RUSSIA: Russia's President Vladimir Putin told newspaper executives from around the world yesterday that press freedom was safe in Russia.
However, Gavin O'Reilly, the president of the World Association of Newspapers, appealed to the Russian leader to take measures to encourage such freedom and to forgo control and influence over the media.
Both were speaking at the opening in Moscow of the 59th World Newspaper Congress and 13th World Editors Forum. Mr O'Reilly, group chief operating officer of Independent News and Media, said Mr Putin's legacy would be judged "as much by the fate of the media - perhaps more - than by any other measure".
A handful of opposition activists from the radical National Bolshevik Party jumped to their feet as Mr Putin was taking his seat on the podium. They were ejected after about a minute and Mr Putin went on to make his speech as planned.
He said the independent media was flourishing in Russia and rejected claims by some delegates that financial groups linked to the Kremlin were taking control of major outlets.
"Our people made a conscious choice in favour of democracy and freedom of the press continues to be an essential guarantee that it will continue," he said.
Addressing more than 1,700 senior newspaper executives from 110 countries, Russian leaders and foreign ambassadors, Mr O'Reilly said control of the media by the state and its allies was hindering the ability of a free press to contribute to Russian development.
He pinpointed the absence of independent national television, which has been brought under direct or indirect government control, the purchase of many important newspaper titles by financial and industrial groups directly controlled by government or loyal to it and the creation of an atmosphere of caution and self-censorship among journalists.
However, Mr Putin said the number of state assets in the Russian press market was steadily decreasing.
"Fifty-three thousand periodicals exist in Russia today. It would be absolutely impossible to control them even if the state had an interest in doing so."
Russia's state-run First Channel and Rossiya channel gave the demonstration a brief mention, while NTV, controlled by state-run gas giant Gazprom, showed the protest and an activist being marched out of the hall by two guards.