MINSK, 8 June (BelTA) - The task of state media is to destroy the “digital noise”, Belarus' Information Minister Igor Lutsky said in an interview with STV TV channel on 7 June, BelTA has learned.
Speaking about the strategy of the Information Ministry regarding the internet, Igor Lutsky noted that it will be aimed at adjusting the actions of mass media in order to convey a clear state policy and protect the population from information that harms the country. “We see now, during the important political campaign, what is happening on the internet, on social networks, on internet sites, video hosting sites. It may seem harmless to some, but it has a very serious impact on what is happening in the country and how the situation will develop,” the minister said. In his opinion, it is important to separate the wheat from the chaff and give people clear, understandable and truthful information. “It is very easy to confuse people. ‘Digital noise' has a big impact on minds. The task, first of all of state media, is to destroy it and to convey truthful information,” the minister said.
Speaking about his time at the helm of the STV channel, Igor Lutsky noted: "Development of the STV internet directorate was a priority for us. We have increased our You-tube viewership from 40,000 to 376,000 subscribers. It is a huge audience. It is clear that it represents the international Russian-speaking community but we have reached it, conveyed our position to the internet audience.” Other media outlets should aim to work in a similar vein, he said. “We need to move in two directions at once: classical television and, of course, video hosting. We have made the focus on YouTube on STV,” he added.
According to the minister, information plays an increasingly important role in political and economic decision-making. “It affects the development of states and the situation there: whether they will exist at all or not. Today it is not wars but information that determines how the world will develop further,” said Igor Lutsky. In his words, any government decision should have serious information support.
The minister believes that any information is valuable and important. The only question is how to use it: for the good or for doing harm. Subscriptions in social networks and the environment determine our world view, but we should not dwell only on this, we need to look wider, he said. “I always look at alternative viewpoints, analyze them. The range of my interests [in social networks] is wide, from politics to something trivia, simple stuff,” said Igor Lutsky.