Meeting with representatives of Belarusian major state-run mass media

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Mass media aim to shape constructive public opinion thanks to the timely and objective provision of information, a sincere and thoughtful dialogue with people, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during the meeting with the representatives of Belarusian major state-run mass media on 10 April.

The event was held at the Belarusian Television and Radio Company (Belteleradiocompany). Before the meeting with the journalists Aleksandr Lukashenko was informed about the news broadcasting development prospects. The President also was briefed on technical re-equipment and HD broadcasting in the country.

Taking part in the meeting with the Belarusian head of state were more than 130 journalists representing Belteleradiocompany, Second National TV Channel, Stolichnoye Televidenie, BelTA news agency, Sovetskaya Belorussiya newspaper, Zvyazda publishing house and the national subsidiary of the interstate TV and radio company MIR.

“I feel nostalgic. I have not visited you for a while. I used to come to visit you often in the past. Probably, it's a good feeling. So let us agree that this meeting will not be my press conference but an honest and straightforward talk. We all work for one and the same goal. So for me it is very important to have a frank conversation. You are not only journalists. You are citizens: conscious, educated, informed citizens of Belarus,” the President said.

“The goal is to make this conversation useful. I would like to leave the studio with something. And I hope you too will make some conclusions and take some ideas home with you,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.

“The need for this frank conversation is long overdue. The reason for today's event is the start of the new phase in your work. We cannot continue to work in old ways. I do not want to say that everything was bad in the past. Without bad and good things we would not have had the new stage,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

“We should bring to the forefront the things that mobilize and consolidate us, make the country even more independent, peaceful and focused on the future,” the President is convinced.

He added that he is in favor of evolutionary processes. “Revolutions cost too much, bring drastic consequences. We have witnessed enough revolutions already. We do not need them. We need to evolve. At the same time, as the classic put it, we must stand on the shoulders of previous generations and learn the best from them,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

According to the President, quality journalism with an author’s position, reliable facts and deep analytics are highly in demand today. “Your goal is to catch the attention of readers and viewers. You need to carefully prioritize your activities and think over the thematic and genre variety of TV channels and newspapers to draw the attention of people of different age and opinion,” the head of state said.

In his words, it seems impossible today to take the youth away from mobile phones and computers and make them read a newspaper. “Thus, we must offer them something interesting and objective on the internet,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

At the beginning of the meeting Aleksandr Lukashenko answered many questions about different topics.