The media will not be "foreign agents"

The amendments of the uninterusive deputy Yevgeny Fedorov to the Law "On Media" are his personal initiative, Vedomosti reports with reference to the Vice-Spiker of the State Duma Sergey Zheleznyak. The source of the publication in the Kremlin called conversations about the recognition of some media media as “foreign agents”. “If we go crazy, you will find out the first about it,” the official quotes the official’s answer to the question about the possibility of adopting such amendments.

Another interlocutor of the publication in the Kremlin noted that there were no meetings on this topic in the presidential administration. Fedorov himself told Vedomosti that the bill really has few prospects, as he was not agreed. But, according to Fedorov, he reflects "certain moods that will manifest itself in the coming years."

On Wednesday, Fedorov introduced to the State Duma amendments to the Law "On Media", according to which all the media receiving foreign grants should inform their readers and listeners about this.

According to amendments, print media must indicate information about grants from abroad in the final data, and television channels in license data. According to the deputy, this applies to Internet media.

“Spectators or readers should know that I am watching the TV channel, and he receives money from a foreign source, for example from the United States. And if he begins propaganda work in support of a particular governor in the elections, the US will work for them and the governor will work for them,” Fedorov explained. Uneneros emphasized that "this is a continuation of the law on foreign agents in relation to NPOs, especially since the media have no less influence on the political space than NPOs, and maybe even more."

Fedorov believes that the first reading of the bill may take place in October. Speaking about financing advertising from foreign sources, the deputy noted that the details of this issue will be determined in the government, for example, the Ministry of Printing. “We can discuss this issue to the second reading,” he believes.

On Monday, Izvestia reported that deputies from United Russia are developing amendments to the Law "On Mass Media", providing for a mandatory remark on "media in force in the interests of foreign states."

“There are examples of financialist reporting of open joint -stock companies, you can go along this path. The media call themselves the fourth power, they don’t call themselves so, therefore society has the right to know who finances the individual representatives of this fourth power and what their sovereignty,” said Unitedro Ilya Kostunov. “I think the story with“ foreign agents ”is not yet completed. Many media receive financial assistance from abroad and are a horn of a foreign state. And at the same time they pretend that they themselves earn money. For the law on the media, it is necessary to separately register the concept of“ foreign agents ”, only more carefully thought out than the law on non -profit organizations,” he said.

According to another initiator of the amendments, the unicorn Vladimir Burmatov, "if they (the media. - Ed.) Receive assistance of 10 percent of their budget, it is not necessary to record them in foreign agents. But if this help exceeds 50 percent, this means that foreign philanthropists will actually control the editorial policy of the publication."

On Wednesday, the Federation Council approved the law on the status of a "foreign agent" for NPOs, funded from abroad and engaged in politics. The State Duma finally passed the law at the last meeting on July 13. 374 deputies voted for the adoption of the document, three voted against, one refrained.