MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged diplomats to resist the information monopoly of Western media and to prevent falsehoods about Russia.
"There should be pro-active resistance to the information monopoly of Western mass media and there should be all-round support for Russian media operating abroad," he said at a conference of ambassadors and Russian permanent representatives.
"Falsehoods about Russia should not be tolerated and falsification of history should not be permitted," Putin said.
As he dwelt upon the importance of efforts to mould a favorable public opinion Putin said that Russia paid great attention to that, "but in the context of a real information onslaught by some of our so-called partners against our country the task has emerged to step up efforts along these lines."
- Putin says goal of mass media is to provide unbiased information
- Russia, US agree to intensify information security cooperation — Security Council
- Kremlin says expected more of information attacks against Putin, his friends
- Attempts to improve Russia's public image not feasible in information war - Peskov
"Ours is information age and the saying ‘the one who owes information owns the world’ surely reflects the realities of today," Putin said.
"Sometimes one has the impression that nothing happens at all unless the media report the event," he said. Putin recalled that before one of his meetings with Jacques Chirac the former French president suggested inviting TV journalists.
"Or else they will say we had no meeting at all," Putin quoted Chirac as saying to add that he fully agreed.