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Allegations that Belarus has no freedom of speech are laughable in Internet age, Lukashenka says

 

Allegations that Belarus has no freedom of speech are laughable in the age or the Internet, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in Minsk on Thursday, speaking during the World Congress of Russian Press.

“As a rule, such allegations come from hypocritical people,” he said, according to the government’s news agency BelTA.

“They understand themselves full well that there is no absolute freedom in the world. Those who don’t depend on the government depend on the owner of the publication, on advertisers, on the whims of the public and, finally, on the mistakes, emotions and delusions of their own journalists.”

Even countries where freedom of speech is a tradition going back many centuries experience media scandals on a regular basis, Mr. Lukashenka said. The dissemination of false information, illegal phone tapping, the publication of “contract” articles, and manipulations of public opinion by global media corporations are problems that constantly come to the surface, he said.

While opening up unprecedented opportunities to exchange information instantaneously, the electronic age has drastically reduced the quality of journalism and the level of journalists’ responsibility, Mr. Lukashenka said.

It is absolutely unclear at present who can be trusted and where the border between fact and rumors lies, he said.

On the positive side, as public disappointment with low-quality journalism mounts, the demand for intelligent, quality and trustworthy journalism will grow, Mr. Lukashenka predicted.

He dismissed fears the growing popularity of the online media would drive print media outlets out of business. Many of such outlets have already launched online versions and compete successfully on the web, he said.

The Fifteenth Congress of Russian Press began in Minsk on June 19. The five-day event was organized by the World Association of Russian Press and BelTA with the support of Russia’s new agency ITAR-TASS and the information ministry, the foreign ministry and other Belarusian governmental agencies. // BelaPAN