Pertsov: analysis of Belarus’ information space shows increased trust in state media
Belarus’ Information Minister Vladimir Pertsov reported this to the President at today’s meeting to discuss the state of things in mass media
He noted that the main efforts of the Information Ministry are aimed at implementing the state information policy, fulfilling ideological tasks and ensuring supervision in the information sphere, “It is pleasant to note that the analysis of Belarus’ information space shows an increased interest in truthful information, increased trust in state media, trust in the proven, verified and responsible policy of the state and the President.”
During the report, Vladimir Pertsov highlighted several priority tasks for the activities of the ministry he heads.
* The first is to improve the quality of the information product, raising the professional level of journalists. Much has been already said on this topic, but there is still something to work on.
* The second is to ensure an increase of the share of domestically-produced television programmes. To date, the in-house content reaches 40.3 percent in the average volume of state TV channels. In the future, the target is set to achieve 50-70 percent of in-house TV products but this depends on financial possibilities.
* The third is to promote and strengthen the state position in the Internet space, including the active development of social networks and messengers. According to social surveys, 63.2 percent of Belarusians receive information from Internet sources and 61.3 percent – from television. Every second person uses social networks.
* The fourth is to strengthen editorial offices of the regional media and to set up regional media holdings. This will enable to concentrate financial, technical, and human resources in the main editorial office, and will solve the problems of design and promotion of content in digital environments. This will result in the creation of a unified, efficient, manageable system of regional media. This work is already underway.
