The specifics of the work of a business media journalist

Employees of business publications have a hard time, especially at first, because they require quite specific skills, both practical and theoretical. A business journalist should be able to conduct an economic analysis of the activities of enterprises, understand the basics of strategic planning, investment analysis and marketing, and also have a clear understanding of risk assessment and the formation of a securities portfolio. Business press in Russia and business: A textbook on a special course for students of the faculty of journalism and universities. M., 2003. P. 14. Thus, it can be imagined that the newly arrived journalists had to learn a lot. However, until now, leaders of business media are more likely to hire specialists with an economic education who have a very rough idea of ​​​​journalism than professional correspondents who have a superficial understanding of the economy Timofeevsky A. Faculty of unnecessary things // Expert. 2005. No. 47 (493). S. 7. . One cannot but agree that “without knowing the addressee of the message, the specifics of the consumption of business information by the regional audience, stereotypes of its perception, it is difficult to create successful journalistic texts, use methods of popularizing information for the business environment” Melnik G.S., Vinogradova S.M. Business Journalism: Textbook. SPb., 2010. S. 213.

At the same time, those who do not have a special economic education also work in business journalism, gaining the necessary skills and knowledge in “combat conditions”. However, having understood the financial intricacies in the course of their work, it is the journalists who are much more intelligibly than "narrow" specialists, present information and help the mass audience to understand it, while it seems to professional economists that all terms and figures are absolutely natural, understandable each and do not require further explanation.

However, it is now quite difficult to find a journalist who would deal with "business topics" in general. As a rule, each of them understands (and, accordingly, works) in a certain area. Moreover, there is a clearly expressed relationship between the cost of information and the degree of its specialization: the narrower the focus of the publication, the higher its cost. The same can be said about journalists. This fact is especially evident in the segment of the business press.

The main differences between business and economic journalism

At the moment, there is no consensus on the separation of business and economic journalism, because. this topic has not yet been sufficiently explored. For example, Professor D.P. Gavra in his report "The concept of the typology of business journalism" notes that "business journalism is journalism associated with providing the necessary information to the subjects of economic activity" Gavra D.P. The concept of business journalism typology. Report // Meeting of the discussion club "Business, economic or business journalism?", 20 Dec. 2006. SPb., 2006. This subject, logically, is every person who has any economic relations. To make a slight generalization, we can say that business journalism is intended for all levels of audience, in contrast to economic journalism, which focuses exclusively on business entities.

Despite such a vague concept, most press researchers divide the entire sector of business information into several parts: economic, exchange, financial, statistical, commercial information and business news Mordovskaya E.I. Business publication in the system of periodicals. Type-forming factors, the nature of formation and development: Abstract of the thesis. dis. cand. philol. Sciences. M., 1998. P.3. professor M.N. Kim, who, within the framework of the business press, singles out the economic newspaper Kim M.N. Business press: functions, structure, audience // Press typology: problems of theory and practice: Proceedings of scientific and practical. seminar "Modern periodicals in the context of communication processes" March 12, 1998 / Ed. ed. B.Ya. Misonzhnikov. SPb., 1999. S. 35-36.

However, in addition to economic, there are other aspects of business journalism. So, B.Ya. Misonzhnikov offers his own gradation of business media. Among them, he conditionally singles out business publications of a general profile, publications of a political and economic orientation, in which, first of all, the theoretical political and economic component is strengthened and important socio-political events are considered through its prism. Also on the market there are business publications of a financial orientation (those that cover the dynamics of trends and levels of lending, exchange rates, etc.); exchange publications - those that reflect the aspects of exchange life: the purchase and sale of securities, stock quotes, etc.; as well as high-quality publications that publish economic and financial information for making independent management decisions on the part of the reader Misonzhnikov B. Ya. Business publication in the media market labyrinth // Journalism: research - methodology - practice: Sat. articles / Rep. ed. G. V. Zhirkov. SPb., 2004. S. 134.

Another researcher, Ph.D. YES. Murzin, this gradation is somewhat concretized, singling out as types of business journalism - economic, stock, financial, commercial, so-called. static information, as well as Russian and regional business news Murzin D.A. Business press // System of mass media in Russia: Proc. manual for universities / Ed. Ya.N. Zasursky. M., 2001. Sec. II, ch. 7. S. 94..

In turn, D.P. Gavra makes an assumption based on the characteristics of the audience to whom this or that business information is intended. It turns out that in business journalism, three levels can be distinguished, based on the addressees. The conditional first level is the subjects of business behavior, the second and third levels, respectively, went to the subjects of professional and everyday economic behavior. Thus, business journalism is logically formed in a broad sense - for all three levels of the audience; business journalism in an expanded sense - economic journalism, which will be understandable and interesting to both the second and the first level of the audience; business journalism in the narrow sense - business journalism, which is intended for business subjects 1 Havre D.P. Business journalism: to the definition of the concept // Mass media in the modern world. Petersburg readings: Interuniversity. scientific-practical. conf., 24-25 Apr. 2007: Sat. report Spb., 2007..

Based on this concept, Ph.D. M.A. Berezhnaya also characterizes the business media audience by levels, but more generally. Among them, the audience of economic journalism stands out - these are the subjects of professional and economic behavior in the narrow sense (managers, economists, financiers, etc.). The second level is the audience of general business journalism, ie. subjects of ordinary (non-professional) economic behavior Berezhnaya M.A. Business journalism and business communication: the specifics of the implementation of the profile module // The concept of the profile of the bachelor's degree in journalism. St. Petersburg, 2006; Information and educational site within the framework of the project "Innovative educational environment in a classical university" // http://www.bj.pu.ru/method/4-3.html (03/09/2010).

Thus, by combining the above gradations and levels, for some simplicity and specificity, business journalism can be divided into business and household spheres, i.e. for everyday life. Business journalism for the "business sphere", in turn, is divided into economic, which formed the basis of this study, and non-economic. Actually economic journalism includes business journalism (more narrowly focused, specialized) and general economic journalism Ibid. (see the diagram in the Appendix). However, in the modern world, often, household and business spheres are intertwined quite closely, and, in our opinion, it will be enough to understand that economic journalism is a kind of business journalism.

It should also be noted that, according to Professor L.P. Gromova, a variety of specialized stock exchange press stands out in the business media, which covers the very process of functioning of enterprises and operations with securities Gromova L.P. Exchange press in the structure of business journalism in Russia (late 19th - early 20th century) // Mass media in the modern world: theses of scientific and practical. conf. SPb., 2008. P. 137. However, one can speak of the stock exchange press as a subspecies of economic journalism rather than a separate direction in the business media. Still, in the modern world, economic news is directly related to the state of affairs on the stock exchanges, with the rise and fall of world indices or stock prices. For this reason, the separation of these two directions seems to be very fuzzy.

Summing up a little and going to the type of media of interest to the author, we repeat that economic media are a subspecies of business media. Thus, it turns out that economic radio stations (such as the BrocoPulse Internet radio station) have a specific, narrow specialization, in contrast to those that position themselves as business (Business FM) and try to cover several aspects at once (business news, real estate, economics, politics, etc.). Thanks to this definition, we significantly narrow and concretize the field of study.

Weapon against poverty

Many journalists refer to the fact that the economy, they say, is of interest only to a narrow circle of people. But they say so, most often, to hide the inability and unwillingness to write on economic topics. Yes, writing about the economy, educating and enlightening the population is much more difficult than speculating on political scandals. You will not earn instant and high-profile journalistic fame on the economy in Kyrgyzstan yet. It is difficult: you need to understand what is happening yourself, understand it in such a way as to be able to explain it to your readers and viewers. You need to read textbooks and reference books, specialized magazines, conduct many hours of conversations with experts in order to "catch" in their professional slang the grain that is necessary and useful to the reader and viewer.

The journalist, of course, fulfills a mission and, of course, is a kind of resource for influencing society, called the fourth power. But what is the nature of this resource? What is the message of his efforts? What is the overall result and ultimate goal - destructive or constructive? If you remain only in the political field and continue to ignore the economy, then the message will be destructive. The press will not help the country grow rich and develop, but will divert the population to political squabbles, excite the instincts of the crowd and set society as a whole to self-flagellation and self-criticism. If the message is creative, then you need to sit down at your desks with a desire to learn yourself and teach your audience to understand, love the economy and take advantage of all the opportunities that it provides.

Economic journalism must stop being some elite collection of a bunch of experts who write very complex and lengthy articles for an equally small bunch of advanced readers. What is written on economic topics in popular publications should look completely different. One reprint of pieces of press releases of departments and corporations will not be enough to fulfill the educational and analytical function of the press. We need a real analysis and forecast, but presented in a popular, intelligible form.

As such, there is no scientific definition of economic journalism. However, there are suggestions made while working on this tutorial. Summarizing these proposals, we can formulate the first definition of economic journalism in Kyrgyzstan.
So, economic journalism is a search, analysis and presentation of information about the economy, which allows any person to make the right decision to protect their material interests. In other words, economic journalism is a weapon against poverty.

Here you will find works on economic journalism, either developed by me personally, or with my direct participation, or on my initiative:

Coverage of economic topics in the media. Handbook for university students. Approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. B.: Printhouse, 2008.

This manual is the very first step, the first attempt in the history of the Kyrgyz Republic to create a tool for teaching future journalists about economics. This is a collective work of well-known economists and journalism teachers in the republic, who set out to present important economic knowledge in a simple, accessible language from the perspective of the interests of the media.

The manual consists of twelve topics relevant to the economic development of Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, each topic contains the theoretical foundations of the issue, a historical digression, an analysis of contemporary problems and, in part, a description of the prospects. In this form, the manual allows a student of the faculty of journalism and a young journalist to quickly navigate the essence and problems of the topic and prevent semantic and factual errors when preparing the material.

The textbook "Coverage of economic topics in the media (economic journalism)" is designed for senior students of journalism departments who already have a minimum set of professional skills and knowledge. The manual itself allows students to determine the presence or absence of interest in covering issues of economic development and contributes to their further specialization and the choice of a future place of work. This is especially relevant in connection with the increase in demand in Kyrgyzstan for publications with an economic thematic focus.

The main purpose of the manual is to help future journalists understand that the economy is the daily life of every citizen of Kyrgyzstan, and not something abstract, complex, and therefore uninteresting to the general reader. The manual will help the future journalist to fall in love with the economy as material expression of human relationships and help your reader (viewer) find his place and improve the quality of his life.

Corporate governance: focus of media interests. Handbook for future and current journalists. B.: Ega-Basma, 2009.

The manual arose as a natural continuation of the course of lectures, which was delivered by the largest Kyrgyz experts and practitioners during the implementation of the project of the Press Club of the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange "Development of corporate governance through education and dialogue", funded by the Center for Entrepreneurship Support (CIPE).

The lecturers touched upon various topics of corporate governance development, ranging from its implementation in the forms of government (corporate governance as a school of democracy) to the application of corporate governance principles in banks.

Each topic of the manual is provided with the minimum necessary glossary for a journalist, some contain examples of articles and comments on them.

The manual does not claim to be an exhaustive coverage of all aspects of corporate governance, but covers the most important of them.

A careful study of the manual will allow the current and future journalist to understand and accept the principles of corporate governance, see successful and unsuccessful examples of their application in everyday life, and also guide their client - reader, viewer on the path of exercising their rights and opportunities in the world of corporations as one of the greatest ideas. civilization.

Regional economic journalism. Manual for future and current journalists (in progress).

The manual is intended for journalists working on economic topics in the regional media. The manual covers the most important aspects of local economic development: management of the local budget and municipal property; strategic planning of local economic development; fundamentals of the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic on access to information and relevant tools for the work of a journalist in this direction; examples of articles and these detailed analysis; common mistakes and much more, including a glossary.
The manual consists of two parts: the textbook itself and the workshop. Accordingly, you will have to download two files.

Corporate wars and takeovers. On the dangers and benefits of the scandal (financial pyramids). Agenda, presentations and task of the training seminar for journalists.

The seminar program includes the following topics: Mental gap, or New mission of Kyrgyz journalists. Features of the stock market in Kyrgyzstan. Far from KU to UK? Corporate wars and takeovers. Redistribution of property and raider seizures. About the dangers and benefits of the scandal. The future of the market: what should the press prepare for? Sources of information. Group work "Catching fleas in the text" (analysis of an economic article). Typical mistakes of journalists

Preparation of a special report on economic topics. Presentations and assignment of a training seminar for journalists

The seminar program includes the following topics: Special report on economic topics. Analytical function of the media. Practical lesson (work in groups).

PART 1

Chapter 1

1.1. Information relations in an open society: principles, rules, norms

1. An open society is based on the idea that the human right to be fully informed about everything that happens in the country and the world is universal and fundamental, and any exception to this right must be explained and stipulated by legislative acts. The right to be informed requires the free flow of information and opinions. Restrictions on the dissemination of news and information are contrary to the interests of international understanding, constitute a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UNESCO Charter and the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and are incompatible with the UN Charter. Free access of people to the media and other official and unofficial sources of information must be guaranteed.

2. Socially significant information is information that satisfies the needs of citizens in knowledge and understanding of social processes. Publicly significant information contributes to the enlightenment of the people, stimulates progress and helps to solve the complex economic, scientific and social problems facing us. Publicly significant information belongs to the people, who have the right to access it, except for the restrictions specified in the law. The form of manifestation of the public need for information is the public interest, for the satisfaction of which special information institutions are created.

3. The public has the right of access to publicly significant information. Open and unhindered access to information of public interest is the foundation of fair government and a free society. Government departments must guarantee open, timely and unhindered access to publicly relevant information. Citizens should be given the opportunity to access socially significant information, regardless of the form of its storage, without special training or experience.

4. Authorities are obliged to take appropriate measures to ensure the right to receive information. These measures should provide that the authorities, in case of refusal to provide information, indicate the reason in writing in a reasonably short time, and also provide the right to review the reasonableness and legality of the refusal to independent bodies, including legal review in one form or another. Governments should ensure a wide variety of sources of access, both private and public, to publicly relevant information and should not allow high prices for information services to hinder citizens' access to publicly relevant information.

5. Authorities must guarantee citizens' access to socially significant information, regardless of their place of residence and work. To solve this problem, national information networks, programs such as depository libraries and other methods should be used. Government departments should periodically review such programs, as well as the technologies used, to ensure that access to publicly relevant information remains affordable and convenient for the public.

6. Authorities must ensure the completeness, preservation, dissemination, reproduction and redistribution of socially significant information at their disposal, regardless of the form of its existence. By preserving publicly relevant information, government departments guarantee their accountability to the public and the ability of the public to access information about their work. Any restriction of distribution or any other action in relation to public interest information must be strictly defined by law.

7. Authorities must respect the confidentiality of persons using or requesting information, as well as respect the right to privacy of persons identified in government records.

8. The existence of many independent media is in the interests of any society. Where, for some reason, a society is unable to maintain a large number of independent media outlets, existing media outlets should reflect different points of view.

9. The access of journalists to various sources of news and opinion - official and unofficial - should not be subject to any restrictions. This access is inseparable from people's access to information. There should be no censorship of the press, no matter what forms of arbitrary control over information and public opinion it may take. The right of people to have access to news and information must not be infringed. In all laws and decisions relating to the right to receive information, the public interest in obtaining this information must be taken into account in the first place.

10. Every restriction on freedom of expression or information must be prescribed by law. The law must be public, specific, specific and clear in order to enable each individual to foresee whether an act is illegal. The law should provide adequate safeguards against violation of its requirements, including prompt, full and effective legal review of the validity of the restriction by an independent court or tribunal.

11. No one can be prosecuted for disclosing information obtained in the public service if the public importance of this information outweighs the harm from its disclosure.

12. Everyone has the right to receive information from authorities, including information relating to national security. Any restrictions on the receipt of such information may not be placed unless the government demonstrates that such restriction is prescribed by law and is actually necessary to protect legitimate national security interests.

13. A state cannot deny access to all information relevant to national security, but should designate in law only those specific and narrow categories of information that must be kept closed in the legitimate interest of national security.

14. No one may be punished under the pretext of national security for disclosing information unless such disclosure causes actual harm and is not likely to harm legitimate national security interests; or the publicity of the information outweighs the harm of disclosing it. Protecting national security cannot be used as a basis for forcing a journalist to disclose a confidential source of information.

15. Any restriction on freedom of expression or information that the authorities wish to justify on grounds of national security must actually be based on that goal and the authorities must demonstrate that the end result is the protection of legitimate national security interests.

To prove that a restriction on freedom of expression or information is truly necessary to protect legitimate national security interests, the government must demonstrate that:

- self-expression or information on the subject poses a serious threat to the legitimate interests of national security;

- the introduced restriction provides for the least restrictive measures to protect these interests;

– the restriction is consistent with democratic principles.

Self-expression can only be punished as a threat to national security if the government can demonstrate that:

- self-expression aims to call for violent action;

– may lead to such violent acts;

– there is a direct and immediate connection between self-expression and the possibility of such violent acts.

16. The peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression should not be seen as a threat to national security or subject to restrictions or punishment.

Self-expression does not constitute a threat to national security if:

- advocates non-violent change in the policy of the government or the government itself;

- is a criticism of a country, state or its symbols, government, government departments or figures, as well as a foreign country, state or its symbols, government, government departments or figures;

– raises an objection or advocates an objection, on grounds of religion, conscience or belief, against conscription or military service as such; specific conflict or threat of use of force to resolve international disputes;

– aims to convey information about alleged violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law.

No one may be punished for criticizing a country, a state or its symbols, a government, public departments or persons, or a foreign country, a state or its symbols, a government, state departments or persons, unless this criticism or insult is aimed at inciting violent actions or may not lead to such actions.

1.2. Basic concepts and definitions in the field of legal regulation of access to information

The problem of developing a unified terminology in the information sphere is by no means less important than finding compromise ways of legislative regulation of certain economic and political aspects. Considering that in the last year or two there has been a lightning-fast development of new and, basically, converged means of telecommunications and their implementation, the legal consolidation of each communication innovation occurs, as you know, according to other time standards, due to the obligation to comply with the established long-term legislative process. Each service provided by any new communication means provides a greater opportunity than before to quickly obtain the necessary information, both verbal and documented. However, one should not forget that a huge percentage of the population, including officials of legislative and executive bodies, is not yet psychologically ready for the existence of new technologies.

The main question that I would like to answer is whether it is necessary to develop a new terminology in information legislation, following the path of political, ideological and technological changes introduced by life, or not to make changes to existing definitions and concepts, but to transfer them to new ones. bills? The ideal direction in the development and improvement of information legislation would be to introduce other definitions of new aspects of the information sphere into bills and fill in the gaps in terminology.

So, when developing a draft law aimed at regulating access to information, it is worth dwelling on several definitions around which a lot of controversy has arisen. These questions are important as well as fixing the mechanism of access and obtaining information in the bill.

public interest

Disputes among lawyers and journalists about what is still a public interest and whether there is a definition of this concept in the legislation, still do not stop. In criminal, constitutional law, in some norms of electoral legislation and, of course, in information legislation, references to public interest are often made in the absence of the very concept of public interest. The free interpretation of the concept of public interest allows in some cases to manipulate the behavior of many people. The norms of the legislation determine that “it is forbidden to include documents accumulated in open funds and libraries and archives, information systems of public authorities, local governments, public associations, organizations of public interest or necessary for the realization of rights, freedoms and duties of citizens. In accordance with the Mass Media Law, a journalist is required to obtain consent to the dissemination of information about a citizen's personal life in the media from the citizen himself or his legal representatives, except when it is necessary to protect public interests. The next commentary to the Constitution stipulates that the public interest is the information that relates to the regulation of the election campaign. A citizen, acting as a voter, a participant in a referendum, an organizer of demonstrations and demonstrations, must have access to official documents regulating these relations. Many normative acts also mention not public, but legitimate interest, the concept of which is not defined.

It should be noted that public interest and legitimate interest are synonymous concepts, since the possibility of disclosing information of public interest is enshrined in a number of legislative norms.

Document

The definition of a document as “a material object with information recorded on it in the form of text, sound recording or image, intended for transmission in time and space for storage and public use”, exists in the Federal Law of December 29, 1994 No. 77 “On the mandatory copy of the document” (Article 1).

In criminal law, the concept of a document is widespread as “a properly executed material carrier of any information intended to certify a legally significant fact or event (information reflected on paper, photo, film, audio or video tape, plastic, existing in the form of a computer recording or in another material form perceived by a person).

Official document

In the same Federal Law “On Legal Copies of Documents”, an official document is defined as “a work of print published on behalf of legislative, executive and judicial authorities, of a legislative, regulatory, directive or informational nature”.

Executive

A lot of controversy also arose around the definition of an official. However, if we turn to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, then the question: who is an official, you can get an answer. An official is a person who performs organizational, administrative and administrative functions only in state bodies, local governments, state and municipal institutions and holds positions established by the constitutions or charters of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (Article 285, Chapter 30). The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of January 11, 1995 "On the register of public positions of federal civil servants" clearly defines the groups of all officials in the Russian Federation.

1.3. On access to information held by government departments

The Committee of Ministers, in accordance with the provisions of Article 15.b of the Statute of the Council of Europe,

Pay attention to, that the task of the Council of Europe is to achieve greater unity among its member states,

Pay attention to the importance of the public in a democratic society receiving sufficient information on matters of public interest,

Pay attention to, that public access to information involves building public confidence in government,

Pay attention to in this regard, that every effort should be made to ensure that the public has the fullest access to information held by public departments,

The following principles apply to individuals and legal entities. In the implementation of these principles, the interests of sound and efficient government must be taken into account. Should these interests require the adjustment or deletion of one or more of the principles, whether in a particular case or in certain areas of public administration, the best efforts should nevertheless be made to achieve the greatest possible degree of access to information.

I. Every person subject to the jurisdiction of a Member State shall have the right to obtain, upon request, information held by public authorities, with the exception of the legislature and the judiciary.

II. Appropriate effective measures should be taken to ensure access to information.

III. Access to information cannot be denied on the pretext that the applicant for information does not have special interests in this area.

I V. Access to information is provided on the basis of equal rights.

V. The said principles shall be limited only in cases necessary in a democratic society to protect the legitimate interests of society (such as national security, public safety, public order, the economic welfare of the country, the prevention of crime and the prevention of disclosure of information received in confidence), and to protect privacy and other legitimate private interests, but at the same time taking into account the special interest of each person in information held by public departments that concerns him personally.

VI. Each request for information must be dealt with within a reasonable time frame.

VII. A government agency that refuses to provide information must explain the reason for the refusal, in accordance with law or practice.

VIII. Each refusal to provide information can be appealed.

When adopting Recommendation No. R (81) 19 in accordance with Art. 10.2 of the Rules of Procedure for the Sessions of Deputy Ministers, the representatives of Italy and Luxembourg reserved the right to leave their governments to decide whether to follow this recommendation.

1.4. Extracts from regulations on access to information

Constitution of the Russian Federation

Article 29

4. Everyone has the right to freely seek, receive, transmit, produce and distribute information in any legal way. The list of information constituting a state secret is determined by the Federal Law.

5. Freedom of the media is guaranteed. Censorship is prohibited.

Law of the Russian Federation "On Mass Media"

Article 1. Freedom of the mass media

In the Russian Federation, the search, receipt, production and dissemination of mass information,

are not subject to restrictions, with the exception of those provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation on the mass media.

Article 38. Right to receive information

Citizens have the right to promptly receive reliable information about the activities of state bodies and organizations, public associations, and their officials through the media.

State bodies and organizations, public associations, their officials provide information about their activities to the media at the request of the editors, as well as through press conferences, distribution of reference and statistical materials and in other forms.

The editorial office has the right to request information about the activities of state bodies and organizations, public associations, and their officials. Request for information is possible both orally and in writing. The requested information must be provided by the heads of these bodies, organizations and associations, their deputies, employees of the press services or other authorized persons within their competence.

Article 40. Refusal and delay in providing information

Refusal to provide the requested information is possible only if it contains information constituting a state, commercial or other secret specially protected by law. The notice of refusal is handed over to the representative of the editorial office within three days from the date of receipt of the written request for information. The notice must include:

1) the reasons why the requested information cannot be separated from information constituting a secret specially protected by law;

2) an official who refuses to provide information;

3) the date of the decision to refuse. Delay in providing the requested information

admissible if the required information cannot be provided within seven days. A notice of postponement shall be handed over to the representative of the editorial office within three days from the date of receipt of the written request for information. The notice must include:

1) the reasons why the requested information cannot be provided within seven days;

2) the date by which the requested information will be provided;

3) the official who established the delay;

4) the date of the adoption of the decision on the postponement.

Article 47. Rights of a journalist

The journalist has the right:

1) seek, request, receive and disseminate information;

2) visit state bodies and organizations, enterprises and institutions, bodies of public associations or their press services;

3) be received by officials in connection with the request for information;

4) get access to documents and materials, with the exception of their fragments, containing information constituting a state, commercial or other secret specially protected by law;

5) copy, publish, disclose or otherwise reproduce documents and materials, subject to the requirements of paragraph one of Article 42 of this Law;

6) make recordings, including using audio and video equipment, film and photography, except as otherwise provided by law;

7) visit specially protected places of natural disasters, accidents and catastrophes, riots and mass gatherings of citizens, as well as areas where a state of emergency has been declared; attend rallies and demonstrations;

8) verify the accuracy of the information communicated to him;

The journalist also enjoys other rights granted to him by the legislation of the Russian Federation on mass media.

Article 48. Accreditation

The editorial office has the right to apply to a state body, organization, institution, body of a public association for accreditation of its journalists with them.

State bodies, organizations, institutions, bodies of public associations accredit the declared journalists, provided that the editors comply with the accreditation rules established by these bodies, organizations, institutions.

The bodies, organizations and institutions that have accredited journalists are obliged to notify them in advance of meetings, conferences and other events, provide them with transcripts, minutes and other documents, and create favorable conditions for recording.

An accredited journalist has the right to attend meetings, conferences and other events held by the bodies, organizations, institutions that accredited him, except in cases where decisions have been made to hold a closed event.

A journalist may be deprived of accreditation if he or the editorial office violates the established accreditation rules or disseminates untrue information discrediting the honor and dignity of the organization that accredited the journalist, which is confirmed by a court decision that has entered into force.

Accreditation of own correspondents of media editorial offices is carried out in accordance with the requirements of this article.

Federal Law "On Information, Informatization and Information Protection"

Article 4. Fundamentals of the legal regime of information resources

1. Information resources are objects of relations between individuals, legal entities, the state, constitute the information resources of Russia and are protected by law along with other resources.

