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On November 1, the International Multimedia Press Center of Russia Today hosted the II Media Forum of the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States “Media Development in a Changing World” supported by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation.
The event was attended by several hundred journalists, politicians and experts from most CIS countries. Students studying in media-related specialties took an active part in the sessions of the media forum. The Deputy Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, political scientist and media manager Natalia Zabolotskikh worked at the forum sites.
The plenary session of the forum was opened by the General Director of the International Media Group “Russia Today” Dmitry Kiselev. The meeting was devoted to the problems of international journalism, information security and interaction in the information and political space between the CIS countries. He greeted the forum participants, focusing on the fact that a constructive future for the CIS countries can only be achieved together with Russia.
“If Russia suffers a so-called “strategic defeat,” then life in the CIS countries will change dramatically - the countries will become colonies of the United States, which will treat them mercilessly,” - he emphasized, noting that the Russian press has the highest rate of freedom.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that the world is beginning to understand the consequences of the “equal sign” between online creativity and journalism.
“If it all got mixed up, if the lines blurred, without professional journalism, in my opinion, there would be an informational “end of the world,” she said. According to Zakharova, professional journalism is called upon to prevent the world from drowning “in a fake media environment.” She added that the CIS countries were able to preserve journalism as a profession. A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry identified artificial intelligence as one of the threats to the existence of journalism. In her opinion, this is also a kind of weapon to circumvent the law in the information field and create disunity.
Secretary General of the CIS Executive Committee Sergei Lebedev also addressed journalists with a welcoming speech. His address was read out during the plenary session.
“This year has been declared by the Commonwealth of Independent States as the Year of the Russian language, which remains the universal working language of interethnic communication and the most important working tool for communication in all spheres... The need for Russian-language media is growing,” the greeting said. The CIS Secretary General noted that representatives of the journalistic community are actively cooperating in promoting the Russian language, including through new technologies and communication channels.
Director of the Department for the Development of Mass Communications and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation Ekaterina Larina noted that one of the main areas of interaction in the CIS is the formation of a single information space.
“In the modern information space, the main deficit is truth. It is very important to work together. For traditional media, the main thing remains and will remain the reliability, accuracy, honesty, and sincerity of information,” - Larina emphasized, speaking at the plenary session.
At thematic sessions, experts discussed the future of artificial intelligence in the media sphere, effective strategies for maintaining Telegram channels, the development of Russian-language media in the Commonwealth, as well as the specifics of training students of specialized faculties in the digital era.
“The forum discussed the development of the media community, the effective use of new media in the work of a journalist, questions related to the formation of sentiment in society, and the concept of responsibility. Now it is very important to realize that media is not only a tool for managing the situation, but also, perhaps more importantly, a tool for designing the future through its influence on thinking, consciousness, and behavior. Today it is important to understand that journalists and bloggers are the architects of human destinies in the media environment,” - said Natalia Zabolotskikh, Deputy Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly
