NTV against drugs.

The NTV television company was the first in Russia to speak seriously and thoroughly about the problem of drug addiction in the country. At the initiative of NTV, the movement “MEDIA AGAINST DRUGS” was created, the leaders of which were the chairman of the Yabloko Duma faction Grigory Yavlinsky, the general director of the MEDIA-MOST holding Vladimir Gusinsky and the general director of the ORT Television Company Ksenia Ponomareva. Many well-known politicians, public figures, media leaders, and narcologists became participants in the movement.

The movement sees its main task as drawing attention to the problem of drug addiction in Russia, showing the scale of its spread in the country, and trying to find possible ways to combat this evil.

NTV journalists conducted a whole series of journalistic investigations - about drug traffickers and the drug business, about the ways drugs penetrate into Russia, about the methods of their distribution, about the involvement of new victims in the world of drugs. Special reports on these topics in the “Today” program became a real sensation, showing how serious the problem is and how necessary it is to find ways to solve it.

In mid-February, the program "TWILIGHT" appeared on NTV for the first time - a weekly talk show dedicated to the problems of drug addiction. Editorial teams, together with specialists, have developed more than 20 topics for the program, dedicated to certain features of drug addiction in Russia. Particular attention was paid to such aspects as motivation for drug use, age groups, social groups, and society’s attitude towards drug addicts. It was important to show the scale of the problem, as well as to destroy the stereotype of society’s perception of a drug addict as a criminal element. a person outside of society.

The program is deliberately devoid of any social pathos; it is based on the stories of real people who personally encountered drugs. drug addicts themselves, their parents and loved ones.

The program received a great response from the population of the country. Every day the editorial office receives from 30 to 50 calls from people who have come into contact with this problem. The editorial telephone number thus turned into a kind of helpline.

The program "TWILIGHT" is broadcast on weekdays, at a very late time (Tuesday, 00.50), but nevertheless, among those who watch TV at these hours, 20 percent of the audience prefer this particular program.

At the same time, emotional and tough, nerve-wracking advertising clips appeared on the channel, using specific examples to show the fatality of drugs, clearly demonstrating what a terrible evil it is. Six of the 18 videos are based on the real fates of real people, making you shudder with horror, but at the same time also think, realize the real danger.

NTV is the first television company to hold a large-scale social campaign “No Drugs”. The problem, which until recently they preferred not to talk about publicly, has grown into a threat to national security. NTV realized that the only way to save the nation and especially the younger generation was to make the topic open and discussed.

That is why General Director of NTV-HOLDING Igor Malashenko proposed holding a competition “FREE DRUGS” for the best work aimed at combating this national scourge. Russian media, individual journalists, PR companies, and advertising agencies were invited to participate in the competition. It was announced that scripts and original layouts, works of printed and electronic journalism dedicated to the problem of combating drug addiction and first published in January-May 1998, would be accepted. NTV allocated a prize fund of 50 thousand US dollars. The winners will be announced at the end of June 1998.

According to many public figures and journalists, the “No Drugs” campaign is the most significant event in public life in recent years, because the direct purpose of television is to convince, educate, and warn.