by Kate Vlachtchenko, Junior Fellow with the Russian and Eurasian Program at the Carnegie Endowment.