About the party press

This week, a discussion once suddenly broke out on the Ekhov site for a long time, it would seem, the topic discussed-whether the journalist has the right to be a member of the political party or movement. These discussions arose against the backdrop of the election of the coordination council of the opposition, in which some of our colleagues are running.

Thus, the well -forgotten old has become "new." And after reading and listening to everything said by the comrades, I somehow came to myself to the conclusion that we were discussing the issue invented.

My boss at Echo Venediktov considers this issue “administrative”, as he says, and forbade us to be members of political education. Do I think this ban is correct? I never wanted to join any party and I think that I will not continue to do this. But I simply consider the ban itself insignificant. I obey him, because the leadership may have its own considerations and it has the right to make such a decision. But I do not think this is significant. Just because my position or position of my colleagues is clear and without “crust”.

Here, let's say, in our country, on Echo, this does not interfere with working together by Volodya Bartholomeev and Leshe Golubev. Neither one nor the other consist and are listed, but if you read their texts, how it will become absolutely clear to you what views each of them defends and that the guys' views are obviously different. And what about the fact that Bartholomew and Golubev have no party bindings? What with the fact that Leontyev does not have them (or maybe there, I don’t know) or Shevchenko? Because the journalist is in the same way in the muzzle, and not in the partybilet.

They say that the State Authorities serve as a “vertical” hand and thereby in fact party. And someone says that our “echo” is “opposition”. And on this basis it is surprised that Prokhanov, Shevchenko or, as the staff of the editorial office, could be on our air ... I will not name the names - who follows, he knows these people well. But the thing is that the main criteria for journalistic work should not be party affiliation. And what is happening on the same state television is bad not because it promotes Putin, but what is happening on Echo not because the “echo” supposedly supports the opposition. Just a journalist either tells the truth or lies. Well, either hides the truth, or interferes with a cocktail with a fiction. That's all! What does the party card have to do with it?

Our duty is to inform society. Informing as fully and reliably as possible. By reporting everything that we know, everything that is of public interest. If we know something, but hide it 1 means we work poorly. If we know something, but give out this information turned upside down, it means that we are bad journalists.

At the same time, we must remember that there is news and there is an opinion. And one is separated from the other. If you make news material, then no one needs your reasoning in this material - bring the facts as they are to people. And for their evaluation and analysis there are other journalists who are specially busy. This is a professional job. Not propaganda, but journalism. With or without a party party.

The party card and interests of the party cannot serve as an excuse if you are lying. And if you are telling the truth, it does not matter that you have a jacket in your pocket and is there at least something there.