Putin, One Russia said given disproportionate amount of TV airtime
RIA-Novosti
Moscow, 12 November: Russian television channels are giving more time to the coverage of the activities of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the One Russia party, reducing the time given to the cabinet, Oleg Panfilov, director of the Union of Journalists' Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations, has said.
Starting from 1 October 2008 (as received; should be 2007), the Centre for Journalism in Extreme Situations (CJES) has been monitoring five television channels: Channel One, Rossiya, Centre TV, NTV and Ren TV.
The centre has been analysing the amount of time devoted to the candidates and parties contesting the State Duma election, as well as the main political figures, in prime-time news (from 1800 to 0000 hours).
"Since the first study in March-May 2006, the amount of time for the coverage of the activities of the president of the Russian Federation and the One Russia party has increased at the expense of reduced coverage of the activities of the cabinet," Panfilov told a news conference on Monday (12 November).
According to the results of the CJES study, the NTV television channel devotes more airtime to the coverage of the president's activities than other channels, 46.9 per cent of prime-time news. Channel One comes second (41.5 per cent), followed by Centre TV on 37.3 per cent and Rossiya on 35.9 per cent, with Ren TV bringing up the rear with 13.5 per cent, Panfilov said. He also noted that Ren TV had reduced its coverage of Putin's activities.
According to the results of the study, the airtime for the coverage of the activities of the cabinet on all channels has decreased by one-third.
Panfilov also said that the television channels had increased their coverage of the activities of Russia's political parties.
"Eighteen months ago, the activities of the One Russia party were given the widest coverage. Now the coverage spectrum has increased by nearly the entire list (presumably, of parties taking part in the State Duma election)," he said, adding that Patriots of Russia was the party covered by Russian television channels less than any other. He said that in October, the share of the party on Channel One was less than 0.1 per cent; on Rossiya, 0.2 per cent; and on Centre TV, 1 per cent. Ren TV covered the party's activities more than any other channel.
Panfilov said the study would continue until the presidential election (in March 2008), after which the CJES intended to publish a book containing comparative analysis of monitoring of election campaigns on television in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Italy and other countries.