Article 6. Information resources as an element of the composition of property and an object of ownership

1. Information resources can be non-state and as an element of the composition of property are owned by citizens, state authorities, local governments, organizations and public associations. Relations regarding the ownership of information resources are regulated by the civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

2. Individuals and legal entities are the owners of those documents, arrays of documents that are created at their expense, acquired by them legally, received by way of gift or inheritance.

3. The Russian Federation and the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are the owners of information resources created, acquired, accumulated at the expense of the federal budget, the budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, as well as obtained by other means established by law.

The state has the right to buy back documented information from individuals and legal entities if this information is classified as a state secret.

The owner of information resources containing information classified as a state secret has the right to dispose of this property only with the permission of the relevant state authorities.

4. Subjects submitting mandatory documented information to public authorities and organizations do not lose their rights to these documents and to use the information contained in them. Documented information submitted on a mandatory basis to public authorities and organizations by legal entities, regardless of their organizational and legal form and forms of ownership, as well as by citizens on the basis of Article 8 of this Federal Law, forms information resources that are jointly owned by the state and entities representing this information.

5. Information resources that are the property of organizations are included in their property in accordance with the civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

Information resources that are the property of the state are under the jurisdiction of state authorities and organizations in accordance with their competence, are subject to accounting and protection as part of state property.

6. Information resources may be a commodity, with the exception of cases provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

7. The owner of information resources enjoys all the rights provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, including the right to:

appoint a person responsible for economic management of information resources or operational management of them;

establish, within its competence, the regime and rules for processing, protecting information resources and access to them;

determine the conditions for the disposal of documents when they are copied and distributed.

1. State information resources of the Russian Federation are open and publicly available. The exception is documented information classified by law as restricted access.

legislative and other normative acts establishing the legal status of public authorities, local self-government bodies, organizations, public associations, as well as the rights, freedoms and obligations of citizens, the procedure for their implementation;

documents containing information on emergency situations, environmental, meteorological, demographic, sanitary-epidemiological and other information necessary to ensure the safe functioning of settlements, production facilities, the safety of citizens and the population as a whole;

documents containing information on the activities of state authorities and local self-government bodies, on the use of budgetary funds and other state and local resources, on the state of the economy and the needs of the population, with the exception of those classified as state secrets;

documents accumulated in the open funds of libraries and archives, information systems of public authorities, local governments, public associations, organizations of public interest or necessary for the implementation of the rights, freedoms and duties of citizens.

Article 12. Realization of the right to access information from information resources

1. Users - citizens, state authorities, local governments, organizations and public associations - have equal rights to access state information resources and are not required to justify to the owners of these resources the need to obtain the information they request. The exception is information with restricted access.

Access of individuals and legal entities to state information resources is the basis for exercising public control over the activities of state authorities, local governments, public, political and other organizations, as well as over the state of the economy, ecology and other areas of public life.

2. Owners of information resources provide users (consumers) with information from information resources on the basis of legislation, charters of these bodies and organizations, regulations on them, as well as contracts for information support services.

Information obtained legally from state information resources by citizens and organizations can be used by them to create derivative information for the purpose of its commercial distribution with a mandatory reference to the source of information.

3. The procedure for obtaining information by the user (indication of the place, time, responsible officials, necessary procedures) is determined by the owner or possessor of information resources in compliance with the requirements established by this Federal Law.

Lists of information and information support services, information on the procedure and conditions for access to information resources are provided by the owners of information resources and information systems to users free of charge.

4. State authorities and organizations responsible for the formation and use of information resources provide conditions for the prompt and complete provision of documented information to the user in accordance with the obligations established by the charters (regulations) of these bodies and organizations.

After the "commercial revolution" in the newspaper press of the 1830s - 1840s, the media began to turn into profitable capitalist enterprises, so all the laws of business development extended to them: competition and its restriction; concentration, monopolization and antitrust regulations; internationalization of capital, etc. All this has left its mark on everyday journalistic practice and on the activities of other organizations associated with the media.

Since after the "commercial revolution" the main income of printed periodicals began to come from advertising, and not from circulation, advertisers began to focus on those publications that had the maximum circulation. This required journalists to change the content of publications and their design. In addition, special organizations appeared that took over the functions of monitoring the correspondence of the circulation indicated in the imprint to the actual circulation; specialized advertising agencies appeared, providing periodicals with the necessary orders for advertising.

The organization of any mass media is aimed at achieving high efficiency - both financially, economically and ideologically. If we consider only the economic side of the issue, it should be noted that in order to achieve high profitability, the management of newspapers and magazines, radio and television stations is based on the same principles as the management of industrial enterprises. Among the directions for further development are the segmentation of the news market and the division of spheres of influence, the restriction of competition, the achievement of financial equilibrium within monopolistic media associations, the division of labor and the rationalization of production, etc.

Best practices in this area are constantly being studied and adopted internationally. Thus, from May 1996 to December 1997, with the financial support of the US Agency for International Development, a consulting program NIP (Targeted Consulting Team) was carried out, the results of which were summed up at a conference in Moscow on November 19-21, 1997. As a result of the conference, the collection "How to make a newspaper profitable" was released.

In particular, Robert Coalson, head of the business program at the National Press Institute, commented on this conference: “Familiarizing myself with the materials of the conference, I understood the secret of the profitability of publishing a newspaper. This is control. In recent years, the heads of regional newspapers have begun to take control of various parts of their business, getting rid of unproductive costs and finding sources of income wherever possible. Just three or four years ago, publishers were completely dependent on third parties for printing, distribution, and paid advertising in the newspaper. Now almost all of them have established advertising departments and marketing programs, many have created their own distribution networks, and some have even managed to acquire their own printing houses.

At present, the main income of any printed publication consists of:

• · financial receipts from advertising;
• funds received from the distribution of circulation;
• · state funding and benefits;
• participation in commercial activities in its various forms;
• donations, etc.

The basis of cash receipts is income from advertising.

Any newspaper, any magazine or almanac, to one degree or another, devotes its space to advertising. It is advertising that is currently the main source of income for the publication. Depending on the conditions of distribution, national traditions and the economic situation, the income from advertising in the media in different countries is different. So, in Spain they account for about 80% of all income, in the USA - 75%, and in France - only about 60%

In the publications of the West, advertising activities are strictly separated from journalistic activities proper. This is done so that the advertiser cannot influence the information essence of the publication. In most countries, so-called creeping advertising, veiled as editorial messages or news, is prohibited. In many countries - by law, in some, as in England, for example - by customs and judicial precedents. In order to prevent editorial staff from writing so-called custom materials, there are special administrative rules that must be observed by all editorial offices.

The economic side of the media activity is taken into account already at the stage of preparation for its creation. Consider this on the example of a modern American newspaper.

All successful good newspapers have their own philosophy and character. The philosophy of a newspaper can be anything from a solid political theory or concept to language and style, when the publication shows, for example, a great interest in all kinds of injustice, environmental protection, is characterized by an ironic and paradoxical attitude to what is happening, a healthy distrust of mercantilism. The philosophy of the newspaper affects everything from the style of the newspaper, the selection of authors, the choice of topics - to design, font, the use of photographs, etc. The philosophy of the most respectable newspapers, having appeared, develops, but any newspaper must have a philosophy from the very beginning, otherwise it disappears. The desire to simply seize economic opportunities or “fill a gap in the market” is not enough.

The selected direction, subject, language and style should be implemented by the editor and, preferably, by the entire team of employees. This will give meaning to journalistic activity and justify the continued existence of the newspaper much better than a purely commercial basis. The philosophy of the publication is something with which readers can be in solidarity.

If the newspaper has several sections, they should not just be standard. In England alone, national newspapers currently publish the following permanent sections: news, sports, books, art, TV programme, work, business, environment, media, children's comics, home, family, classifieds, travel, news from abroad, leisure, fashion, motoring.

When the plan is ready, a layout of the publication (in the American sense of the word) is created, where the places for announcements are marked. It is at this moment that harsh reality invades the life of a newspaper that is still being created, because the conflict between advertising and editorial material is eternal. There are some rules to regulate this eternal conflict. First of all, it is necessary to determine in advance the general ratio of editorial and advertising material in the newspaper. No American newspaper will settle for anything less than 40% editorial to 60% advertising, although a 50/50 ratio is more preferable. In Russia, the reverse ratio is fixed by law: 60% of editorial material and 40% of advertising.

As soon as the decision is made about which blocks and sections will be included in the newspaper, the ratio of editorial and advertising columns in each block is established for any format and volume.

It is considered correct if the advertisement placed on the first and last pages, as well as the pages from which a new block begins, on spreads, the third pages of each section, occupies a strictly predetermined volume and has an agreed design. Particular attention is paid to the design of the front page, where the space for advertising is strictly limited. Otherwise, advertising will flood the entire newspaper and there will be no space left for the main material.

When compiling the "layout" of the newspaper, the maximum amount of advertising on any of the pages is determined. Some newspapers in the US accept advertising for publication, leaving "face": "attic" strips for editorial material.

• Do not accept eccentric ads;
• · Never deviate from the original agreements with advertisers.

Of course, these are not all the rules for working with advertisers, but they are one of the most important.

