Business programme

Increasingly, Russian media outlets and private users are encountering censorship on major international online platforms (such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube) and their accounts are blocked, along with access to materials. Late last year, the State Duma passed a law enabling countermeasures to be taken when Russian media resources are censored. These include blocking and slowing internet traffic, and issuing fines to transgressors. Remarkably, a great many countries under various systems have been affected by dictates imposed by the tech giants’ platforms, including those ideologically close to the US. How is this situation likely to develop, and could this result in Russia emulating China in building a “great firewall”? Do governments have the right to protect the flow of information in their countries in this way, and will this lead to the single information space becoming fragmented? Should the international community draft an international convention to regulate online companies? And will Russian companies be able to create genuine social media competitors to Google, Facebook or YouTube?

Moderator
Daniel Hawkins, Journalist, Anchor, RT Channel

Panellists
Roman Babayan, Anchor on the Television Show "Right to Vote", TV Centre Channel
Alexander Zharov, Chief Executive Officer, Gazprom-Media Holding
Maria Zakharova, Director, Department of Information and the Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Margarita Simonyan, Chief Editor, Media Group "Rossiya Segodnya", Sputnik International Information Agency
Earl J. Wilkinson, Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, International News Media Association (INMA) (online)

Roman Babayan

Anchor on the Television Show "Right to Vote", TV Centre Channel

Alexander Zharov

Chief Executive Officer, Gazprom-Media Holding

Alexander Zharov was born on August 11, 1964 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. In 1987 he graduated from Chelyabinsk State Medical University, and worked in his specialty area from 1987 through 1996. From 1998 to 1999, he served as advisor to the Chairman of the Board of RIA Vesti. From 1999 to 2004, he was the press-secretary of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
In January 2004 he defended his thesis, titled “Promotion of a healthy lifestyle”. From 2004 to 2006, he was the assistant and later press-secretary to Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. In 2006 he graduated from the law faculty of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. From 2006 to 2007, he worked as the deputy general manager of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK). From 2007 to 2008, he was the director of the press service, information and protocol department in the Russian Government. In 2008, he was appointed deputy minister of the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation. On May 3, 2012, by decree of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin No. 702-p Alexander Zharov was appointed head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor). As of March 24, 2020, he is the CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding. Acting State Advisor of the Russian Federation, 1st Class. Awarded the Order of Honour, the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” IV degree, and the Order of Alexander Nevsky. He is proficient in English and French. Married, has six children.

Maria Zakharova

Director, Department of Information and the Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Born December 24, 1975, in Moscow
Graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1998 in the field of international journalism. Has the diplomatic rank of Envoy extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the first class.
Joined the Russian Foreign Ministry after graduation. Worked as an editor of the monthly magazine “Diplomatic bulletin”. Acted as the head of the Media operational monitoring department of the Information and Press Department. Worked as Head of the press service of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the UN in New York from 2005 to 2008. Held various positions in the Central Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2011. Worked as Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2015.
Appointed Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 2015.
Candidate of Historical Sciences.
Member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia, a member of the Board of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaks English and Chinese fluently.

Margarita Simonyan

Chief Editor, Media Group "Rossiya Segodnya", Sputnik International Information Agency

In 2005, Margarita Simonyan was named Editor-in-Chief of Russia Today, Russia’s first 24/7 English-language news channel. After the launch of RT Arabic in 2007 and RT Spanish in 2009, she became Editor-in-Chief of the global, multilingual television network RT. In December 2017, RT launched its newest channel — RT France. Today, RT consists of eight TV channels, digital platforms in six languages, and a global multimedia news agency RUPTLY. Under Ms. Simonyan’s helm, RT grew its TV audience to 100 million weekly viewers, established itself as the undisputed leader among TV news networks on YouTube with more than 5.5 billion views and became a five-time Emmy finalist for news coverage and commentary – in addition to dozens of other international media accolades. Prior to heading up RT, Ms. Simonyan had reported from Chechnya during the Second Chechen War, from Abkhazia, and from the Beslan School Siege, which earned her several journalism awards. In December 2013, Ms. Simonyan was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Rossiya Segodnya, an international news agency and radio service.

Earl J. Wilkinson

Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, International News Media Association (INMA)