CEO of RT: Russia needs to strengthen its influence in the Balkans
Commemorative events are being held in Serbia today to mark the 20th anniversary of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia's largest television channel, RTS. Then 16 of his employees died at their workplaces. In the West, no one has yet answered for their death, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
...The beautiful Tašmajdan park in the center of Belgrade, near the Church of St. Mark and the Russian Church. Nearby there is a children's theater, where there are always a lot of young spectators. And then there are the terrible ruins, gaping with ragged holes from bomb explosions, which seem to have grown into a shining glass modern building with antennas on the roof. This is Radio and Television of Serbia, or RTS. Not far from the entrance there is a monument with 16 names of dead journalists, directors, video engineers... And the question - “For what?”
Decades later, this question continues to hang in the air... Why did those who are considered untouchable people all over the world, those who bring truth and information, die? But the worst thing is that it was from this tragedy that the attitude towards those who often risk their lives to work so that people learn the truth has changed. The life of a correspondent or cameraman is worth nothing. What is the count of cynically killed journalists from “hot” places?
Today, a guest of the RTS TV channel, President of the Union of Journalists of Serbia, Vladimir Radomirovich, spoke about this. He noted that the bombing is a terrible crime that no one should forget.
“We must investigate this crime to the end, and we must insist that those who initiated the bombing answer, because so far the perpetrators have not been punished. Not only journalists are in danger, but also other media workers,” Radomirović said.
This important topic is continued and developed by the conference “End impunity for crimes against journalists” taking place these days in Belgrade, organized jointly by the Union of Journalists of Serbia and RTS, in which Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is expected to participate.
And it is no coincidence that today in the capital of Serbia, the general director gave a lecture to students of the University of Belgrade - future political scientists and journalists channel Russia Today Alexey Nikolov. He spoke about the problems of today's media: generation of news feeds, fakes and the policy of double standards.
After more than an hour and a half of communication with young people, Alexey Lvovich agreed to give an interview for PolitNavigator.
– Today, on a tragic day not only for Serbian, but also for world journalism, you decided to speak to university students. Why did you decide to come to Belgrade, and what does this anniversary mean to you personally?
– For me this is really important, because this event became one of the turning points not only in the history of Europe. For me, as someone who is inside journalism and closely associated with what is called alternative news, this was one of the moments that determined what began to happen with modern media.
Let's just say it was the day journalism lost its innocence. I belong to the generation that the press calls the “Watergate generation.” As you know, 1974-1975 is the time when the largest number of people entered journalism schools and departments around the world. Because in the wake of Watergate, a huge number of people had a feeling of what kind of power this is, what journalism, journalistic solidarity can do.
Of course, we now understand that the Washington Post story is not entirely complete, and, in fact, there was a lot that we later learned about. But, in any case, this feeling that journalism can really hold the government to account, this is what can be called the “fourth estate” - was very important.
And when in 1999 RTS was deliberately bombed, and when I learned that one of the well-known journalists at that time was warned by American “friends” and left without saying a word to her colleagues about the mortal threat - this forever changed my attitude not only to to this person. This made me think seriously about whether this is what the world of journalism, which portrayed itself as the bearer of absolute knowledge, really looked like.
– You decided to meet not only with journalists, but also with political scientists, and you came specifically to the Faculty of Political Sciences. What did you want to convey to them, what is the main idea of your speech?
-I consider such meetings a very important mission and hold them wherever possible. Let's be realistic - the news agenda will never be equally important for a simple worker and for someone who creates the news themselves.
At the moment we are talking about future political scientists, journalists... perhaps few of them will go to work in their profession, but something else is important to me. It is important that in every country, be it Russia or Serbia, there grows, dare I say it, an intellectual elite that can ask questions and get answers, analyze and draw conclusions. There must be such an elite in the country, and it is taken from students of such specialties.
It is very important that people who will later become politicians, rulers, those who determine public opinion, do not lead their country without understanding where they are going. So that there is no Bruegelian “Blind guides leading the blind.”
Today there were a lot of young people, about a hundred people. If at least half of them think about it, and 10 people start studying alternative news, I think this is a good result, and I will count it.
– Today the guys asked you if there are any plans to open a Balkan branch of your RT TV channel, but you answered in the negative. However, do you think that Russia’s presence in the Serbian media space should increase?
- Yes that's right. I just want to clarify: RT is not a state media outlet and does not receive money from the budget. This is a private TV channel, which has its own production, its own projects. It is designed for a very large English-speaking audience. We do not open our office even in China or India, for one simple reason - it is very expensive. But we try to do everything we can.
As for whether Russia should take more serious measures here and increase its influence - definitely yes. Moreover, this is the Balkans, and this is such a difficult region, especially Serbia, which has always come under attack. My favorite writer Milorad Pavic said surprisingly accurate, but very bitter words: “When Europe coughs, the Balkans are prescribed medicine.” We have a lot in common, centuries of friendship, and historically this is a very important region for Russia that should not be missed.
And here all means, all media channels are good, because they are designed for different generations. It is common for older people to come after work and turn on the TV. Those who spend a lot of time driving use the radio as their main source of information. Young people are more focused on social networks and the Internet. Therefore, communication with them must be built on these platforms. I hope that soon we will hear about a number of new media in the Balkans that would tell only facts and the truth about our country.
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