"This is propaganda banditry"

Regional newspapers began to warn the audience that NTV materials may contain lies and propaganda

The alliance of independent regional publications (Henri) these days launched an action against the NTV television channel: on the page with a television program near the NTV logo, newspapers now indicate that, under the guise of journalistic materials, spectators can receive “distorted information or propaganda”. The first warning was published by the Yakutsk Evening newspaper. To date, several regional newspapers have joined the action. It is expected that next week a flash mob will support more publications. NTV press secretary Maria Bezborodova told Lenta.ru that the channel does not comment on the action.

The occasion for the appearance of a dile with a warning on the pages of regional newspapers was the plot of the program "PE BROW" called " Debtors of the State Department" shown in March 2016, which stated that several regional media receive loans from foreign sources related to the US State Department. The material said that the media receive money from the MDIF Foundation George Soros, support representatives of the opposition and criticize the Russian authorities.

At the same time, not only me, but also Gazprom, and many others took not only loans, but also received grants, and all this was legalized

One of the heroes of this plot was the newspaper Yakutsk Evening and its publisher, General Director of the Publishing and Publishing House of Nord-Press, Leonid Levin. Commenting on this plot , the leaders of Yakutsk Vespers explained that the money was really received in the International Media Support Fund, "in which the share of American money is about 1%." The loan was completely repaid back in 2011 and interest was paid.

The leaders of Yakutsk Vespers turned to a collegium on complaints about the press, which, having studied the plot of NTV, sided with the regional media and called the plot of the TV channel a “false denunciation”, which used “manipulative methods of influence on the consciousness of the audience”. After this solution, a warning appeared on the page with the television program of the Yakutsk Vesard newspaper that NTV and Russia could be distorted and false information.

The general director of the Nord-Press Publishing House Leonid Levin in an interview with Radio Liberty said that NTV journalists agreed with him on the material fraudulently, and then distorted all the facts. Leonid Levin hopes that the campaign organized by his colleagues-journalists against NTV will force the TV channel to observe at least elementary ethical norms:

- I was among those people who took this loan in due time. I completely paid it, and I was very surprised that these people could contact me with this kind of accusations. At the same time, not only me, but also Gazprom, and many others took not only loans, but also received grants, and all this was legalized. Here we could only talk about whether a person paid a loan or did not pay. I paid it and even received gratitude at that time from the fund that this loan provided me. I used it completely in the interests of the development of our printing house, a publishing house. But most of all I was outraged by the fact that these people, as thieves, entered my work house, they did not call them, did not say that they represent NTV, said they wanted to make material about our newspaper. “Yakutsk Evening” is a good newspaper, it has been one year among the 10 best newspapers of regional Russia. I treated them like people who really came to make material about the newspaper, and they, it turns out, simply played out a scene in front of me, according to the script. This is characteristic of this channel, this is not the first time. This is completely impermissible ethically, I think, at all, nowhere, I'm not talking about our journalistic circles! When you penetrate the enemy’s camp, then, probably, you can fool around, do anything, but here you can just call and say: “We have questions” - I would not refuse them an interview. This was very annoyed then. Such things simply cannot be forgiven.

Then I was just humanly offensive and bitter that I spent so much time, and they spat on my face, these people!

These people came under the guise of investigation, but there was no investigation, there were pre-prepared people who were supposed to give some information about this terrible Levin, who was so. People arrived for several days, and during these few days they had to collect this dirt and fly out of it a certain figure, which would then affect those people to whom they are addressing. But they could not, they turned to different people, and the most amazing thing that even those people who may be unkind to me refused to interview them. In addition, I have a Garma dog, it has long been with us, practically at the headquarters, and she immediately felt that these were not the same people - did not allow them to shoot. Not that I didn’t give it, but how I lay down - and I could not do anything with her. I then thought that something was wrong. I even gave my books to these people, I was so trusted with them. Then I was just humanly offensive and bitter that I spent so much time, and they spat on my face, these people! Two young peppers took advantage of my human attitude to them, hospitality. They took only what they needed. We have a European prize, they immediately shot about it, shot everything that could be condemning the "geyropo", worked only for this. And the fact that we have three "laureates of the Russian government prize", they missed because it did not fit into their scheme. When all this became clear there, we looked at the announcement, and 7 hours before the release of this program in Yakutsk Evening, a strip appeared, it was called the "weekdays of provocateurs." Even before the release of this program. So we somehow already warned this program.

