"Yakutsk Evening": journalist's unprofessionalism, unlawful enforcement and other consequences

On January 30, 2009, the Yakutsk Vecherny weekly published an interview with the Yakut poet, editor of the Polar Star magazine, Sofron Osipov, "Why I was known as a brawler." The interview was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the poet. Unfortunately, we do not have the text of the publication at our disposal, but judging by a number of responses, the text published by the publication was indeed incorrect.

In particular, the following statement of the poet from this interview is quoted throughout: "Two big differences - Russians in Siberia and in the central part and Russians in Yakutia. Why do we have such a high level of crime in Yakutsk? Because the descendants of bandits and murderers who remained and settled here, and they do all this. But no one even listened to me. When we talk about interethnic relations, we need to separate. Russians there and Russians here are two big differences. There are the smartest people, but here ... urks. No respect for them It can't be. They're schmucks and murderers. That's how they left the gene pool... With whom you lead, you will gain from that. The Yakuts had no experience with other people. We lived in a ditch and knew nothing. The Yakuts have no history, nothing to get away from . "

The interview caused a great response. Already in the next issue, the editors were forced to publish an official apology. Moreover, the reader's reaction, apparently, was so incorrect that, simultaneously with the text of the apology, acting. Vitaly Obedin, editor-in-chief of the weekly, noted that "the editors received several angry responses to the poet from readers of Russian and Yakut nationalities. Considering that the editors themselves played a certain role in the conflict, it was decided to refrain from publishing them. "

The editors explained the appearance of such an incorrect publication as a professional mistake: due to lack of time, the journalists used the processed transcript of the dictaphone recording of the interview, which was not agreed with S. Osipov .

A few days later, S. Osipov was forced to leave the post of editor of the Polar Dawns magazine. The formal reason was the "sabbatical" of the poet, but few in Yakutia doubt that the resignation from the post in the journal, which is financed by the republican government, was not voluntary.

And on February 11, 2009, the editorial office received an anti-extremist warning from the Roskomnadzor Administration for the Republic of Yakutia.

Admitting a gross professional mistake, the representatives of the weekly (rightly, in our opinion) drew attention to the fact that the accusations of "extremism" against them are unjustified: firstly, all incorrect statements belong to the interviewed character, who has nothing to do with the newspaper, secondly, the position of the publication was quite clearly expressed by the words of the correspondent: "I do not agree with you. I believe that crime has no nationality . "

LLC "Vesti" (the founder of the newspaper) appealed against the warning in court. However, we note that the appeal did not relate to the essence of the dispute (the presence of extremism and the legitimacy of applying anti-extremist legislation for publishing an interview), but to the formal side of the case. The owner insisted that the object of the warning should not be him, but the creative team, which is not clear from the text of the Roskomnadzor warning. The court agreed with this statement and on June 23, 2009 the warning was withdrawn on formal grounds.

Sources

• Rossvyazkomnadzor reacted to the scandalous interview of the "scandalist poet" // SakhaNews. 2009. March 5.
• Ivanova Aida. Labels and labels of nationalism // Our time (Yakutia). 2009. March 13.
• Adamov Denis. The famous poet "went beyond the shores" // Youth of Yakutia. 2009. February 5.
• Decision of the Arbitration Court of the Republic of Sakha dated July 3, 2009 // Official website of the EAC of Russia.