Alexander Bikantov, Head of the Press Centre and Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed that cooperation and mutual understanding are needed in shaping the news agenda: “The actions of Russia and Europe in the information environment are not always coordinated. We need a constructive dialogue and an exchange of knowledge and content to shape a positive news agenda”.
The anniversary conference drew participants’ attention to the problems of today’s journalism profession. Experts believe that modern journalism ceases to produce meanings, and as a rule, conveys descriptions of actions taking place in reality in a distorted and sometimes unreliable form. Armen Oganesyan, editor-in-chief of International Affairs magazine, chairman of the organizing committee of the “Russia-Europe: Current Issues in International Journalism” conference, stresses the need to find new ways to interact with the audience: “We live in the post-truth era when any report or post on social networks can form an unreliable picture of reality. In this regard, journalists need to find new approaches to their audiences that help readers understand why they should choose a particular media or information product”.
The conference brought together several dozen Russian experts. They were joined by colleagues from foreign countries, including Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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