Author: Vision & Globalk Trends – 01/12/2022
Journalists and experts from different countries discussed information terrorism and other threats in Moscow
The XVIII International Conference on media involvement in countering terrorism took place in Moscow. Well-known Russian journalists and experts, media professionals, and representatives of foreign electronic media, law enforcement agencies and government agencies were discussing the issue of countering terrorism through electronic media under current conditions.
The conference was organized by the International Academy of Television and Radio (IATR), supported by the RF Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.
Leonid Mlechin, President of IATR and political observer of the Russian Public Television, opened the conference: “While discussing what media can do in fighting terrorism, we haven’t sat idly for eighteen years. Whatever we have discussed was becoming more accessible to journalists, but the problem stayed on. We are dealing with a virus mutating much more dangerously than the COVID-19 virus, it has taken many lives therefore we keep getting together and looking for solutions. Unfortunately within the next few years we won’t be left without work.”
Welcoming the participants, Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, said that he dreamed of a time when the topic of the conference would lose relevance: “This is not the first time I participate in the conference, because I consider it very important. Individual fanatics, large communities and organizations use terrorism as their weapon. There are many definitions of terrorism. But no goal can justify means to achieve it. After all, the true purpose of terror is terror itself. I really want the topic of the conference to exhaust itself, and use our joint efforts to cope with terrorist threats.”
Sergey Naryshkin, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, emphasized importance and urgency of the conference in his greeting to the participants: “Today we are witnessing a large-scale informational terrorism all over the world. Media outlets, that consistently and irreconcilably oppose lies and fakes, are real flagships of information truth. Global concepts of information sovereignty and intellectual leadership have come to the forefront. You need to be courageous to create honest and objective news. Only media outlets, mastering skills of objective monitoring and real analysis, win in the struggle.
Vladimir Zaynetdinov, CSTO Press Secretary, voiced a greeting on behalf of Stanislav Zas, CSTO Secretary General: “Information policy and information security are among the most important areas of CSTO activities today. In this regard, I would note the need for a consolidated information policy aimed at protecting interests of society and the state, asserting traditional values, firmly rejecting violence as a means of achieving goals.
Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Moscow, also welcomed the participants.
Grigory Ordzhonikidze, Executive Secretary of the RF Commission for UNESCO, also addressed the opening session: “Today’s representative forum celebrates its “adulthood” as a demanded and authoritative dialogue platform with its history and good traditions. Despite the “motley” nature of the participants in the discussions, consisting of journalists, digital specialists, representatives of civil society, diplomatic and special services, one common feature unites all of us – we categorically reject violent manifestations of extreme views and aim at eradicating the ideology of terrorism.
The conference continued by way of round tables and discussions. First participants moved on to discuss spread of ultra-right and nationalist sentiments against the backdrop of the economic crisis and methods to counter propaganda of violence.
Vladimir Kozlov, a former officer of foreign intelligence, special groups “Vympel” and “Alpha,” and a deputy head of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications, noted that biological terrorism is on the increase: “A new form of terrorism has appeared – informational terrorism”. According to him, “there are fighters brought up on fascist ideology, trained to handle weapons, which is now flowing out of Ukraine en masse. While threatening Russia, these people pose danger to the whole world”.
According to Thomas Roeper, an independent German journalist, extremism is a feature of organized groups and entire states: “Extremism in Europe, in my view, implies prohibition of different opinions, when you are not allowed to ask questions in order to sort things out. In Germany, it is difficult to express an opinion that is not in keeping with the official propaganda, which is sometimes close to extremism. At the same time, there is no unified opinion there. A recent poll in Germany about whether Germans believe the West or Russia showed: over 40 percent of Germans are convinced that the conflict was initiated by the West. Surprisingly, the number of those in favor of this view has risen by 12 percent since April.”
Alexander Sladkov, special correspondent for the VGTRK, explained how he sees the role of himself and his colleagues: “We reporters have to fight for people, since we explain to them what is going on. We have to create heroes and tell stories about them”.
He was supported by Vyacheslav Umanovsky, Rector of the Media Industry Academy: “it is our children who fall victims of information terrorism: trolling factories and fakes are typical manifestations of such terrorism”.