The newspaper can be published in any form, format, have any design, any volume.

Although a newspaper can be published in a magazine format and even in a smaller format than a magazine, they usually come out in two forms: poster and small format. There is a medium format, intermediate between the above, which is very common in Europe, but it is usually considered a type of small format printing. The form itself contains information for the reader. In a small format, mass newspapers are usually published, in a poster format - "solid" newspapers.

Previously, newspapers consisted of one section, now there are various combinations: two sections, three, four, one; a newspaper printed in a poster format, with a small-format insert-application, newspapers of small and poster format with magazines of various forms. Sections can be published daily, or they can be published on certain days, for example, the sports section - on Mondays, "leisure" - on Saturdays, etc.

The volume of a newspaper depends not only on the needs of the editorial board. More often it is determined by the number of advertisements in a particular section. However, sections that are popular with readers but do not attract advertisers (such as the sports section) can be expanded to include other sections.

So, all of the above is only a small part of the components of the success and effectiveness of the editorial team. They are, moreover, symbols of the journalist's professional culture. Depending on specific historical, geographical, social and other conditions, the terms of efficiency may change. But in the field of the media, professional culture is not only a repository of ethical norms, standards and stereotypes. It is also a creative originality.

The multidimensionality of the functioning of the media implies the participation of journalists in socio-cultural creativity, and, consequently, their performance as communicators, the effectiveness of which was mentioned earlier. Everything is important here: content, form, texts (and subtexts), style, language and much more.

Naturally, modern economic conditions demanded new management structures for editorial teams.

Consider the organization of a typical American newspaper with a circulation of 50,000 copies. With smaller circulations, the functions of full-time employees can be combined, with large circulations, new positions arise.

The OWNER, OWNER of the publication is a person who has invested money in the newspaper and wants to make a profit. To do this, he hires a publisher or performs his functions himself.

The PUBLISHER is the general administrator of the publication. He is responsible for all the activities of the newspaper, and most importantly - for its profitability. He must not be distracted from public meetings and concept development. Only two people have the right to enter it with reports and account for their activities. This is the editor-in-chief and CEO.

The GENERAL DIRECTOR is responsible for the technical support of the editorial office, printing house, distribution of the newspaper. Subordinate to him: manager, marketing director, business manager, head of computer information processing, production director. The accounting department and, which is very important for us, the advertising department are subordinate to him.

The EDITOR-IN-CHIEF is responsible for all content of the newspaper, including editorials. He has no right to interfere in the affairs of the advertising department - this is the prerogative of the general director.

MANAGING EDITOR reports to the Chief Editor. He is the chief administrator in the information department and coordinates his work with the chief editor. It is also subordinate to the publisher, which emphasizes the priority of news over editorials. With this structure, the likelihood of an editorial opinion appearing in the news column is reduced. The managing editor is the complete master in the information department. He is subordinate to:

• general news editor
• capital news editor
• regional news editor
• sports news editor
• business news editor
• art editor (photo editor),
• Sunday editor.

In total, there are 55 people in the staff of the information department. As a rule, there is one editor per thousand circulations, and 2.5 reporters per editor.

EDITORIAL EDITOR does not exist in every newspaper. Usually editorials are written by the editor-in-chief and two or three journalists (at his direction). Others are not allowed to write editorials.

ISSUING EDITORS carry out the final editing of already prepared materials, write headings for them, etc.

THE ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR performs the duties of his boss in his absence. During normal times, he does other work, such as preparing the information department's annual balance sheet.

The EDITOR OF THE CAPITAL NEWS is subordinated to an assistant and two secretaries who answer telephone calls, maintain dossiers, make clippings, etc.

The LIBRARY is subordinate to the managing editor and manages reference books, a card file of materials, etc., and maintains the necessary dossiers.

GRAPHIC ARTISTS appeared in the states of American newspapers only a few years ago, which was due to the need for computer illustrations.

A SYSTEM EDITOR is responsible for creating computer programs, training employees, and troubleshooting a computer system.

SPECIAL GROUPS of employees are created under the General Director and under the Chief Editor. They have emerged relatively recently and are responsible for increasing the profitability of the publication.

EDITORIALIST EDITORIALIST is constantly in the editorial office and processes the materials that reporters bring to him. He coordinates the activities of reporters, gives editorial assignments, and reports to the managing editor.

As you can see, the staff of a relatively small American newspaper is quite impressive. In the last two years in the United States and Western Europe there has been a reduction in staff positions in the editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, primarily due to the combination of duties and the introduction of the latest technology.

If we analyze the staffing of the editorial office of a German newspaper with a circulation of 50 thousand copies, then we can get acquainted with a different organization of the work of journalists. In such a newspaper, six to seven full-time journalists report to the editor-in-chief, who are responsible for the work of the editorial departments, are constantly in the editorial office and supervise contracted or part-time employees. For every full-time employee, there are five to six contract workers. The staff of employees reporting to the CEO is about the same as in an American newspaper.

Saving on creative workers does not lead to good, as the experience of French journalists has shown. Thus, the Parisian "Cotidienne" reduced the number of journalists by almost half, trying to save money on this and cope with debts. As a result, the quality of newspaper materials deteriorated sharply, efficiency decreased, and readers turned their backs on the newspaper. Naturally, advertising revenue has also declined.

In recent years, an interesting trend has been observed: in publications that previously placed only advertising, they began to publish informational and analytical journalistic materials. Naturally, this occurs in countries where advertising publications and "free classifieds" lists are legally allowed to compete with subscription or retail publications.

Advertising has traditionally supported entertainment and prime time programs, the most expensive evening airtime. During the 1990s, evening advertising reached an average of 15 minutes and 44 seconds per broadcast hour in the United States. ABC tops the list of American broadcasters with 16 minutes 27 seconds primetime advertising time per broadcast hour. The comedy series "Sports Evening" aired on this channel has become the program most saturated with advertising, where commercials take an average of 19 minutes 13 seconds per hour.

The show of the final episode of the satirical television series "Seinfeld" was supported by advertising costing one 30-second video during the broadcast of this episode up to 2 million dollars.

The commercialization of journalism, including, and above all, television, has led to the fact that socially significant programs began to give way to entertainment, supported by advertising. This is especially evident in the example of educational programs and television news.

In the United States, the transition of leading national television companies into the hands of giant monopolies, the development of technology in the field of mass communications, increased competition in the information market - these and other factors prompt many experts to seriously raise the question of the future of television news, the place and role of television in the life of American society, the nature of its broadcast. The Christian Science Monitor, in a series of articles published from November 30 to December 3, 1987, took this issue seriously. Already in the 1980s, television news programming was facing its worst crisis since journalism entered the video era, the newspaper noted. It became clear that television news programs would have to radically rethink their vision of their goals and objectives, as well as the way they present news, in order to maintain their position as the number one source of public information.

Many of the restrictions of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) were eliminated through a policy of de-government control, which greatly relieved television stations of the burden of providing public service programs. As the U.S. put prudent businessmen, ready to lay off and guided by the principles of making a profit, at the head of national television companies, television news also began to be seen as a way to extract additional profits. The annual budgets for TV news programs have been constantly growing. Thus, the budgets of CBS News television news in the 1950s hovered around the $1 million mark, in 1978 it was $85 million, and in 1986 it had already reached $300 million. TV news program budgets, which reach $200-300 million for each national broadcaster, no longer match the income from these programs. At the same time, the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes proved to be highly profitable, generating $70-100 million a year for CBS and fueling the desire of all national broadcasters to expand "entertainment" news programming. The corporate executives who took control of these television companies in 1986 and 1987 are Thomas Murphy at Capital Cities (ABC), Robert Wright at General Electric (NBC), and Lawrence Tisch at C The BBC have made it clear that they consider news to be a business, an enterprise that must follow the financial results of its activities.

In fact, even at the dawn of the history of the development of television, television news in the United States was used to be considered almost a sacred public duty of companies. Renewal terms and FCC rules such as the now repealed "fairness doctrine" required stations to provide documentary evidence of a balanced display of programs serving the public interest. Entertainment programs were supposed to bring profit.

Broadcaster costs were driven up in part by competition for charismatic hosts, which pushed Dan Rather to nearly $2.5 million, Tom Brokaw to $1.5 million, and Barbara Walters to $1.3 million in the 1980s. years . But this is not the limit. The contract of the famous TV presenter Larry King in 2000 amounted to 5 million dollars a year. The same Barbara Walters, the host of one of the most popular television programs "20/20", signed in 2000 a five-year contract with the ABC television company worth $ 12 million a year, becoming the highest paid television journalist in the world.

However, not all news programs became unprofitable. The 60 Minutes program gives CBS about a third of what the company spends on all of its news programming. Many observers, including former CBS News president Richard Seilent, argue that the success of 60 Minutes has influenced management's attitude to the news. "60 Minutes," says Seilent, "proved to broadcasters that information can be profitable." The Today Show (NBC) and Nightline (ABC) are also profitable.

Broadcast newsroom executives agree that the growing staffs of the past few years have been overblown. ABC has cut its newsroom staff of 1,470 by about 200 people since it was acquired by Capitle Cities, and CBS has made roughly the same cuts since Tisch took over.