- And then you turned to the collegium for complaints about the press?

They can insult people, humiliate people, but they believe that this is below the dignity of the federal channel - to come and try to figure it out

- Such a shaft began, the Union of Journalists supported us, a lot of journalistic organizations performed, almost all journalistic and public organizations condemned such work, which once again showed NTV. The next step was the collegium, this is a very serious organ, Lukin was conducted. I am just grateful to them for sharing that sensation, then attitude, those feelings that we had to do to everything that happened. All that was presented to me was a complete lie! And everyone understood this. NTV could appear at this collegium, but did not appear, they considered it below their dignity. They can insult people, humiliate people, but they believe that this is below the dignity of the federal channel - to come and try to figure it out. Therefore, we thought that further we must somehow react to what these people do. They work for hundreds of thousands of people, "Yakutsk Evening" is a circulation newspaper, but we cannot resist the channel broadcasting throughout Russia. Then this cloud with a warning appeared, it was supported. I can tell you that this is not my merit, I did not organize anyone, people themselves supported. Apparently, it was boiling, many people had a certain sensation, and people had to speak out. We gave reason so that people could speak out, and they speak out in a special way - they created this flash mob. And now this campaign continues.

- How much this can be effective in terms of informing readers, reporting to them that what is shown on NTV is not the truth in the last instance?

I think this is a good example of the organization of civil society, very necessary for Russia

- This is a very difficult question. We are still talking about a fairly narrow circle of people. I just rejoice that still the journalistic solidarity is preserved, that we still return a lot of the lost by us. I think this is a good example of the organization of civil society, very necessary for Russia. How it will develop, it is difficult for me to say, this is a rather risky business. This is, in a sense, a check for the lice of people who can put this badge, but may not put it. The fact of what happened is unexpected in itself. I think it will be very useful, because the next time these people will behave more accurately, and I think that their bosses will explain to them that they still need to observe elementary ethical norms.

- What is the case with the newspaper Yakutsk Evening now? Are you not afraid of some pressure on journalists, the newspaper itself in connection with this story?

- The word "pressure" has a wide meaning, can take different forms. “Yakutsk Evening” is a newspaper that, starting somewhere since the 2000s, placed several very serious materials related to corruption with abuses of power. This is a newspaper that has its own character. I think that this newspaper simply works within the framework of the ethical norms that the newspaper must comply with. There are patriots, and there are people who make money on patriotism. So, this newspaper is just sincerely fighting for the fact that in Russia it is better so that the air is cleaner, so that there is not even such things as the one that happened. After this program, in addition to a small group of trolls, in general, nothing changed in relation to us. There was even more sympathy than before. It is important that it is impossible to pass by this kind of thing, because those people who do this, each time become more and more. And propaganda is becoming more and more unbending, ”concludes Leonid Levin.

In addition to the newspaper Yakutsk Evening, NTV mentioned the Tomsk TV channel TV-2, the newspaper Chelyabinsk Worker and My District, the publishing holding of Altapress.

Now several regional newspapers have joined the flash mob: the Ural "city news", the Kirov "Omutnin Vesti+", the Rostov "Cossack Territory" and others. On the page with a television program at the NTV logo, they placed a warning dice:

"Be careful! Under the guise of journalistic materials, you can get distorted information or propaganda."

The author of this flash mob, the editor -in -chief of the city Vesti newspaper, Valery of Silly, explains that next week several more publications will join the action, perhaps even in another format: there will be no NTV television program in the newspaper.

“We joined because our colleague, one of the most respected publishers of Russia, Leonid Levin published the same dick on his television program,” Valery Belypyaty will explain. - I watched the NTV film, and I also completely disagree with what is told there. The board of complaints of the press issued its verdict, NTV in no way reacted to the decision of the respected All -Russian College. We thought with our colleagues that, probably, it is worth adding our small circulations to Levin's circulation so that this was more significant. And judging by the media responses, this was noticed.

- How do readers react to this warning, what responses from your audience came to you?

- Very diverse. As in any social network, we began a rather bright discussion, and some call, they say that "you are well done, this NTV was already needed for a long time ...". And not only NTV, there the whole list of channels was called. Others say: "What, do you have nothing to do?" Still others say: "You are the fifth column ..." - and so on. So there are a lot of responses, everything is quite diverse, polar.

