Russian defence minister upbeat on army-media relations
ITAR-TASS news agency
18 Jan 05
Moscow, 19 January: Thanks to joint efforts of the army and
journalists “a new model of relations in the sphere of information,
built on the principles of utmost openness, mutual interest and
constructive partnership, is currently being formed”. Russian Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov said this at a reception for military observers
in the Russian media, held on the occasion of the Russian Press Day.
According to him, this is demonstrated by the fact, that “in the past
year over 11,000 journalists have been accredited to work within the
forces”. Over 900 journalists from central media outlets had worked at
Defence Ministry facilities in the zones of conflict and peacekeeping
operations. Over 600 of those – in Chechnya, Abkhazia and south
Ossetia, over 160 in Tajikistan, over 100 in Armenia and 16 in Sierra
Leone.
Apart from that, Ivanov said, “opportunities for direct access to
members of administration, heads of services and directorates of the
Defence Ministry on a broad range of issues are successfully being
offered under the Press Club arrangements, during assignments to visit
the troops and on foreign trips, as well as at briefings and press
conferences”. Altogether over 15,000 articles on various aspects of
military organization and day-to-day life of the army and navy have
been published in the central press in 2004.
In Ivanov’s estimate, the Defence Ministry is doing its best for the
successful development of its relations with the media. In particular,
the Defence Ministry has created “new structures, aimed at closer
interaction with the media and the public”.