Former CBS President Frank Stanton said, "Now that the FCC has eased its focus on balanced programming and the removal of government oversight allows local stations to prioritize entertainment over public affairs, the change is happening because the people who left the scene who were originally dedicated to broadcasting and are being replaced by profit minded people, mostly people in sales and business management.”

What is the future of national TV news? Most experts predict that total TV viewership will continue to decline as TV viewers seek new news opportunities. Already tight TV news budgets will shrink even further. For the 50 million Americans who tune in to national news every night, there are more and more alternatives:

• · The news programs of local TV stations are being expanded. More and more stations around the country are adding national and international news to local reports;
• · communications through the satellite "Konas" become more important;
• · Live broadcast satellites will allow viewers to receive news broadcasts from around the world through parabolic antennas mounted on their rooftops;
• · Syndicated news programs also look promising. The Independent Network (INN) already offers a full information service to many stations;
• · Continuous cable television news broadcasts provide a service that national broadcasters cannot provide.

The cable channel C-SPAN, for example, covers congressional meetings and hearings, as well as other political events. The Cable News Network (CNN), which operates 24/7, is usually on the air for the duration of coverage of the event.

Another alternative is PBS's McNeil Derrer News Hour, which not only covers big news but analyzes big events much more deeply than the national broadcasters. So far, the PBS has not been able to raise the funds to directly compete with the news gathering of the broadcasters, but it competes successfully in the production of non-fiction programs, winning more Emmy awards for news programs than any commercial broadcaster.

Many informed people are thinking about tailoring news broadcasts to the interests of specialized audiences. Most admit that the main problem, in the words of ABC News President Rune Erledge, "is how much information people already have when they turn on our station." John Chancellor, commentator on the CBS Evening News, says: “You shouldn't try to make news programs for everyone, but you should take into account that people already know the basic elements of news. The evening information program should explain, comment, analyze these messages.” Bill Moyers, a former CBS Evening News commentator who left the company to become the independent head of public broadcasting, says: “When people come home, they don't need headlines anymore. They need insights, analysis, commentary, interpretation and clarification - honest, balanced, but journalistic ... CBS News is slowly dying out of touch with reality ... Those critical 5-10% of viewers who have come to rely on receiving important messages from CBS News, were disappointed to find that their precious time was wasted on unnecessary or entertaining information that they could have obtained with great success in the Evening Entertainment program. One of the ideas widely discussed in the television companies is to lengthen the programs of the evening news. Supporters include Moyers, CBS News president Howard Stringer, and CBS host Dan Rather. “I would like to try hosting an hour-long 9:00 p.m. news program,” Rather says. NBC News president Lawrence Grossman would like to see "a 90-minute mix of three-quarters of an hour of local news followed by three-quarters of an hour of national news." Another source of local reporting not associated with the national broadcasters is Cones, whose vice president, Stanley Hubbard, believes that cooperative news gathering is a response to declining interest in the national broadcasters' late-night newscasts. Cones, established in 1984, uses state-of-the-art satellite technology to deliver information messages made up in part of messages from member stations, distributes transmission times over satellite channels, and transmits many live and taped specialized information materials. Hubbard says, “The news broadcasts of the national broadcasters now cover three or four events seriously, while a few years ago they covered about 19 topics. We leave a lot of important news for local stations. We share our resources to better serve top stories." Cones' sole job is to supply the materials that the local stations want. We don't have access to the air. We just sell the program, and they show it on their waves. In conversations with 22 top TV news reporters from the Christian Science Monitor, two of the most respected media theorists, Bill Moyers and Ted Koppel, spoke out strongly against what they believe to be the shortcomings of the media. “So will the radio waves of our country be used only to amuse us and divert our attention? asked Moyers, who has been called "the conscience of American television." Or will radio waves, which are our common property, be used to inform us, enlighten us, unite us? So are we going to sit in our living rooms chuckling at sitcoms, allowing our attention to be diverted from the things that are destroying us as a civilized society?” .

Merging the information business with financial and industrial capital is one of the global trends in the development of journalism. This phenomenon can be traced in almost all countries of the world, including Russia. The experience of the most powerful country in terms of information - the United States - is analyzed and summarized in the monograph by E.Ch. Andrunas "The Information Elite: Corporations and the News Market". The author asks the question: is there a great distance between Hurst and Murdoch? And she herself answers: “In terms of time, not very much, they could even meet, because the Australian inherited his father's publishing company a year after Hirst's death. Many of Murdoch's newspapers on different continents are as scandalous and sensational as Hearst's were in their time. Both of them came from wealthy families, both received the first newspapers from their fathers, both aspired to money and power and achieved them. The distance between Hurst and Murdoch, it would seem, is small - and at the same time it is huge. These are people of two different eras: the first belonged to the industrial age, the second can serve as the personification of the information age.

Hearst, for all his ambition, never thought about creating a world newspaper empire, his interest in events outside the United States was caused by political or, more often, purely mercantile motives. Murdoch, on the other hand, is striving to create a global information system, the contours of which are already clearly visible and many elements are working successfully. Murdoch is certainly not alone in the global media market, but it is undeniable that he is the leader of the transnational information and propaganda complex.

The author comes to serious conclusions. For the largest, most powerful information monopolies, there are truly no boundaries. And this, of course, is not only Murdoch's company, but also Time Warner, Gannet, leading television networks, and some other corporations. “In this regard, notes E.Ch. Andrunas, - the question of pluralism again arises, but now on an international scale. Of course, in itself it is not new, since the dominance of American programs on the world's television screens is a problem that has been discussed for more than a decade. But the creation of global information systems gives the problem a new urgency. Monopoly or pluralism? Projecting the experience of the United States onto the global village, the answer is far from optimistic.

And one more important remark, far from indisputable. “Transnational propaganda monopolies are rightly criticized for concentrating in their hands unprecedented control over the global information market, blocking access to it for other companies that are not so rich and powerful. Wishing to emphasize the financial might of the largest international monopolies, their resources are often compared with those of entire countries. Media corporations are no exception in this sense. Let's say the newly merged Time Warner is valued at $18 billion, more than the gross national product of Jordan, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Albania, Laos, Liberia, and Mali combined.

But, agreeing with the criticism of transnational monopolies, one cannot fail to notice the huge progressive role that they, despite all their vices, can and must play in the formation of a single human community, overcoming barriers between countries and peoples, breaking stereotypes and prejudices. It is the transnational structures of the media, along with economic integration, that should become the basis of an interconnected and interdependent world.

Let's continue Andrunas's train of thought, returning to Hurst and Murdoch. Transnational mass media structures are led by specific people. It is they who will impose their views on billions of people in an “interconnected and interdependent world”, which, given the nature of the representatives of the information elite, allows us to draw one more conclusion: pluralism will remain an unrealizable dream. And it is by no means a matter of personalities - economic expediency is pushing for further concentration and monopolization.

Since the media are included in the current financial and economic system of a particular country, they are interested in the stability and development of this system, which is often manifested in the content of published or broadcast materials. In many Western countries, for example, materials are often published that criticize the actions of the authorities, but it is almost impossible to find publications that criticize the institution of private property - the foundation of the modern financial, economic and social systems of the West.

The largest corporations, even those whose business lies far from the information, maintain close contacts with the mass media. For example, consider the three largest automotive corporations.

"The advertisement is engine of the trade". We have learned this truth from childhood. It would seem that we will not discover anything unusual if we plunge into the relationship between entrepreneurs and the press. But still, even in the most ordinary, you can find something new.

The topic "Ford and the press" is inexhaustible. The fact is that their relationship is by no means limited to advertising alone. For example, when Charlotte Ford, the daughter of the most powerful automobile king, Henry Ford II, first appeared, a grand family party took place in Detroit, the automobile capital of America. As a special correspondent of Time magazine calculated, 1,270 guests ate 5,000 sandwiches, 2,160 eggs, 100 pounds of meat, drank 500 bottles of 1949 Cuvédôme Perigne, and 720 bottles of whiskey. 2 million magnolia leaves were used to decorate the building. For this party, the child-loving dad spent 250 thousand dollars.

The attention of the press to the Ford family is constant and vigilant. A car for an American is almost a member of the family. That is why legends and myths about the founder of the dynasty of automobile kings wander from magazine to magazine, from newspaper to newspaper.

De Witt Wallace, founder of Reader's Digest, the world's most widely read magazine, considered it appropriate to widely acquaint readers with Ford's biography, since it embodies the ideals of the American dream. Henry Ford successfully combined the talent of a designer and the wolf grip of an entrepreneur, willingness to take risks and outstanding organizational skills, disregard for moral standards and resourcefulness of a politician.

Daimler, Benz, Packard, Willis and many others were involved in the production of cars, but Henry Ford, one of the first car racers, was ahead of everyone. The first Ford car saw the light of day in 1892, but the two racing car companies he founded went down the drain. In 1903, he borrowed 28,000 dollars from acquaintances, purchased equipment, and began to produce a car designed for a poor person. In the ad, he wrote: “The car does the work of three horses. There is a constant threat hanging over you that your horse will die, while the car can always be repaired.

