30.12.08

Leading television channels have proven to be unprepared for work under crisis conditions, when what is needed is not fog and dial-changing, but clear explanations of the reasons for the unpopular steps taken by the state. This was clearly demonstrated by the illumination of events last weekend. In the course of breaking up demonstrations against import duty increases on foreign-made cars in Vladivostok, film crews of Russian national and local television channels were detained. It would seem, after this, the recount of the demonstrations and the manhandling by police associates should have been aired, if only for purposes of self-defense and out of corporate solidarity. But nothing of the sort took place: On Sunday, only channel RenTV reported this, and yesterday - the program, "Vesti." However all the state channels did show the rallies in support of increasing duties.

Several years of economic uplift and growth of consumption have allowed the state channels to nurture a favorable attitude of television viewers. The former painted a picture that was pleasing to the eye, and the latter, believing it, created astronomical confidence ratings for the authorities and the press. But now, when the wages of Russians have declined for the first time since 2005, according to data of Rosstat (State Statistical Service), and the number of unemployed persons has grown from 4.5 million to 5 million in the past 3 months, the disparity between the television picture and reality will increase.

The absence of deliberate information about the state of affairs in the economy (as in October, when the state channels did not tell about the record decline in the domestic stock market indices) has already resulted in a decline in confidence rating. During the combat actions in South Ossetia, over 60 percent of those polled by the Public Opinion Foundation cited the work of the domestic television channels and the central newspapers as being objective, and only 11 percent said it was not objective. Today, 45 percent of respondents believe that the coverage of the economic situation is not objective, while 35 percent hold the opposite view. Viewers will change over to alternative channels of information - specifically, to the Internet, and a result of this there will be a decline in confidence in the actions of the state. And mistrust of the state's actions is capable of negating all the anti-crisis measures, and even making the situation worse. The time has come to radically change the informational policy at federal television channels.

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Source: "Vedomosti"