MOGILEV, 28 May (BelTA) - Belarus needs to step up propaganda and counter-propaganda, ideological work, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the Belarus Media Forum in Mogilev on 28 May, BelTA has learned.
"It is important to step up propaganda and counter-propaganda, ideological work. I want young journalists to learn this," the head of state said. “There is no need to be shy about such words and concepts. Do you think the West is not doing this? They just call it differently – PR or work with public opinion. The essence is the same. So let them work with public opinion on their territory.”
"We are tired of hearing about supposedly independent media, democratic values. We see how they imprison their journalists, shut down media outlets and persecute everyone who dares to disagree with the policy and actions of the governments," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “There are many examples of such actions in different countries: from the United States and the European Union to Moldova, the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia.
Some may try to draw some parallels with the situation in Belarus in 2020, but this, according to the President, is an absolutely incorrect comparison. “In Belarus, we had some grievances against individual journalists not because of their opinion or position, but because they behaved like traitors. So we fought against it. Journalists were brought to account for violating the law," the head of state stressed.
The president also emphasized that it is important to maintain a balance of militant and creative stories in the media, which should be equally attention-catching.
"Of course, from the professional point of view ‘fighting on the information front’ is more appealing. The stories come out more watchable," the head of state said. "But we also need to make the peace agenda as attention catching and memorable."
Now, as the president noted, people want a peaceful, creative agenda. "You show us an ordinary operator of a grain harvester and talk to him and it's comforting. This is a person who performs feats every day and feeds us. Make these reports more often," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “If you show the war, then show us peaceful work. Because we do not want to fight, and I really hope that we will not."
