Responses

Correspondent: The NTV Public Council, created less than a year ago, has been meeting all this time as an anti-crisis center. This week the occasion was a meeting of shareholders of the television company, the legality of the decisions of which was questioned by the NTV workforce. In its statement, the public council assessed the attempt to replace the general director and editor-in-chief of NTV as follows: “This affects the interests of not only the team of journalists, but also the entire society. War has been declared on millions of television viewers. The situation around NTV humiliates society, demonstrates the powerlessness of the authorities, their inability to act effectively in conditions of political freedoms and pluralism.” This statement was not the only evidence that someone was worried about what was happening with NTV. Over the past week, many international organizations have done this. The UNESCO Executive Committee, for example, plans to consider the current situation at its next meeting. This was announced by the General Director of the Russian Pen Center. By the way, this organization is also against such a change of power on the TV channel. Russian writers, including Andrei Bitov, Fazil Iskander, Andrei Voznesensky, believe that if the persecution of NTV is not stopped legally, it will show everyone that, despite the declaration of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, the opposite process is happening in Russia. The day after the meeting of NTV shareholders, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Lord Russell Johnson, said that this organization was following with concern changes in the leadership and editorial structures of the television company. At this stage, the statement says, we do not want to comment on the legal circumstances and contradictions regarding claims to ownership of NTV. But, says Russell Johnson, independent media are important in any society, and even more important when it comes to a national broadcaster in an emerging democracy such as Russia. And the International Federation of Journalists believes that now is the moment of truth to determine what exactly is happening in Russia with press freedom. However, already on Tuesday, immediately after the names of those who joined the new board of directors were announced, Elena Bonner, the wife of Academician Sakharov, dotted the i’s.

Elena Bonner: Upon entering this hall, I heard that the only independent television station in Russia, the so-called NTV, had ceased to exist. Formally, it remains, just as everything formally remains with us under the current government.

Correspondent: However, people going to rallies across the country still hope to influence the preservation of the old familiar NTV. And after yesterday’s rally in Moscow was shown live on CNN, the whole world learned about their position. It is not yet clear how interesting this position is to the Russian authorities. Mikhail Gorbachev, who came to Ostankino on Friday to support NTV journalists, is optimistic and believes that there is still something to talk about with the president.

Mikhail Gorbachev, Chairman of the NTV Public Council: You can deal with him, you can talk to him. This is a serious person, a very reasonable person. But you know, I have to say, in my opinion, the way I communicate with him, I see it’s not easy for him there, they’re under pressure from all sides. You should generally understand this too, journalists. The context in the world must always be seen, otherwise there is no politics or journalism. Correspondent: But he surrounded himself with such people.

Gorbachev: Yes, he has not yet left the encirclement. Here's the thing.

Correspondent: At yesterday's rally, the seventh special issue of Obshchaya Gazeta was distributed. Its first special issue was devoted to the attempt to seize power in the Soviet Union. This is the situation around NTV. And even if the Kremlin does not intend to continue to notice and comment on what is happening, tomorrow Vladimir Putin will not be able to avoid a direct conversation on this topic. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is coming to Russia and intends to appear on the air of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, including to talk about NTV.

Boris Koltsov. NTV television company.