Vladimir Sergeev, advisor to the Moscow Union of Journalists, mentioned the need to intensify informational and educational work with teenagers and young people. Schoolchildren and students are quick to acquire pseudo-tolerant ideas due to ignorance and lack of education, without knowing that such ideas are rooted in ancient, inhuman cults.
Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the UN Information Center in Moscow, told participants that the international organization is developing a code of conduct for digital space participants – creators and users of digital environment. “Initially we played with the idea of neutrality for creators of digital content, but unfortunately it is not the case. A striking example is the Facebook social network, which is far from being neutral.
Another international initiative was raised by Petr Fedorov, head of the VGTRK International Department: “Our participant from Armenia Tigran Akopyan mentioned inadmissibility of hate speech towards people of other faiths, other nationalities and other political views in our media. I think this is an urgent issue for the Council of State TV and Radio Companies of the CIS countries. I will try to bring this issue up for discussion”.
Investigative reporters and exchange of views between experts and military journalists was the topic of the Conference second round table.
Journalism is once again becoming an activity that requires telling the truth. Alexander Sladkov, a special correspondent of the VGTRK, having covered military conflicts for more than 30 years, was convinced of this: “It is time for a journalist to be responsible for his point of view. It is no longer enough just to cite a source. It is now necessary to investigate and verify information. Our profession is based on integrity; people will not listen to a journalist who is talking rubbish. That is why you have to check absolutely everything! And if you have been misled, you have to admit you were mistaken and name those who provided the information. I warn about this all my sources, all press services…”
According to Yevgeny Linin, war correspondent for Ura.ru, during warfare it is impossible to decide who is right and who is wrong: “A journalist on the front line cannot be impartial, as he has to take the side of his own people”.
Alexei Leonkov, a military expert, said that working conditions on the front lines are very different from those to which an ordinary journalist is accustomed to: “Military correspondents work in a very difficult information field. Sometimes information they are given is difficult to verify quickly, even if it is preliminary. This is the area of responsibility of the military and experts, who give actual information. Unfortunately, we lack a system similar to Sovinformbureau, which would react to the situation quickly and coordinate information flows.
Viktor Litovkin, a military correspondent for TASS, confirmed this: “Journalists are not always told why certain events took place. Therefore, we are not always able to convey the truth to our audience. People ask reasonable questions and get no answers… It is difficult to work when you are on defensive all the time because you constantly have to justify yourself. The audience perceives it as a position of guilt. And we need offensive information policy”.
Elena Suponina, international political scientist and orientalist, spoke about recent changes in interaction with power structures:
“Covering events in Syria was different from what is happening today in Ukraine. Now there is a very strong information attack from the other side, but journalists and analysts have fewer opportunities to receive regular information from the military, even before February 24 they stopped taking us to the lines of engagement, providing us with information, giving answers to almost any questions. When you know nuances, you can better understand what is really going on, interpret the situation correctly and convey it to people.
Vladimir Taller, president of TVM Group Media Holding, mentioned another information gap: “Coverage of combat operations is very important. But we need to shift the vector in another direction. Victory is forged at the home front. Who has seen reports today on how weapons are manufactured and delivered to the front line? This is a very important topic. We miss information about life in the country, for example, about citizen’s labor exploits, about helping refugees (where to carry things, how to get connected, what’s going with your children). Absence of information implies absence of work, which is not true. The most effective propaganda tool is openness.”
As many speakers said that the reason for numerous problems was lack of trained military journalists, Ashot Dzhazoyan, Secretary of the Russian Union of Journalists, suggested moving on to practical actions after the Conference. “Let us unite efforts of journalist associations in different countries, experienced war correspondents, the International Academy of Television and Radio, involve heads of leading journalism departments, hold master classes, exchange experience, and decide how to train military journalists. This is a very urgent task!”
Alexander Sladkov’s master-class “Military Correspondents: Necessary Skills and Modern Technologies” crowned the conference first day. Answering questions of participants and students, the well-known journalist spoke frankly and vividly about his professional techniques and special features of working in a combat zone. What is not allowed to be shown from the front line? Do military correspondents carry weapons? Do journalists get uniforms and protective gear? Why is a war zone not a place for aspiring journalists to practice? How does working in a war zone differ from reporting in other hotspots?