Russian journalists on Saturday are marking their professional holiday – Russian Press Day, an occasion celebrated annually on the day Russia’s first periodical – Vedomosti – was founded in 1703 by Czar Peter the Great. Russia’s parliament in 1991 voted to move Russian Press Day (earlier marked on May 5, the date of the first publication of the Communist daily Pravda) to January 13.
Russia’s first-ever newspaper, its full title reading Accounts of Military and Other Affairs Worth Knowing and Remembering that Have Occurred in the State of Moscow and in Other Countries Around, was published in a mere one thousand copies.
Russia’s federal press agency has said that at the beginning of last year Russia had 66,931 registered mass media, including 52,641 printed periodicals.
The press agency’s chief, Mikhail Seslavinsky, has remarked that “approximately 45 percent of them spring to life only during election campaigns or are published from time to time.”
The regional press currently accounts for two-thirds of the readership, he said, and the regional versions of federal periodicals increase the likely audience to 80 percent.
On the eve of Russian Press Day President Vladimir Putin addressed the country’s media community with a call for devising a common code of conduct.
“Journalists need universal principles of behavior that would prevent them from being discredited and from being plugged into commercial activities,” he said.
“As soon as the media get involved in free market relations, they focus on their selfish commercial interests, and not on providing information,” Putin said at a meeting with the members of the Council for Human Rights. “As a result, the prestige of journalism dwindles. This does not mean, though, that we should not do everything possible to protect those who work diligently.”
The past few years saw quite a few attempts at formulating and adopting a standard professional code of conduct. The Public Chamber came out with the initiative for drafting Journalists’ Charter.
These days journalists have been receiving congratulations from the authorities and their colleagues.
On Thursday, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met with journalists covering military affairs. He said the press last year played an important role in promoting society’s favorable attitude towards the armed forces.
Culture Minister Alexander Sokolov has conferred awards upon Russia’s best journalists.
Many regions of Russia have been holding special ceremonies to praise journalists’ services.
Award presentation ceremonies will continue for sometime after January 13.
The Moscow Journalists Union will declarer the winners of its annual contest on January 19.
The Russian Journalists Union will confer the Golden Pen of Russia awards upon winners at the annual Charity Ball of the Press in February.
The professional holiday is yet another occasion for journalists to remember their colleagues who lost their lives while on duty.
According to the Glasnost Defense Foundation nine journalists were killed in Russia last year, including Novaya Gazeta observer Anna Politkovskaya, editor-in-chief of the Omsk-published magazine Pravo na Vybor (Right of Choice) Alexander Petrov, Saratovsky Rasklad (Saratov Line-up) daily reporter Yevgeny Gerasimenko and others.
MOSCOW, January 13 (Itar-Tass)
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