Ales Lipai, BelaPAN: «Our subscriber are interested, whom president met with»
- 22.11.2007, 14:23
Founder of the independent news agency BelaPAN Ales Lipai answered the questions of Radio Svaboda on November, 21.
Once I watched a press conference of Lukashenka and saw you demeaning yourself and asking the dictator to permit opening a radio station. Were you ashamed of yourself? Or is this a normal state of Belarusian independent journalism to crawl to officials and say ”we are good.” Viktar Vyeramyeichyk, Grodna.
It’s a pity that you appraise my question at that press conference in such an inadequate way. I remind, I raised the question about problems of independent media with access to information and the fact that the Ministry of Information has in fact stopped registering new media. On the example of our radio station I was speaking about creating by officials obstacles and violation of laws. How could you hear an asking for permission in my words? Aren’t you ashamed of your lies?
Crawling is not only an abnormal state for any journalism, it’s very uncomfortable. I advice you not even try to crawl.
Don’t you think that Mr. Zimouski (head of Belarusian Teleradiocompany) has enough opportunities for self-expression and defence of the existing regime? Why do you provide him with the place on your site? Such persons as Zimouski helped to oppress democracy in our country and must answer for it.
Has Aliaksandr Zimouski the opportunities to defend the regime or hasn’t, it doesn’t influence realisation of my projects. I have already explained the idea of the project “Opinion” to the internet news-paper “Belorusskiye Novosti”. I don’t see grounds to prefer readers, who don’t want to see his materials in our news paper, to those, who want to read them here. Moreover, one always has a right not to read authors he or she dislikes.
Deputy head of the Central Election Committee Lazavik said once that your agency was an example of objective journalism. When internet site were blocked during the election, you weren’t affected. Why do the authorities like you? Or probably, you are really “good”?
The so called traffic shaping was used against our sites. Technically it’s more difficult than just blocking a site.
Our agency can be held up as an example not only by Mr. Lazavik, but by everyone, who has unbiased opinion. By the way, we were covering all election campaigns in free access on-line on a special site - http://by.belaruselections.info/
We were the most quoted source of information about Belarusian election. BelaPAN’s articles were reprinted all over the world, including Belarusian sites, which were blocked by more clumsy methods.
Practically all materials in “Belorusskiye Novosti” are written in Russian now. Why? Market conditions? But you write verses in tarashkevitsa (classical variant of Belarusian)… At all, your internet news-paper has become less interesting. But how good it was in the beginning!
You are wrong. For the last time we have began to print more materials in Belarusian. First of all, in the column “Opinion.”
About verses… What connection do they have to the news-paper? Maybe the news-paper has become less interesting for you. But the number of readers is growing, and we face a dilemma: make our best to keep the readers, or change something to attract new ones. We try both variants. Unfortunately, it didn’t work with you…
Hello! What attitude does Mr. Ales Lipai have to news-paper “Sovetskaya Belorussia” and TV channels ONT and BT? There are many talks about opening an independent satellite channel BelSat. In your opinion, what be the reaction of the authorities? Thanks! int13h
“Sovetskaya Belorussia”, or to be more precise,”Belarus Segodnya” is one of the most professional editions in our country. They are protecting the interests of their founder in a creative and professional way. The other case, if it were in my power, there wouldn’t be state media in Belarus at all. But not all private founders want to follow ethic and professional principles of journalism. So the problem is wider.
BT and ONT protect the interests of their founder, too. In my view, BT is more successful in this. I should admit that it has turned from an old style and primitive channel into a modern and effective ideological instrument.
I can only welcome the creation of BelSat. I hope it won’t be an ideological instrument.
I wish BelaPAN published more keen materials, because sometimes it resembles a local paper: president met, minister went to... How he can be named a president after rigging and falsifications in 2001 and 2006?!
It may seem strange to you, but our subscribers are interested to know whom the president met with and where a minister went to. So, we will write about it, too. No event in the country stays beyond our attention, as it can be desirable for some people.
Full text of the on-line conference with Ales Lipai HERE