We have a narrower goal to date - to show that the transmission has been released on the NTV channel and it is not true

- Do you think this action is able to unite the journalistic community that remains in Russia?

- At least it is clearly able to declare itself. In fact, I did not expect that there would be such a huge media response. As of Wednesday, publications were only in Yakutsk Vesard and in three newspapers throughout Russia, God forbid 20–25 thousand with a common circulation. Next week there will be more. This response of the community itself is indicative, it proves the possibility of solidarize in real matters. And I think there will be a certain result of this action. By the way, many, instead of putting a dick, simply remove this NTV television channel from the television program. As far as I know, many will do so next week.

-What do you think, this action on a small scale is able to convey to people the idea that there is a lot of propaganda on television now?

- She can convey the idea that there is a chance to doubt, there is an opportunity and even the need to doubt that a person sees, hears, reads. This does not mean that we prove something to someone, which means that we simply attracted attention, and in our situation this is the maximum that we can do.

- How long do you intend to keep this dick?

-Many are ready for a long time, two to three months, a year. Some say: it takes a lot of places, I will put two weeks, then I will stop, I expressed solidarity. I think that it will be decided at the end of next week, when we already find out exactly how many participants in this action really exist.

There are colleagues who do not produce newspapers, they also want to join this action, we will come up with the mechanism

- How do you understand who joins you? Does someone write to you?

- No, I am not the organizer of this campaign, I just invite people, I ask them to send their photos. They write to us: guys, you told us late, we will only print next week, we will do it next week and send you. This is how it happens. Someone will not send at all, and we will not know about it, and for the sake of God. There are colleagues who do not produce newspapers, we were written by information agencies or radio, they also want to join this action, and we will come up with the mechanism here. We have a narrower goal today - to show that the transmission has been released on the NTV channel and it is not true. It is advisable, of course, to ensure that such programs do not go out in the future, ”summarizes Valery Blessy.

Most of the newspapers that issued a warning issues are included in the alliance of independent regional publications. The editor -in -chief of the newspaper Omutninsky Vesti +" Igor Khodyrev in an interview with Radio Liberty explained that the journalists agreed with the lawyers:" Before launching this, we consulted with the Voronezh Center for the Protection of the Rights of Journalists, Lawyers, they carefully read this text and said that this text could not have any trials for the content of this text. can ".

The President of the Vosiness Protection Fund Alexei Simonov approves the action organized by regional journalists, but assumes that NTV journalists are unlikely to pay attention to it:

- This is not the first and the only case of a linden, folded from pieces of material that has nothing to do with reality. When they ask about one thing, and then they use it for a completely different one, the context changes obviously. What NTV does in these programs is pure propaganda banditry. But for the rest, NTV took over the functions of our television cloak: most of the murders, abominations and everything else occurs precisely on their air, this becomes their style. I consider it absolutely reasonable to try to turn them off from the information space, although, in my opinion, unfortunately, it will be extremely difficult to do, because then another channel will take this function, because the channels have no reputation risks. The College of Press complaints considered NTV materials six times, and NTV never recognized the competence of this collegium, no one from NTV has come to this collegium, although serious people were discussing. They behave like bandits who feel complete impunity. I am very pleased that they announce some boycott to them. Maybe they will at least partially hear this, although I do not think that it will be so, because they do not fulfill their order and they think not in this direction.

They behave like bandits who feel complete impunity. I am very pleased that they are announcing them some kind of boycott

-But what do you think, there are some effective ways, how to deal with this impunity?

- Today, only the authorities have the right to punish today, other methods of punishment have ceased to act. Our public censure does not sound, it is not heard, it is not visible. So how else to do? It seems to me that this action is remarkably made, I like it.

-In your opinion, maybe something threaten those publications that have subscribed to this action and began to publish information about the work of NTV?

- Officially - no, but unofficially - a fireman may come to them tomorrow, for example. It is not necessary for the investigator to come, we may come to the FMS, and it turns out that, for example, three people do not have registration in the city in which this publication comes out. We can have anything in this sense, unfortunately, they are not safe from anything. But people want to preserve self -esteem, so God give them health, ”concludes Alexei Simonov.