Sviatlana Kalinkina: Interview with the head of Belarus is a fun, but useless thing to do

Chief-editor’s deputy in Narodnaya Volia (People’s Will) newspaper explains why the last meeting of non-state media with Lukashenka wasn’t a status thing, wasn’t interesting, and was very predictable.

The famous Belarusan journalist, chief-editor’s deputy in Narodnaya Volia (People’s Will) newspaper Sviatlana Kalinkina made a harsh comment of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s meeting with journalists of “Euroradio”, “Radio Liberty”, and TUT.BY at her page in Facebook:

“When several months ago representatives of non-state media started asking Lukashenka for interview, I couldn’t understand their motivation. The answer I got from my colleague is that the interview with the head of state is a status thing to do if you are a journalist anyway. But I don’t agree. It isn’t. And it isn’t interesting. And it is very-very-very predictable…”

In the commentary to the EuroBelarus Information Service Sviatlana Kalinkina explained that her assessment that caused the lively polemics in social networks doesn’t deal with “to write or not to write about Lukashenka”. It was the substitution of format that was criticized – instead of the interview, the public saw another Lukashenka’s press conference, but for a narrower circle of journalists.

“Of course, it is impossible to ignore Aliaksandr Lukashenka, since he remains the acting head of state – whatever is the attitude towards it. And basically, the meaning of my publication on Facebook was a little bit different, - notes Sviatlana Kalinkina. – During the previous famous press conference when any sort of questions could have been asked journalists of independent media started asking for an interview. And now they were invited for this interview during the election campaign”.

“The weirdness of the situation” is that from professional perspective, believes Sviatlana Kalinkina, “when one is at the press conference one can ask any questions you like, but instead of doing that one starts asking for an interview”. Secondly, if the media is trying to get an interview, it means that it aims at exclusiveness, “i.e. there are some specific questions; it might be a thematic interview, etc.”, i.e. “it is supposedly cannot be done in the format of a regular press conference”.

“But, of course, it didn’t happen. I have been saying for a long time that personally, I’m not interested in Lukashenka’s press conferences. 9 out of 10 answers to the questions can be predicted; besides, in Belarus each word of the president is being carefully analyzed, which turns such press conferences into useless work. Lukashenka can, of course, disclose some details about some loud cases; but all words regarding global statements on both internal and foreign politics differs with his actions. Thus, deep analysis in our situation is an amusing, but often useless thing to do. So when I wrote this comment I meant only one thing: that when journalists were asking for an interview with Lukashenka, they should have prepared some special questions and should even got ready for the discussion, since press conference doesn’t provide for that; but it never happened”, - emphasized the chief-editor’s deputy in Narodnaya Volia.