CIAO DATE: 01/2009
January 2006
Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales
On 27 November 2006 in the Moscow Kremlin Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated the 75th anniversary of Russian television with eight hundred journalists and top television managers. A very important occasion indeed. The Russian president sent messages of congratulations to a huge amount of organizations, but welcomed in person to the Kremlin only selected representatives of the most important ones, these days mainly the various branches of military and security organs. Television would seem an anomaly here, but it is not, since Russian officials and political advisers like to conceptualize television – so often used as a tool of manipulation- as “the Kremlin’s nuclear weapon.”
The short speech delivered by Putin is telling. “Today in this room are assembled representatives of different channels and of different professions linked with television. It is one family. And, as in every family, everything happens: you compete, quite fiercely lately. But the bond that joins all of you is your vocation and the dedication to your beloved profession, your belonging to the big “television family” and, of course, the appreciation of the special role and of the significance that your profession has in society.”
The president, who obviously assumed the role of “father” of the Russian television family during the meeting, went on to underline the “vast possibilities” of television, in terms of influence on people’s lifestyle and understanding of the world. He particularly emphasized that these possibilities “entail a huge sense of responsibility” among television professionals. Putin identified the most important characteristics of Russian television: “technical innovation, creativity, respectful approach to viewers. Humanity, artistic taste, true Russian educational traditions – all this has become the calling card of our television in the world.”
Resource link: Vladimir Putin and The Russian Television "Family" [PDF] - 1.7M