Information minister predicts soon end for newspapers

Media will see hard times.

Answering journalists in Ushachy, Belarusian Minister of Information Aleh Pralyskouski said printed newspapers would become outdated by 2020, BelTA news agency reports. It may be a possible reason for a decision to consolidate four state-run newspaper into one, “Salidarnast” infroms.

Future belongs to the Internet, Pralyaskouski admits. In this regard, state-run media should create own powerful online-resources. This is a task not only for newspapers, the Belarusian Television and Radio Company wants to launch “a separate channel on the Internet”.

It's not the first year when state-governed media have been trying to reach leading positions on the Belarusian Internet. The problem is that compulsory subscription is impossible on the Internet, so online versions of official media lose out to independent Internet media.

The death of printed media  by 2020 predicted by the information minister inevitably leads to destruction of the current propaganda model. Besides newspapers, it will lose other blocks. The more Belarusians use the Intenret, the less they watch state television. Prospects for an online channel the Belarusian TV wants to create look rather dubious: the “quality and ability to be  interesting” of company's products is well known.

The weakening influence of traditional state media gives the opposition additional opportunities to gain minds and votes of Belarusians. The problem is that democratic politics use only 10% of the possibilities provided by the Internet.