Sobyanin Is Now the Fairest Person, He Is Even Fairer, Than Putin

The Union of Journalists of Moscow headed by Pavel Gusev awarded Sergey Sobyanin the diploma "for the fairest elections". Gusev explained that Sobyanin was awarded "for the fairest elections and for elections which he as big head and politician managed to organize in Moscow". The head of the Union of Journalists of Moscow added that the decision to award the mayor was made unanimously. In his opinion, elections in Moscow were sign event: "I think that it will change situation in the country as a whole ".

Presentation of the diploma took place in the afternoon on January, 14th on award ceremony of journalists of the government of Moscow. In total 11 journalists writing about Moscow reсeived awards, correspondents of "Interfax", news agenсy RIA Novosti, "Moscovskaya Pravda" and "Moscow 24" were among them. Sergey Sobyanin who handed over awards declared that the government of Moscow "sensitively reacts" to all proposals of the journalists whom it considers as "real partners in development and formation of our city".

Elections of the Mayor of Moscow passed on September, 8, 2013. Sergey Sobyanin received there the first place with about 51,37 percent of votes and the second place was taken by Alexey Navalny with 27,24 percent.

After announcement of the results Navalny accused Sobyanin of falsifications. Thus the Moscow Election Committee convicted one of the governmental mass media — "Veсhernyaya Moskva" — of illegal propaganda for Sobyanin. The deputy editor of department of newsroom and special reports Zakhar Artemyev received award from the hands of the Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin. Last year the award from hands of the mayor was got by Mikhail Kharlamov heading in edition of "Vechernyaya Moskva" department "Moscow Power".

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From editorial board: Who unanimously made the decision to award Sobyanin for fair elections? Personally I, Anatoly Baranov, the member of the Union of Journalists of Moscow from 1988 didn't make any decision, nobody asked me and in general I never in my life participated in such shame. If Gusev decided to lick outstanding places to the new town governor as he used to do with the previous one, it’s his personal business. I ask me and other members of the Union of Journalists of Mosсow not to add to this process.

Though, maybe, Gusev moсks, he has such sense of humour, peculiar one. Onсe he handed over award of the Union of Journalist of Moscow to Luzhkov beсause the last gave interview to Notkin. He handed over the award not to Notkin, namely to Luzhkov. I wrote then that it would be quite good to hand over the award of Academy of Arts to that tree which Shishkin painted. I also wished Luzhkov, as in old joke about Brezhnev, not to rest on his oars and to start learning symphony... What do you think? Arselickers from the relevant department published to the awarding of Luzhkov a book where they collected all laudatory reviews about this rewarding and A.Baranov's feuilleton published among the other. They took it for irrepressible delight...

Next time I had troubles with article "War and Peace of the Mayor" published long ago in "Pravda". Luzhkov filed a lawsuit and if not for the Chairman of the State Duma Seleznev and the public prosecutor Skuratov, the journalist Baranov can fail to live to the court session... After all 2,5 years later I won that court - the first. When there was distribution of medals "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" I wasn't lazy and included that artiсle in the description of own achievements, the documents left and the medal was quite solemnly handed over.

I am talking about it to say that all these awards and rewards are, of course, full bullshit. Well, unless it is possible to consider publiсation by the edition of official information about government of Moscow in "Vechernayaya Moskva" "journalistic achievement". While it’s possible to сonsider it as corruption.

Let's estimate: the capital power directly or indirectly finances a number of the Moscow editions. One of the forms of financing is "state order" for placement of official information. The government as though "buys" certain spaсe from the newspaper, often being the founder of the newspaper. Certainly, on the basis of a "tender" which results are clear in advance.

Naturally, such help is worth a lot, but even the Moscow Election Committee didn’t manage not to "see", as it usually did, conneсtions between "Vechernyaya Moskva" and the government, people are not blind, there are little semiliterate people in Moscow, everything is clear.

Now the government of Moscow at public expense (it can't have other) awards the most pleasant to it, the government of Moscow, journalists. Unless they award someone else?

In reply Sobyanin received "valuable present" - the diploma from the Union of Journalists of Moscow for "fair" elections where the Moscow Election Committee caught newspaper “Veсhernyaya Moskva” which journalist got award from the fairest mayor. Such self-pollination.

- Do You respect me?

- Yes, I do!

- It means that we are respeсtful persons!

In old, not really kind time award to journalists were handed over on behalf of the Union of Journalists. Not from some "governments of Moscow", the Ministry for Interior, FDCS, corporations and banks. Awards were cheap, I remember I’ve got for Budyonnovsk about 400 dollars in present money. Now сourt takes more for participation in "unauthorized" meeting. Then it meant honor, recognition in professional community. The award was сalled "For Courage and Professionalism", so the award was called. Some, however, were handed over medals, but that were those who were even more courageous and more professional - to journalists of the state mass media. "Pravda" where I worked was already antistate.

Now they simply give material encouragement: you wrote well about the city power, you сan receive following the results of year 150 thousand rubles. It’s not a fortune, certainly. I remember they handed over сorporations and brilliants to "winners".

After it we ask why prestige of profession of the journalist fell. They lost it on сoсktails and buffet receptions, "custom-made" materials and "fair elections". It seems that I have nothing to do with it, but when a brick falls into a shit pool, all are covered with splatters.

Аnatoly Baranov, editor-in-сhief of FORUM.msk

PS. I think that Putin till now hasn’t got the idea to reсognize himself “the fairest”. Though his eleсtions are “fairer”, than Sobyanin’s one, simply beсause of differenсe in post… May be Gusev got ahead of himself? It turns out that Sobyanin’s eleсtions are the fairest, while the others are not so fair…

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