Shall we say a word about freedom of media…

By Anvar SARSENOV (swww.centrasia.ru)

Could it possibly be spoken about journalist’s duty and honor, is onу just executed an order? More of that, if he freely proves it himself and even trying to assure everybody, that it is the true meaning being a journalist.

Any mass-media is not only a mean of mass propaganda, but it is collective agitator. The role of press was huge at any time in any country. That’s way it is not random that alongside with liberty of speech another idea is walking – responsibility and rate of freedom; just because limitless freedom is nothing but banal anarchy.

For years of USSR we used to party affiliated press, where all publications were appointed with Central Committee of Communistic Party. A radio, capable to be tuned on sacred “Voice of America” station was always a thing of specific pride, and radio wave, where dissidents were talking was the window to completely different world, a gulp of that very sacred freedom. Unfortunately, with Soviet Union fall many people are sunk by this freedom.

New press has substantially changed both by its image and content. Both style and language of newspapers have changed. If printings were an example of Russian word, then today on the pages we can find slang and vernacular more often. Of course mass-media kept its propaganda and agitation functions and continuing to carry out it successfully. But, despite this, mass-media became a business too.

Yet, it is needed to confess, that mass-media itself as the business is not so profitable business – more loss making though. Publishing of any, even small, newspaper requires enough big investments. Printing services are too expensive, and regional delivery of newspapers is expensive too much. And you have to carry at least minimum staff – a journalist, correspondent, photographer, corrector and many others. And it’s good to have office too, at least a little room on the outskirts of the city. Along with that, you can’t earn something by selling newspapers itself, because you can’t charge too much for it – people simply wouldn’t by it, and present prices are hardly covering net cost.

Of course, there is room for advertisements in newspapers, and they are precisely earning money by it. But! Before hundreds of customers will start to come to you, you have to promote your printing. Not even slight chance that any of advertisers would buy space from a new newspaper with small circulation, because there is no point. Because the goal of any advertisement is to sell your product; but who would recognize it if a newspaper exists only for a week.

But there is another option, which can’t sustain any of the true goals, for which mass-media are establishing; instead, this precise thing is allowing earning relatively good capital. Pitifully, some are using it successfully. Within journalistic environment it’s called “ordering out” or “black PR”. In other words, somebody who need to make a publicity one or another information of negative character as a rule finds ready-to-make-anything issue, paying it specified rate (traditionally it is not low) and publishing it. Sometimes editorial of such issues are looking for such clients, by the way actively promoting their fame being scandalous.

Ramazan Esergepov, editor of Almaty Info newspaper, can be one of the brightest examples of such “ordering out” mass-media. As the manager involved in mass-media, he, despite his huge experience as the editor, he never could attain respect within journalist’s environment. Instead he managed to come in light in all more or less major scandals. On account of this editor – suits to Administration of President, General Prosecutor’s Office, a number of ministries, Peoples Bank, Union of Kazakhstani Judges, initiated by him. In addition, every suit contained demand on moral compensation. For instance, Mr. Esergepov tried to ask from ministry of information 7 mln 870 thousand tenge by court.

Esergepov litigated with famous politicians, ministers, leaders of political parties and journalist colleagues. In truth, all the time life had stroked him back – newspapers headed by him from time to time were finding themselves as defendants before the courts, blamed for various dirt. Alongside, the editor himself treated such cases no less than attempts to suppress independent press and desire to shut mount of fair mass-media, which discovered something… as the result of proper investigation.

To be honest, journalistic investigation genre is very popular in press facilities. Very often reporters are uncovering sensational facts, and the results of investigations, prosecuted by journalists, are lying as the basis of loud criminal cases. However, Ramazan Esergepov can’t be related to journalists, who prosecuting investigations. His method is to publish facts provided by paid accounts, by principle “money in bank – art in masses”.

For which he finally paid – recently High Court left in force its sentence, according to which Esergepov have to be prisoner in jail for three years. And not for his offences (which, to say, is a traditional subject of suits to independent press), but for much more serious crime. Precisely crime and not law breach. Ramazan Esergepov managed to publish top secret document on newspaper’s pages. Although any journalist who had been involved in investigation knows that for breaching state secrets you have to carry a crime sentence.

Nowadays many human right activists are assuring that in such situation Esergepov became prisoner of conscience, suffered only for carrying his professional duties. But is this possible to talk about journalist duty and honor, if one had only executed an order? More of that, if he calmly proves it himself and even tries to assure everybody, that it is the true meaning being a journalist. It is possible that somebody once could believe such statements. But no professional reporter, familiar with such definitions as journalists honor and ethic, ever could agree with that.