YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin in his speech at the “Open Tribune” meeting criticized the President's initiative on public television. According to Mitrokhin, the key problem was the functioning of the state-owned television "uncontrolled by the society, censored and manipulating with public opinion”, rather than absence of public television in Russia.

Mitrokhin also noted that Presidential Decree on establishing of public television represented "another bureaucratic imitation": "public's attention would be simply switched onto channels functioning of decimeter frequencies, while the meter channels would remain mouthpieces for propaganda".

According to the Decree, the Public Television Supervisory Board will be formed by the Public Chamber and approved by the President. The government will establish a non-profit organisation for financing of the channel.

"Why should we call we call this a public body then?" Mitrokhin asked.

He proposed a different mechanism for formation of the Supervisory Board, which "would create truly independent television". The Board should include representatives of various political parties or parliamentary factions. “However, there should be an equal number of representatives from each of the parties, so that to avoid the dominance of the [ruling] United Russia [party]," stressed Mitrokhin.

See also:

Freedom of Speech

April 26, 2012