Putin in Crimea: the influence of the government on the media in Russia has to be minimized
The creative community must itself filter TV and Internet content, and the state's influence should be minimized in this sphere, declared Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 20 at the Tavidra forum that took place in the annexed Crimea.
"It would be right if the community itself developed a system of moral and ethical filters, to minimize if not to exclude, but it would be better, of course, to exclude the state’s influence on this process [the media]," Russian News Agency TASS quoted Putin as saying.
He added that he is in contact with the leaders of the country’s main television channels, as well as "with those people who somehow influence what is happening in the Internet."
"I can say that they understand it themselves and try to change this situation for the better somehow. But in the modern world it is difficult to do so, to “filter” the stream of information, there are concerns that this filtration will become ideological and that society will be deprived of the opportunity to gain reliable, open, direct information," the Russian president said.
This is the third Tavrida forum to be held in the Crimea. According to its organizers, the event attracts specialists from various industries: design and architecture, literature, visual arts and music, cinema and animation, journalism, museum issues and history teaching.
The event is organized by the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and its subordinate institution Rospatriotcentr in partnership with the Moscow State Art and Culture University.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrived in the Crimea on August 18. They visited the Cossack Cove educational center, the Chersonese Taurian museum-reserve and the Opera in Chersonese music festival. Putin also met with Dmitry Ovsyannikov, the governor of Sevastopol appointed by Russia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a note of protest to the Russian foreign affairs department about the Russian President’s visit to annexed Crimea.