Reform of state-owned media is necessary

In August 2012, the president became the sole founder of the public mass media. Parliamentarians called this situation a monopoly on information, illegally installed over state media.

Deputies from the beginning of the current year worked on a package of laws regulating media activities. The authors of the legislative initiative (deputies Igor Buga and Andrei Safonov) proposed at the legislative level to provide the right to establish state media three branches of government and the president. They also defined the procedure of appointment and dismissal of the chief editors of state-run media. The initiator was a prosecutor office in case if it finds violations of the current legislation by the head of the state media. Another norm planned to consolidate the order to publicize the work of state bodies and agencies, place materials on their activities on radio and television.

However, as you know, the President vetoed the law, adopted by the legislature. Justifying the rejection draws an analogy with Russia, where the founder of the "All-Russian Television and Radio" is the government. However, Parliamentarians once again pointed to a thoughtful approach to the harmonization process.

It was noted during the work on the legislations that the government and the president has not sent any amendments, denying parliamentarians sentence as a whole. As a result, highlighting overdue reform in the Republic of the media, members of parliament overcame the president's veto. Majority of votes adopted the law in the previous version.