Anti -Logger

In early January, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new law on the fight against fakes. During the election campaign, the lies distributed in social networks in order to denigrate a politician, public figure, journalist "can be stopped: an accelerated judicial procedure for removing publication, closing the account and even blocking the site will be introduced. Social networks will have to disclose data on paid political advertising and limit its volume.

This is the first legislative initiative in the West, directly aimed at combating the Kremlin propaganda in social networks. The draft law has not yet been published, but has already caused many objections. Anticipating the complexity of law enforcement in the context of modern media technologies, Le Monde wonders : can the state, in principle, take on the role of an arbitrator in matters of truth and lies?

What means does the good goal of protecting Western democracy justify from large -scale Putin propaganda aggression? This is argued by French experts and journalists in connection with the start of Russia Today in France.

At last year’s press conference in Versailles, Putin only grimaced silently while Macron scourged Russia Today and the Sputnik. However, after that, the highest Audiovisual Council of France allocated the Frequency Putin channel, and since December RT France has been included in the cable package. According to the philosopher Antoine Arzhakovsky, in every French apartment there is now a radioactive sedimentation officer. Arzhakovsky, along with several other intellectuals, signed an open letter demanding to withdraw the RT license. On the Russian website of the television company, Eduard Limonov immediately figured out the ethnic origin of the signatories.

Philosopher Michel Yelchaninov , editor -in -chief of Philosophie Magazine, author of the book “ In the head of Vladimir Putin ”, explained to the “Frances” why he signed a petition for the ban by RT, and commented on the new initiative of Macron.

• Today, one of the tasks of French experts, intellectuals is to explain the difference between journalism and propaganda. It is very important that Macron emphasized: RT and "satellite" are not the media, but propaganda instruments. This must be shown on specific examples, explained epistemologically. No need to be afraid of the words "propaganda" in the conditions of information and ideological war. The Kremlin wages a war against democracy. I admit that I am participating in this battle. Only now the real awareness of the scale of Putin’s intervention has begun.

Now Western democracies are attacked in a tricky way - from the inside. It’s as if the Achaeans crawled out of the Trojan horse, but the Trojans themselves began to destroy their city. Often, citizens of Western countries conscientiously criticize the authorities, not realizing that they are involved in the operation to destroy democracy. The role of experts in Russia is to warn the French about the conquering strategy and methods of Putinism.

Those who misinform should be held accountable. Already now, under French law (the law of 1881 on freedom of the press. - Ed.) The intentional distribution of false information is a crime. Knowing what RT is, we must prevent the mass spread of false information in France. It is unlikely that RT will be prohibited. But, perhaps, in the near future we will regret it, seeing this destructive influence.

I am very worried about the naivety of many French politicians who are not aware of the firepower of Russian propaganda. With our petition, we wanted to show that we are not idiots. And give an alarm: attention, this is not harmless!

Now traditional medias are losing influence. The enemies of democracy use this, introducing to new platforms. It is very difficult to assess the real role of these agents in the process of general transformation.

France, by its tradition, meets the lawmaking to new challenges. So far, it’s too early to judge what will come of it. Yes, from the side of Macron, this is largely a personal reaction (we remember how he was called a candidate from a geese lobby during the election campaign), but his goal is to protect democracy.

Are you worried that Macron is acting "Russian methods"? But understand, democratic states also prohibit and block. The difference is that in the democratic system, these practices are disputed by citizens, and become the subject of discussion.

The adoption of laws regulating the work of transnational Internet giants does not shock me as a French citizen, as a republican. Unlike Vladimir Bukovsky, I am not a libertarian and welcome a certain state regulation in this area. We constantly have a tense discussion about the boundaries of state intervention. The whole history of France is the history of the state that adopts laws. In our tradition, freedom of speech is not absolute - racist insults and propaganda should be prohibited. I am a supporter of a pragmatic approach.

Putinism was very strong in France long before the arrival of RT. He has political representatives - Le Pen, Fiion, Melanshon (participants in the latest presidential elections. - Ed.), As well as strong media and cultural levers. RT is another tool in this arsenal, which is based in particular, on conservatism, anti -Americanism and hollist longing for a strong leader.

Mainstream French media give the floor to French Putinism, which really exists. RT is a completely different matter, it is part of the infrastructure that throws dangerous fakes, destroying our relations with reality.

To confront fakes, educational work, enlightenment is important. As a teacher of philosophy, I pay a lot of attention to the theories of conspiracy, the epistemology of truth and lies. In France, a strong educational system. Teachers of history and philosophy work a lot on this. I believe that today the French understand what misinformation is, they are not lobotomous and have intellectual means of self -defense.

By virtue of education, sociologist Anna Kolen -Labedev , associate professor of the University of Paris - Nanter also believes. She is among the sharp critics of the petition for the ban RT.

• Macron's proposal (unlike a petition demanding to close RT) is limited by the election context, and this pleases. Elections are the case when we are talking about specific violations and specific consequences. But the problem still cannot be solved by law.

Behind the initiative of Macron, there is undoubtedly fear, which seems to me partially irrational. Of course, Russia is waging an information war, the facts of its intervention have been proven, but today behind the concept of “Russian propaganda” is often a superstitious vision of the omnipotent Kremlin, which is about to carry out grandiose fraud, without limiting itself in means and showing endless ingenuity. When it comes to Russian informational invasion, rationality is turned off - instead of it, the fear is turned on that French society is too weak to resist this.

The Kremlin is easy to blame, because it is often to blame - but this prevents the topic seriously. Instead of changing the attitude of French society, they demand to close the evil channel.

I am convinced that RT is harmful. That she will throw misinformation. That it will put pressure on the pain points of French political and public life. That she will damage.

But France is a country of freedom of speech, it should be consistent and true to its values. I myself will fight with all my might with a lie that will definitely appear on RT. And I will demand her closure when she crosses the line. Based on RT materials, I will teach students to recognize misinformation.

But so far this moment has not come, I do not want fear to the rules of the rules. The petition is dictated precisely by fear - we are afraid that the French will "powder their brains" that they will "be quarreled with each other."

If the price of our national unity and clarity of minds is the ban and closing of objectionable media, this unity is no better than the Russian one. And our minds will be as blurred as many Russians today.