The All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion has just given freedom of speech in Voronezh Region a rating of 55.1, “good, but medium.”
Photo: Alexander Miridonov
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Freedom of Speech Will Get a Grade
Freedom of speech will be regularly measured in Russia. The All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion is monitoring it on order from the Public Chamber. It has just given freedom of speech in Voronezh Region a rating of 55.1, “good, but medium,” after polling 600 citizens of the region, who answered 21 questions. In addition, 50 experts – journalists and representatives of business, science, regional political parties and public-interest and human rights organizations – answered 41 questions. Novosibirsk Region will be rated next.
Positive elements in the assessment of freedom of speech in Voronezh Region were “the level of control over information” and “the rather high level of political freedom of the media.” On the other hand, “large influence on the media by group interest” and “insufficient economic freedom of the media” were also noted. The pollsters noted that it is too early to characterize the condition of freedom of speech in Voronezh Region relative to the rest of the country. When the rating of the region was presented in Voronezh, in the presence of the region’s Governor Vladimir Kulakov, local journalists stated that their greatest concern was the financing of publications, subscribers and delivery of publications. They characterized the freedom of speech rating as “PR for the Public Chamber.”
Pavel Gusev, editor-in-chief of Moskovsky komsomolets newspaper and chairman of the Public Chamber commission on the media, suggested that defending freedom of speech should be included on the list of activities for regional heads. That list has already been submitted to the presidential executive staff. The United Russia Party has established a working group on press freedom in the State Duma to prepare a new edition of the law “On the Mass Media,” which will be introduced into the Duma in November.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 23, 2008
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