QUESTION - ANSWER: FIRED

THE FOURTH POWER

An unsuccessful question at a press conference was asked by the observer of the Omsk "Vecherka" Mikhail Lebedev to the governor Leonid Polezhaev. Instead of asking, for example, when, to the delight of the Omsk people, the Assumption Cathedral will be restored, the journalist ...

An unsuccessful question at a press conference was asked by the observer of the Omsk "Vecherka" Mikhail Lebedev to the governor Leonid Polezhaev. Instead of asking, for example, when, to the delight of Omsk residents, the Assumption Cathedral will be restored, the journalist asked: “Is it necessary to restore it?”

It has long been noted that any question in which no hint of subservience is heard causes irritation in the governor. In such cases, his thought sometimes fails. He began to draw unexpected historical parallels: “Why were Pompeii and the Colosseum restored?” The press exchanged glances in bewilderment: did someone build these ruins?

Feeling that he set a bad example, the governor switched to morality. In his opinion, only Orthodoxy can strengthen the spirit of the people. M. Lebedev ventured to disagree with him: morality in the Omsk region is not so hot, although temple construction is proceeding at an accelerated pace. At the same time, judging by the criminal reports, the national spirit fell below nowhere.

“Don't argue with me,” Leonid Konstantinovich raised his voice. And he cited monitoring data: out of 120 Omsk residents polled, 90 support the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral. Here, the TV man Alexander Tverdovsky dared to object to the head of the region: according to a poll conducted by the AKME channel, only two townspeople spoke in favor of the construction. To which the governor said menacingly: "I will not give anyone a chance to laugh at me." The journalists who entered into a controversy with the "dad" realized that they would not get off with a slight fright.

Organizational conclusions followed immediately. Alexander Tverdovsky was fired on the same day. The leadership was faced with a choice: leave the journalist - close the channel. Lebedev went on vacation immediately after the press conference. A rumor has been launched on two sites that all local media are denying him publications.

And now, two dozen representatives of the writing fraternity gathered in a summer cafe and signed a collective appeal to the authorities and the public with the hope of placing it in unbiased newspapers and on the Internet. For the first time in the history of Omsk, brothers-newsmen (there were no daredevils among TV people) join hands. Until now, they have disappeared one by one.