The main merit in the creation of a cheap car is rightly attributed to Henry Ford. Without his fanatical devotion to the cause and the desire to build a cheap car, the car would have remained an expensive toy for the rich. In 1908, the "Model T" was created - a very good car even in modern times. She could move along the most muddy country roads, bounce like an antelope on potholes. It could be switched to reverse when she went forward ...

Among the first buyers of Fords was the gangster John Dillinger, who was thundering all over America. In this car, he raided banks, and in it he was hiding from the police. The gangster was delighted with his car. He sent Ford this letter: “I would like to see you. Your car is simply amazing. Driving such a car is a pleasure. I am grateful to you that I can make any pursuers swallow the dust raised by a Ford car. All the best to you." Ford immediately published the touching message of the gangster in all the newspapers - additional advertising would not hurt!

Ford's new organization of work, which provided for the division of operations, the assembly line, and much more, played a big role in Ford's success. For many workers, the Ford plant has become something of a noisy prison. Ford solved this problem by raising the wage rate to $5 a day. He advertised this idea as a humane action. In fact, this was a common swindle, but other industrialists were extremely outraged. They called Ford a socialist, a radical...

The following fact speaks of the unscrupulousness of Henry Ford. He led the fight against the Selden patent pool - the Association of Automotive Industries. As a result, the Supreme Court ruled that the Selden patents, while still valid, ... do not apply to American motor vehicles. The Automotive Industry Association collapsed. Ford could develop unhindered.

Henry Ford has always actively used the press for his own purposes. He widely disseminated his thoughts and beliefs through the newspaper The Independent, published by him in Dearborn, whose circulation at one time reached 700,000 copies. Here he appeared before reading America as a militant anti-Semite, an admirer of Hitler. In 1938, he even received the Iron Cross, which he considered one of the highest achievements in his career. When Henry Ford I died in 1947, he was hailed as a great citizen of his country. So friendship with the press helped him even after death.

The company was headed (somewhat before the death of the old man, in 1945) by the grandson of the tycoon Henry Ford II.

The new owners of the company continued their profitable friendship with journalists. The founded Ford Foundation has long been a permanent sponsor of all non-commercial radio and television stations, which allowed him to become one of the most prestigious philanthropic organizations.

This corporation is going through difficult times these days. Thus, on January 11, 2002, RIA Novosti announced its intention to lay off 35,000 people in the near future, 22,000 of the cut jobs will fall on factories located in North America, 13,000 on Ford plants abroad, primarily in Canada. Company President William Clayford said at a press conference that it is not yet known when the job cuts will take place. He explained that the need for cuts is due to the need to restructure the automotive industry, from which all production will benefit in the future. As part of the program for a radical reorganization of production, the company's management decided to remove four models of the Ford car from the assembly line.

The management promised to do everything possible to ensure that the reduction in the number of employees took place mainly not in the form of direct layoffs, but by taking workers into early retirement.

At all times of the existence of Ford factories, special attention has been paid and is being paid to advertising. According to experts, ignorance of the basic principles of planning advertising activities by people responsible for its implementation is the main reason for poor promotion of goods, services and ideas on the market. The Ford company uses almost all methods to convey the necessary information to the consumer. This is the placement of advertisements in the periodical press, the publication of special promotional materials and their distribution, the use of broadcasting facilities, the arrangement of stationary and traveling exhibitions, and the implementation of advertising in the cinema. In addition, outdoor advertising is actively used, including advertising on transport. Signs, signs, tablets, etc. are displayed at the points of sale. One of the indispensable types of advertising is the presentation of souvenirs and gifts, which is remembered for a long time by the recipients and their numerous acquaintances. In short, advertising is a serious and costly business. Usually they do not skimp on advertising. The buyer pays the cost anyway...

And now the company achieves great benefits with the help of the press. In the organization of production, for example. Ford's automobile factories produce a number of publications, both magazine and newspaper type. One of the most highly politicized, experts consider the Ford Worker (Ford Worker) edition. A bulletin on relations with workers is issued for managers. The magazines serve as a link for middle management of all enterprises of the firm. Letters from the administration on topical issues are sent to employees at home.

In the face of fierce competition with other American firms and the offensive on the American market by Japanese automakers, the leaders of Ford Motor and its subsidiaries pay special attention to radio and television. When you consider that 179 million radios are installed in American cars, the "charitable" spending of the Ford Foundation to support non-commercial radio and television stations becomes clear.

American entrepreneurs don't throw money down the drain. They are well aware that even a non-direct revenue press can be very effective in helping a firm prosper. "Unproductive" expenses on journalism and journalists pay off handsomely.

"What's good for General Motors is good for America."

Isn't it a great slogan for advertising? “These words are somewhat different from those uttered in 1953 by the president of the automobile giant, Charles Wilson, during a discussion in the Senate committee of his candidacy for the post of Secretary of Defense. The fact is that when asked if he was going to sell his shares in the corporation, Wilson replied: "What is good for General Motors is good for the whole country." But be that as it may, the words of the official went around the entire world press, making the corporation even more famous.

What is good for General Motors, the first and main competitor of Ford's car factories? Naturally, they arrived. Let's see in what ways they are achieved by this monopoly giant and what is its history.

Ford was not the only automobile pioneer in America. By 1908, when Henry Ford created his "Model T", William Durant already owned the largest automobile manufacturing enterprise.

He had previously worked in the carriage industry and successfully applied the techniques he had learned to expand his General Motors empire. Durant's first independent steps were very successful. In 1885, at the age of 24, Durant was an insurance agent in Flint, Michigan. Together with his colleague J.D. Dort, he bought a patent for ... two gigs and signed a contract with a subcontractor for their production, while he himself was engaged in marketing products.

The first acquaintance with advertising took place. The structuring of the market helped to find an approach to distrustful buyers-farmers. For the sale of gigs, shopping centers for the sale of agricultural equipment with an already established advertising system were used.

The Durant-Dort Carriage Company was so successful that it decided to start manufacturing gigs on its own. At 40, Durant was already a millionaire. Deciding to build his own industrial empire, Durant bought the Buick Manufacture Company, a struggling small firm. A start was made.

Soon, Durant's brainchild grew - he sold more cars than Ford. After a failed attempt to unite the four largest automobile companies - Buick, Maxwell, Reo and Ford - Durant founded the General Motors Company, which included Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Oakland (later Pontiac), five other car companies, three truck companies, ten parts companies. The company's rapid growth led to financial difficulties. The bankers who gave the loans took $12.5 million as commissions, plus $6 million worth of General Motors shares. At the direction of the bankers, who were interested in profits, and not in the expansion of production, all subsidiaries were merged, and small ones considered unprofitable were liquidated. It was during this period that Charles Nash and Walter Chrysler entered the top management of the company. Durant, by joining forces with the Swiss mechanic Louis Chevrolet, began the production of an inexpensive car that began to compete with the Ford. The success of the new car was so great that Durant tried to take back General Motors. In this he was assisted by Pierre Dupont and John Raskob.

In the future, the entire history of General Motors was associated with the name Du Pont. The loose Durant structure of the company was replaced by a clear hierarchy. There were groups of highly qualified consultants and a commission of experts. The organization of sales of finished products was strengthened. They began to look at advertising and "public relations" - public relations in a new way.

As the American researcher B. Seligman wrote, "the era of managers in gray suits with insinuating manners has come."

Public relations departments in some industrial firms arose at the beginning of the century, in many - in the 20s and 30s. General Motors Corporation has its own powerful public relations departments and regularly turns to specialized public relations firms for help.

I had to solve the problem of the relationship between advertising services and "public relations". This turned out to be not so easy, since even experts do not have a unanimous opinion about the functions of one and the other. Indeed, it is difficult to determine where advertising ends and where "public relations" begins. PR people consider advertising institutions, ideas and personalities their prerogative, but they also actively invade the holy of holies of advertising agencies, engaging in activities that are somehow related to the sale of products. In turn, the advertising industry has developed to such an extent that it is entrusted with the promotional design and conduct of political campaigns. One way or another, but corporations are vitally interested in friendship with the press. And they are actively seeking it. First of all, to create and popularize an attractive corporate image.

It is interesting to note that the phrase "image of a corporation" was first used in one of the articles in 1953, although corporations, and advertising, and "public relations" have already existed for a long time. Moreover, A. Lee at the beginning of the century successfully built a favorable image of Rockefeller, offering him to the public as a philanthropist, friend of children and an exemplary Christian. The fact is that under the "image of a corporation" they began to understand not just an impression that spontaneously develops in everyone, but one that is purposefully formed by various means. This is at the same time a concept that has an expanded form of ideological, organizational and content sides.

