Russian journalists accuse authorities of destroying media

Russian Union of Journalists on Friday in Moscow accused the authorities of trying to destroy the media with crippling legislation.
Pavel Gusev, who has heads the Union of Journalists of Moscow, since the early 1990s, told a conference on international media that government was making frantic move to shut down kiosks that sell newspaper.
He told the conference that the government was also undertaking various measures to increase distribution costs.

Gusev said in two years, lawmakers had introduced more than 400 amendments in an attempt to destroy the Russian media.
“Not all the amendments were implemented, but as a result of the ones that were, we have lost 40 per cent of the advertising market.
Gusev said Russian government either owns or was affiliated with 85 per cent of the country’s media outlets, which presents a real threat to independent journalism.

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“Journalists are losing their profession,” he said.
Gusev predicted that one in every five media outlets in the country would close by the end of 2015.
He said government had cancelled critical subsidies for the national postal service thereby driving up distribution costs for print media by 80 per cent.
He said the Russian authorities had also shut down about 40 per cent of the kiosks that sold print media in Moscow.
“Kiosks selling mostly convenience store items such as newspapers, magazines, food and drinks were nearly ubiquitous in the Russian capital until they were removed.