Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 12 July (BelTA) – Internet and social media must comply with the ethical and moral principles, the laws of spirituality, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the opening of the plenary meeting of the 19th World Congress of Russian Press in Minsk on 12 July, BelTA has learned.

“In the name of morality and protection of the rights of citizens to reliable information, the state has the right to apply the norms and force of law. Reliable barriers should be built to block the information harmful to people,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that the journalistic profession has changed dramatically in the new technological environment. “We witnessed a transition to a new system of production and and dissemination of information, namely citizens’ journalism. Now virtually anyone with a phone and internet access can act as a media outlet. For many people, the world has narrowed down to a smartphone screen, and the picture of the world has become shaped by news feeds in social networks,” the head of state said.

On the whole, the situation in the information sector is not simple. Unreliability of information, manipulation of facts, fake news lead to a distorted perception of events. Broad public opinion gets gradually involved in this. And suddenly you cannot separate fact from fiction.

In these circumstances, the moral and civic principles largely depend on professional experienced journalists, traditional press today, the president said. “The right choice is always important: rating or truth, objectivity or personal interests,” the Belarusian leader underlined.