Preparing Independent Russian Media for the 21'' Century:

Final Report on Cooperative Agreement 11 8-A-00-97-00274-00, December 2000 page 42
Through its web site and its electronic mail listserv, MBDS disseminated
information about this campaign and print-ready mock-ups of the IAA advertisements to
non-state newspapers throughout Russia (samples are attached as Appendix 10).
MBDS's efforts met with an enthusiastic response from Russian publishers from Sakhalin
to Kaliningrad who were pleased to run the ads. MBDS estimates that at least 40
newspapers are actively participating in this program.
On a national level, MBDS persuaded ProMedia, the holding company that owns
Izvestia and Komsomolskaya Pvavda (as well as all their regional publications), to
participate in the campaign as well. In all, more than 100 publications belonging to this
group have run the advertisements. In recent months, the business-oriented daily
Vedornosti has also begun running the advertisements and the IAA is planning to launch
the television and radio ads in the near future.
Changing public perceptions is, of course, not an overnight process. However,
the IAA has begun doing surveys to establish baseline data and to monitor progress. At
present, roughly 30 percent of Russians have a "negative" or "very negative" attitude
toward advertising generally. The newspaper, television, and advertising industries must
do as much as possible into the future to change these perceptions if they are to flourish
in Russia.
4.3.4 NPI Legal Service
"For Chelyabinsky Rabochy, in the current srtuatron, when the
authorities are trying to take over the newspaper, the informatton and
advice [NPZ provided] is extraordznarzly rrnportant Regzonal
newspapers can only dream about such asststance . "
Yury Yemelyanov, deputy editor-in-chief, Chelyabznsky Rabochy
NPZS dossier on legal issues "became a sort of bible zn our editorral
ofice - we refer to it constantly zn solving everyday problems "
Tatyana Yevstropova, Semenovsky Vestnrk (Semenov, Nizhny
Novgorod Oblast)
NPI created its commercial-law legal consulting service in August 1999 in
response to numerous requests from independent newspaper publishers for legal
assistance and as a part of its stepped-up assistance effort in the wake of the 1998
financial crisis. As NPI has known for many years, administrative harassment of
newspapers (in dozens of forms) is one of the most effective means by which local and
national authorities maintain a largely closed society in Russia. Although a permanent
solution to this problem will come only when the country's political culture matures
sufficiently and when the legislative environment for press freedom and other civil rights
is created, NPI concluded that immediate assistance in this area was sorely needed and
could provide tangible results.
Center for War, Peace, and the News Media - N W Chapter 4: Media Business Development Service