Russian journalists draft ethics code p. 17

By: Editorial Staff

RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS have drafted an ethics code designed to discourage the bribe-taking and "hidden advertising" that flourish in a nation where reporters are paid poorly, capitalism is corrupted and a free press is a new concept.
"Signing the code would mean voluntarily assuming serious responsibilities and a readiness to civilize the activities of the Russian press," Pavel Gutionov, secretary of the Union of Russian Journalists, told the ITAR-Tass news agency.
In a sign of the times, freelancer Oleg Pshenichny wrote in the English-language Moscow Times in June how bribing journalists is widespread.
As the Communist empire collapsed, journalists lost their perks. Government financing of the media gave way to free-market competition. As new papers sprang up, journalism salaries plunged. Journalists routinely supplement their incomes by accepting money in exchange for writing positive stories, or hidden advertising, Pshenichny wrote.
"I have personally received nearly a dozen...blatant proposals to write reviews for new films or articles about computer companies or about politicians for considerable money," Pshenichny wrote.
He said one company offered him $100 for a favorable story in a newspaper that was paying $1 per typed page.
An unnamed reporter at a large Moscow daily admitted to frequently taking money from companies in exchange for positive stories ? a practice she said was condoned by editors because of low salaries.