Russia Wants To Limit Foreign Ownership Of The Press

Invoking national security, the Russiam Lower House has begun legislating to limit foreign participation in the country’s media.

On Tuesday, the Duma, as the House of Parliament is called, voted for a law amendments that will reduce to 20% the maximum ownership of the means of communication that may have foreigners in Russia, regardless of their type and specialty. At present, foreigners may own up to 50% of radio and television stations while there are no limitations with respect to written press.

The amendments, which the Duma is expected to approve on second and third reading tomorrow also affect Russian citizens with a second nationality, under a new law it will be required to record this condition in the services of Russian emigration.

It is anticipated that the new legislation comes into force in January 2016, after a period for adaptation is given for foreign companies present in the media market.

To complete the legislative process, the amendments must also be approved by the Federation Council, the Upper House, and signed by President Vladimir Putin. It is likely that this will happen, since the Kremlin has supported the bill, whose supporters are from different backgrounds of United Russia, Putin’s party and the majority in Parliament.

The Duma responded with applause and shouts after the approval of the project, after its sponsors justified the amendments with the phrase: “I am ready to close Russia and ensure safety.”

“The Cold War unleashed against Russia dictates certain laws and forces us to certain actions,” said a lawmaker, according to which the means of “most dangerous” media are called “glanzi”, a term that designated Russia’s luxurious print magazines dedicated to fashion and consumption.

These magazines, he explained, “are more dangerous than sociopolitical newspapers” because they “hide” behind them “many who after some time, start buying media in Russia.”

The new law “goes against the media business in Russian, since it drives away the best executives with experience, technology and Western capital” and will make them uncompetitive,” said the deputy Dmitri Gudkov, one of the few dissenting voices that sounded in the Duma.

The new legislation will affect, among other media companies, Vedomosti, a business daily newspaper owned by The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. According to the news service Gazeta.ru, ideas to reduce foreign ownership of the media began to take shape in the Kremlin at least half a year ago and crystallized by the conflict in Ukraine.

Other measures taken in recent months have been the mandatory registration as a communication medium of blogging with more than 3,000 visitors a day and restrictions on private television companies, who must choose between funded by advertising or subscription fees. The Russian Security Council will debate next week internet security plans in Russia to the assumption that the United States decided to wean Russian networks.

The limitation of media ownership may further affect media pluralism in Russia, according to Dunja Mijatovich, the representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), who urged the Russian authorities to weigh amendments.

Despite the economic problems, the Russian government has announced an increase in subsidies to state-run media specially created to disseminate the official views, such as the television channel RT and news agency Rossiya Segodnya.

Luis R. Miranda is the Founder and Editor of The Real Agenda. His 16 years of experience in Journalism include television, radio, print and Internet news. Luis obtained his Journalism degree from Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, where he graduated in Mass Media Communication in 1998. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcasting from Montclair State University in New Jersey. Among his most distinguished interviews are: Costa Rican President Jose Maria Figueres and James Hansen from NASA Space Goddard Institute. Read more about Luis.