08 December 2002 15:57
RUSSIA: DUMA DEPUTY URGES CUTTING OFF TERRORISTS FROM MEDIA.
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Duma Deputy Aleksei Mitrofanov on 4 December told a roundtable sponsored by the
Union of Journalists that one can "block 90 percent of terrorist activity by cutting off the flow of information to
television and the newspapers," RosBalt reported. He said that a single terrorist act can generate more publicity
than political parties are able to muster even if they spend millions of dollars on promotion. "The
terrorists' goal of forcing the authorities to undertake political negotiations would be impossible to realize
under conditions of an information blockade," Mitrofanov said. He added that even if the law on the mass media is
revised, the government will continue using "informal methods" to close down "inconvenient" media
outlets. ("RFE/RL Newsline," 5 December) Copyright (c) 2002. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
[AIW [Asia Africa Intelligence Wire]] |
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