Public Remarks

Ambassador's Remarks to Club of Regional Journalists

William J. Burns, U.S. Ambassador to Russia

Moscow, May 14, 2007

I am delighted to be here today. I have tremendous respect for the work of Irina Yasina and the Club in promoting an independent media in Russia. To be a serious journalist takes skill and courage. 110 reporters were murdered last year around the world, including your colleagues in Russia. One case in particular stands out - that of Anna Politkovskaya - which caught the attention of the whole country and indeed the whole world.

There are critical reasons why a free and independent media should be the priority of any democratic government. First, you are a link in the chain of information between the governed and those who govern them that is essential to good governance. Second, your work reinforces a system of democratic institutions values, including basic human rights, and transparency of the political and economic systems.

Only an independent press can act as a government watchdog and strengthen civil society by ensuring that a diverse range of opinions enters the public marketplace of ideas; only an independent press can reveal the corrosive effect of corruption. In other words, a free press is not a luxury, but a precondition for equitable development.

Let me concede right away that we Americans have not always supported free media in the best way. Our experience, with its successes and its failures, serves as a reminder that an independent media is not built overnight, and must be constantly safeguarded from the pressures of censorship, self-censorship, violence, and restrictive legislation. To this day, we still struggle in the United States with questions related to media freedoms.

At various junctures in American history crises -- typically wars -- have reignited that same impulse to limit press freedom, in the name of countering espionage or protecting national security interests. These issues become even more acute as a result of new technologies -- in particular, the internet. But these disputes are resolved by us in an open fashion, with the participation of political parties, public opinion, and the media.

Some recent examples brought home to me again the unique power of the media to challenge policy and counter stereotypes:

• First, Abu Ghraib. It was an American television show and an American magazine that brought to public light the disgraceful treatment of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison. The scandal compelled a public apology by President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, several Congressional investigations, and led to the resignation of 17 servicemen and the conviction of 12. While deeply shamed by what occurred, Americans have been able to take some comfort in the media's role in ensuring accountability and reform.

• Second, Hurricane Katrina. As Americans watched the natural disaster unfold on their television screens, and read the reporting of journalists in New Orleans, we were confronted with disturbing images of America. A nationwide debate began about poverty, corruption and lingering racial divisions in America, and prompted the President's direct intervention in the recovery effort.

In both these instances, the public good eventually prevailed, thanks to the hard work of courageous journalists.

My hope is simply that Russia, like other societies, will draw from the best of our experience and avoid our mistakes. One of the essential ingredients for finding solutions to Russian problems is a Russian press protected from excessive state influence and ownership, in which proponents of change can air their ideas.

Nowhere is your voice more necessary than in battling corruption. It was a big problem when I worked in Russia 10 years ago. It's a much bigger problem today. It has a corrosive effect on the rule of law, crippling law enforcement and breeding violence. It poisons the legal system and undermines and judicial independence. President Putin and other senior Russian officials have vowed to fight corruption. But it is impossible to do so effectively without an independent media and an independent judiciary.

How Russia chooses to build modern political and economic institutions is ultimately for its leaders and people to decide, not for outsiders to decide. But other countries, like the U.S., can share the benefit of their experiences, both positive and negative. We believe that knowledge of how the American press has dealt with problems in America is relevant to the Russian press as it tries to deal with problems in Russia. We can't substitute for your hard work and your hard choices, but we can offer encouragement and support.

I admire the work that you are doing, and the commitment that you bring to your profession as journalists. I am optimistic about what your generation will achieve for Russia. I wish you great success.

Thank you for your attention.