Minster of information wants Internet-publications to be media

“We don’t speak about Internet-media control in Belarus, we are looking for approaches of such media promotion,” Uladzimir Rusakevich, minister of information, said to journalists in Minsk on the opening ceremony of the XII International Specialised Exhibition “Media in Belarus” on 28 April.

“Internet-media control is not our expression,” the minister noted. He reminded that the Ministry of Information works on the law “On Press and Other Media” improving. “We need to know what should be done for Internet-media promotion, we need to possess true information of how many and what Internet resources are in Belarus,” U. Rusakevich said.

“I want Internet versions of printed publications to be media,” U. Rusakevich said. “The Internet now is a means of communication, not more.”

As BelaPAN informed earlier, activity of Internet-media is planned to be regulated in the new version of the law on “Press and Other Media.” It is also planned to determine if Internet versions of printed publications are independent media. At the present time the Ministry of Information formulates suggestions and introduces them to the National Law Projects Center.

In general, U. Rusakevich called the informational market of Belarus “worthy.” According to the minister, 1,300 newspapers are printed in the country, the total circulation of the central republican newspapers is 800 thousand copies. Regional newspapers have the same circulation. What concerns telecommunications, U. Rusakevich noted: “We probably go behind Russian and Western countries on technical level, as we don’t have and won’t have in the nearest time our own satellite. We are leasing it, but any lease is dependence.”