The image of General Motors, one of the "three sisters" - the largest automobile monopolies in America, is molded by highly qualified professionals who know their business. And not only "for sale", but also for "internal use" - to manage their own workers. If earlier managers could speak out openly and without fuss: “Work faster and better, otherwise we will find a replacement,” or “If you don’t want to work for the same salary, we’ll hire others,” then in modern times such things no longer work. In accordance with the principles of "human relations in industry" and the recommendations of "bringing corporate spirit" at the enterprises of General Motors, modern managers are well aware of "what the working guys breathe" and act in accordance with the recommendations of psychologists, sociologists and other specialists. The combination of democratic management with constant monitoring of the behavior of workers makes it possible to achieve total control and, on this basis, high production efficiency. As researchers have repeatedly noted, it is enough to express in the press an opinion that differs from the point of view of the company's leaders in order to be fired without any compensation. Bonus payments (and they reach 30% of wages) can be canceled, in fact, at the discretion of the administration. But here the “struggle for the image of the company” can come into force - sometimes it is easier to buy off one or two people than to “lose face”. Yourself is dearer!

A car in the United States is not only a means of transportation, but also a certain symbol of prosperity. Americans have come to identify with their car. The more luxurious and newer the car, the higher the prestige of its owner. But due to rising gas prices, parking difficulties, more and more Americans are switching to medium and small cars. General Motors keeps pace with the times.

DuPonts remain the main owners of General Motors. One of the American journalists, responding to the eulogy in honor of the Du Ponts from Time magazine, wittily remarked that “there is only one place in America where King Louis XVI of France would feel at home if he could manage to put his severed head back to the body. This place is located in the forests of Delaware in "Dupon County". Yes, they rule here, just as in the past the feudal princes, the billionaire Du Ponts, ruled. More than 200 adjoining family estates are located in the wooded part of the state, forming a magnificent fox hunting reserve. Inside, the houses are hung with trophies taken from hunting trips by family members or predators in Africa, drawings of Du Pont yachts such as the American Eagle, and goblets won by breeding cattle. It should not be forgotten, however, that DuPont's holdings are not only in Delaware, but also in Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, and other places.

Du Ponts, like all "fat cats", donate huge sums to election campaigns, to the funds of parties and social movements. Naturally, they do not forget about the press, which cares so much about their popularity and the "image of the corporation."

Just as in the Ford factories, General Motors automakers are provided with their own press. It turns out, for example, the large-circulation "Sparkplug" ("Fire Candle").

I recently visited the Sahara. There I heard a joke.

Gas station in the African desert. Large sign:

“Fill the tank and all the canisters. The next three gas stations you see are a mirage."

For General Motors, there are no deserts. Big capital will always find a way out. And specialists in advertising and "public relations" themselves create the necessary mirages corporations.

What is good for General Motors is good for the whole country!

Among the "three sisters" - the giants of the automotive industry, Chrysler occupies a special place. Yielding to Ford Motor and General Motors, this firm remains one of the most significant automobile monopolies in the world. But at the same time, Chrysler is actively developing its subsidiaries in many countries of the world, is one of the largest military contractors both in the United States and beyond.

What to say about the man who gave his name to the famous corporation? First of all, he created his Plymouth, which won the hearts of Americans at one time. Moreover, Walter Chrysler entered the history of the automotive industry as one of the leaders of General Motors. How did it happen that the name of Chrysler is a corporation competing with General Motors? Very simple. At one time, the Morgans in the leadership of General Motors were forced to unite with the DuPonts. And Chrysler is essentially owned by the same Morgans ...

As you can see, competition is competition, and when it comes to profit, cooperation is very possible. All the more possible if billions of Morgans are involved.

If Henry Ford I's ads were simple and punchy, Chrysler's ads today are insinuating and unobtrusive. The consumer receives the information he needs about the goods and services provided by the company, but it is extremely rare that all this is linked to the name of billionaires. As Life magazine noted at the time, “Despite the adherence to tradition, there is nothing old-fashioned in the style of the Morgan Bank.” And not only the bank, we add. After all, the Morgans are among those who own the same Life. In short, the Morgans have modernized. And it all started like this...

The founder of the dynasty, Junius Spencer Morgan, amassed a considerable fortune of several million dollars. Having grown rich through various illegal transactions during the war between the North and the South, Junius Spencer Morgan became a partner of one of the largest US bankers, George Peabody. So the son of Junius, John Pierpont Morgan Sr., nicknamed Corsair, inherited a significant fortune. It was Corsair who got the glory of the creator of the "Morgan Empire".

One of Morgan-Corsair's first contacts with the automotive industry was a meeting with William Durant when he was in serious financial difficulty. Durant came to Morgan and offered him to buy General Motors for ... a million and a half dollars. By this time, the most far-sighted bankers in the auto industry saw huge opportunities. And Morgan laughed at him and simply kicked him out. After 12 years, in 1920, he already had to team up with Du Pont to scrape together $ 80 million to acquire the same General Motors.

As biographers note, the hallmarks of the Corsair were complete shamelessness in the choice of means, contempt for any moral standards, cruelty and greed. Before his death, old Morgan decided to embellish himself somewhat in the eyes of his descendants. He rightly believed that some respectability would help his heirs in business. That is why the will, by which he transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to his son John Pierpont, Jr., Corsair began with the words: “I commit my soul into the hands of my savior in deep faith that, redeemed and washed in his most precious blood, he will present her sinless before the Creator my heavenly. And I implore my children, at the cost of every risk and personal sacrifice, to support and defend the holy doctrine of the complete atonement of sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, once shed for this sake. The path of hoarding, which led the Corsair, is a chain of crimes from murder to treason.

Now the Morgan group controls dozens of the largest industrial corporations, banks, railways, insurance companies. The unscrupulousness in the increase of capital is still a family trait.

And one more thing: the political views of the Morgans have always clearly gravitated towards the right. Thus, the McCormack-Dickstein Commission confirmed the validity of the sensational accusations against some leaders of the "American Legion" and well-known Wall Street figures (one of them was closely associated with the Morgan banking house) that they had organized a conspiracy and really intended to establish a fascist dictatorship. This, of course, was quickly glossed over by a submissive press.

An important role to hide your billions from prying eyes is played by the desire to avoid taxation. That's why advertisements for Morgan enterprises are often not associated with their name. Part of the capital - in various charitable foundations, part - in the media, which not only help in the implementation of advertising and propaganda campaigns, but also create an attractive image for corporations, the same Chrysler, for example. Henry Ford also resorted to charitable foundations, but the Morgans came up with a different move. This is a formal division of companies into many small and tiny subsidiaries with a complex system of subordination and intertwining interests.

The Chrysler corporation, which is in the sphere of influence of the Morgan group, in order to avoid competition from Western European automobile firms, actively bought up European companies itself. In the mid-1960s, in particular, it increased its share in the French automobile company SIMCA to 77% of the share capital, i.e. “married” with the FIAT monopoly.

Chrysler plays an important role in the production of tanks and missiles, the supply of automotive equipment to the armies of NATO member countries.

Where there are military contracts, there is secrecy. This is why advertising for Chrysler products and services is limited to the civilian complex. Newspapers and magazines obedient to the will of the Morgans, radio and television, "pressure groups" in Congress and the White House take part in the division of the "war pie". Sometimes the interests of the financiers of the Morgans conflict with the interests of the Morgans as industrialists. And already in the “family” the battles of doves and hawks begin.

If we dwell on only one automotive industry, then there are more than enough contradictions here. Take, for example, state laws regarding drivers and automobiles. In most states, an American can obtain a driver's license at 16 years of age. In some - at 18, if you have not graduated from a special school or courses. Some places are more liberal. In Louisiana, Maine, Montana and New Mexico, you can get a driver's license at the age of 15, and in Mississippi and Hawaii, "fifteen-year-old captains" can drive a car without even completing a course. In 29 states, special youth driver's licenses are issued that allow you to drive a car, and in 13 states from the age of 14, and in Montana - from 13. This alone places increased demands on cars. In addition, a feature of one-story America is that in order to drive from one end to the other, even a small town of 100-206 thousand inhabitants, one has to overcome many tens of miles. It is no coincidence that the average travel distance of Americans is two and a half times that of Western Europeans and seven times that of Japanese residents.

Of course, the car is different for the car, it is not for nothing that the expression “Limousine Liberal”, that is, “liberals driving around in limousines,” has taken root in America. These are figures who talk about the merits of public schools while sending their children to expensive private schools. They talk about hunger, but they themselves have never experienced its torments. Whatever cars are produced by factories that are part of the orbit of the "three sisters" - the automobile giants of America, but their owners are necessarily among such "liberals". And their words, filled with political hypocrisy and demagogy, are circulated in millions of copies by the obedient press, radio and television. Any mass media can be considered as a commercial and industrial enterprise, which is affected by all the laws and patterns of the economy. It is possible to define the effectiveness of the mass media in another way: the news is considered as a commodity, and the audience - as capital. In a number of cases, the media act as groups of economic interests, and in interaction with government structures - as groups of influence, "lobbies". In recent years, the economic structure of the media has changed markedly. Advertising is becoming increasingly important as the main source of financial income. In many countries, the state subsidizes the media both directly and indirectly through the provision of various benefits, grants, government advertising, and so on. The inclusion of mass media in industrial-financial groups makes it possible to achieve the financial stability of the mass media.