&host=www.rt.com&uri=/news/latvia-russian-television-censorhsip/&via=1.1 204.160.105.147:80 (Footprint 4.8/FPMCP)&ua=CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html))
Latvia welcomes Russian TV amid nationalist resentment
Published: 20 May, 2010, 16:42
Edited: 04 June, 2010, 15:51
TAGS: Russia, Europe, Mass media
Latvia is holding a special event dedicated to Russian television in an attempt to promote variety in the media. Meanwhile, some nationalist parties continue their calls to ban Russian broadcasts in the Baltic state.
The hope is that the event could help to heal deep, long-established rifts in relations between Russia and Latvia, which have recently manifested in heated historical debates.
Nil Ushakov, mayor of the Latvian capital Riga, says that Russian-produced TV programs help to establish the influence of Russian culture among the Latvian population, where ethic Russians make up the largest minority group (almost 30 per cent).
“This cultural influence is actually helping to heal the differences in the approaches to historical events and problems in bilateral relations,” Ushakov said. “Of course sometimes, not very professional or superficial coverage of very sensitive topics aggravates things, but not too much.”
Head of the Russian TV Academy, Mikhail Shvydkoy, who visited Riga as part of the Russian delegation, expressed optimism about the attitude towards Russia among Latvians.
“Now, as I understand, there has been a lot [of changes] in the Latvian society and a lot [of changes] in the Latvian media, and, of course, now after a long ‘winter’ between Latvia and Russia comes the ‘spring’,” Shvydkoy said. “And I hope this will give a new chance for a more objective point of view among our Latvian colleagues and a different point of view on the Russian TV.”
20.05.2010, 15:48
Young Russian Cannes laureate in hospital after attempted suicideRussia’s 2008 Cannes Film Festival participant director Valeria Gai Germanica was hospitalized Thursday with prescription drug poisoning. Doctors suspect a suicide attempt. |
20.05.2010, 19:12
7 comments
Moscow waiting for NATO’s moves on missile defenseNATO and Russia should trust each other more – that is the message from the chief of the Alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as he visits Bulgaria to negotiate the placement of missile defense units across the country. |
I’m not sure whether CountCash is making a genuine mistake because he read my previous post carelessly, or whether he is being deliberately misleading because he read it all too carefully. I had written, “CountCash lives (in Russia), and it might be presumptuous of me to tell him what Russia is like. Just as it is presumptuous of him to tell me what Estonia is like.” To which the good Count replied, “A new rule from Estonia, you are presumptuous to comment on another country that you don't live in.” Did I actually say that no one can comment on a country they do not live in? If so, it would certainly exclude me from ever commenting on Estonia because I only visit there, I don’t live there. Anyone at all can comment on any country at all, and if their comments are factual then these have merit. But if they attempt to describe in highly derogatory terms the flavour of life in a country on the basis of no experience of the matter at all and on no objective documentary evidence either, only on the basis of biased and hostile propaganda, their comments do not have merit. CountCash presents no verifiable substantiating evidence for his opinions about Estonia. Nor as far as I know has he ever been there to see the place for himself. Yet he tells us with great assumed authority all about the place. By contrast, I discuss Russia’s actions, past and present, on the basis of verifiable historical and documentary evidence, which I present. But even then I do not presume to advise CountCash how “dysfunctional” life in Russia may be, because I don’t know – I don’t live there.
You have to laugh at this one, a new rule from Estonia, you are presumptious to comment on another country that you don't live in. I suppose they want Estonia for Estonia in terms of comments, a purist model, wonder where the roots of this approach come from. Interesting model for an international site. I suppose they can even tell themselves without interference, that they are not Nazis, that their unemployment is low and poverty is decreasing. That they are not war ciminals in Iraq and of course parading as Nazis and glorifying Nazis is not dysfunctional. But that would be at odds with the truth, oh sorry was I being presumptious. Anyway if they stick to this rule, it means at least they can stop their Estonain lies with regard to Russia and a Soviet Union they didn't live in. An insular Baltica Nazica! Now is that good for Europe!
With a history of abuse and bloodshed for Latvians from Soviet government (to the point that the demographic pyramid of the country changed to show an increase in Russian persons in the country to around one-third of the population in the present), and a known fact that Russians in Latvia don't accept Latvian Culture (they remain in big cities, and in 4 decades many of them didn't care to learn the National Language and still don't care and all the time they watch Russian T.V. and read Newspapers in Cyrillic ), it's understandable that for many Latvians, more than an effort to bring cordiality among Slavs and Baltic s, this broadcast seems more than an statement that the Russia of the Georgian "affair" is still there and waiting. Government could first make a poll and ask if this was right to do.