Translated material
Journalists are looking for a way out
More than 300 delegates from all regions of Russia gathered the X Congress of the Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation. The permanent Vsevolod Bogdanov was again elected chairman of the creative union. The priority areas of work for the next five years have been determined. Among them, the consolidation of efforts to lobby for protection of the interests of the country's professional community. A new media law is needed. Delegates proposed to adopt amendments to the Labor Code, which would provide comprehensive protection of journalists at the proper level. It was about the fate of the profession as a whole. The chairman of the Chelyabinsk Union of Journalists, Alexander Yurin, who headed the South Ural delegation at the congress, shared his impressions.
- And again Vsevolod Bogdanov ... Are we inexhaustible to a credit of trust or is there simply no alternative?
- The alternative is currently absent at the moment. Realizing this, no one even tried to compete with him in the elections. The Union of Journalists today is an age organization. Even if Bogdanov left, someone would come no less age. This would not lead to radical changes. And in my opinion, in my opinion, as well as many public Russian organizations that have existed for a long time, in the coming years a certain reboot is needed. Young people should stand up at the helm. Of course, they will make mistakes, behave awkwardly, but still take up the promotion of the organization. I do not want to say that everything is bad and nothing is done in the Union. The organization adheres to its traditional course. But her lag in time is due to the fact that this course was laid many years ago. It needs to be rethought, shifting accents, filling with new ideas.
- However, today's youth is in no hurry to join the Union ...
- Because journalism has long been not the only source of information. They ceased to trust our profession, including because of its excessive commercialization. At the congress, they talked a lot about the fate of the district press, regional newspapers. In order not to die, they are forced to fulfill either a commercial order or political. The situation is deadly. Especially when you consider that normal protectionist policy from the state regarding the press does not exist today.
- And how did the delegates perceive the proposal of the chairman of the State Duma Committee for the State Duma Alexei Mitrofanov about the budget financing of the press? Or was it a joke of eloquent deputy?
- It is very difficult to distinguish between jokes and truth in the speeches of Mr. Mitrofanov. In any case, everyone understands that this is a proposal to a certain bondage. Moreover, the state bondage, it seems to me, is more powerful than commercial. Another indicative moment is zero attention to the congress of journalists themselves in terms of lighting the event. There was practically no television camera in the hall. The delegate, which remembers the 1986 congress, drew attention to this. He said that members of the Politburo were sitting in the forefront and listened to what the journalists were talking about. And Gorbachev, unfortunately, could not be present, since he met Margaret Thatcher ... It is unlikely that colleagues fundamentally ignored the current congress, but this is also an indicator of today's attitude to the Union.
- The delegates managed to find ways to return the confidence of the profession?
- At the congress, questions are most often raised: there are problems of commercialization, political order ... They adopted a resolution with small amendments. There is also a declaration of problems. But I would like to hear the answers at the congress.
- Who will give answers now?
- Life.
- But she makes a move of the horse - and now the bloggers are flooding the entire information space, and the journalists are out of work ...
- It seems to me that in terms of preserving the profession, the Union could play a key role. Now, not only for honorary pensioners, journalism corphytracks need to be paid attention to, but youth also actively work with youth. Explain what journalism is today, to take the courage to predict what will happen to her tomorrow. This is an ungrateful work, but you also need to do this. Because the union and journalism as a whole are interested in the fact that people who love it come to the profession. I often hear: "Journalists are paid little, so young people choose other professions." We do not want to pay more in journalism, so that people who love money are thrown there?
- Who does not like them - a question? ..
- Those who are interested primarily in money go to the banking, legal spheres. But journalism is still ascetic profession. She was and will be like that. Therefore, you need to educate personnel that would love journalism more than money. Otherwise, we are waiting for the commercialization of professionalism, and journalism as such will disappear. There will only be information service that reads even more boring than writing.