NEWS IS NOT THEIR PROFESSION

CIRCUMSTANCES

On August 25, we learned from the news: two planes fell. And even the morning five-minute newscasts of the main TV channels abounded with details about the disasters, usually talking about giant hot dogs and moving around the countries and villages of strangers ...

On August 25, we learned from the news: two planes fell. And details about the catastrophes abounded even in the morning five-minute news of the main TV channels, usually talking about giant hot dogs and moving around countries and villages of foreign presidents. Until the middle of the day, the situation developed before our eyes: with live reports, comments from experts, and even with assumptions about the hijacking of the aircraft. Then - as it was cut off, and by the evening officials began to appear on the screens and talk about "technical problems" and that the "black boxes" were badly damaged (although a few hours earlier they cheerfully reported about their integrity and safety).

Television is a controlled zone, as are officials. And if the information picture of events is changing dramatically before our eyes, we can conclude that there was a panic in the country's leadership - to press the "off" button. on state channels they simply did not have time. But then they pressed it.

In general, all incoming information is always checked several times: editors, producing editors, editors-in-chief... But, in addition to them, there are also freelance verifiers who control the content of the news from somewhere above. From where and who - only the leadership knows, which lowers verbal orders down, passing off as their own initiative and civic position.

Most often, they “recommend” to abandon the use of certain expressions or to correct the “angle of view” ... And on August 25, the two main channels were advised not to use the word “terrorist attack” in the news. A little later - to consider only the "civilian" versions of what happened.

No sooner said than done. The first and second channels regularly bypass sharp corners, even in defiance of the “picture” that they themselves show. This continues on the 26th. And on the 27th the situation reaches a logical absurdity.

The channels are still talking about a "technical malfunction", although already on the evening of the 26th FSB officials come forward with a statement about possible terrorist attacks on board aircraft. Information is immediately transmitted by agencies, radio stations and Internet portals, and state channels continue to follow instructions all this time, only in the second half of the day changing tactics - the “on” button. they were pressed very late.

According to one of the employees of the information service of Channel One, who wished to remain anonymous, all instructions were given orally, no one recorded them on paper. And the order was carried out so zealously that on August 27, some foreign publications reported that the statements of Plenipotentiary Yakovlev about the possibility of explosions were cut out of the state channels so that the “terrorist attack” was not mentioned.

On the official website of Channel One, in the text version of all the news, the word "terrorist attack" for Wednesday and Thursday also did not occur even once. But on Friday morning it appeared, but in connection ... with the events in Iraq, despite the statements already made by the Russian special services.

On the channel "Russia" - a similar situation. As the journalists told us, all the information was carefully edited for the same word “terrorist attack” in order not to “disturb” the audience. They tried so hard that on Friday the eleven o'clock newscast began with messages from the same Iraq ...

However, vocabulary restrictions are introduced on TV channels not only in emergency cases, and this is not called censorship, but “the fight against clichés”, which sometimes is true.

Each new employee of the information service of the Rossiya channel is given a small book to read. It contains all forbidden words. And there are quite a few of them. For example, on the air of the “Vesti” program of the second channel, you will never hear the word “corpse”, as well as “chic” and “luxurious”. (True, the ban was discredited by Putin, who wrote in Suzdal in the book for honored guests: “It’s gorgeous, like everything else in Rus'.” The journalists had to give up principles ...)

There are no prescribed restrictions on Channel One, and each editorial team sets its own rules. During the Iraq War, for reasons of political correctness, editors crossed out the words "coalition" or "occupation forces." Now there is another indication; speak and write only "Chechen Republic" and nothing else ...

Everything is better on NTV. Each presenter has his own lists, compiled more for stylistic reasons. For example, they do not use the expression "from the early morning" or words from criminal jargon. The name of a serious Swiss company Noga is pronounced with an emphasis on the first syllable, while in the case of the state of Niger, on the contrary, on the second.

In general, the further, the language of television becomes more flexible. In all senses.