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New media bill banning violence, pornography, bad habits may soon be adopted

© www.vokrugsveta.ru New media bill banning violence, pornography, bad habits may soon be adopted
 New media bill banning violence, pornography, bad habits may soon be adopted  - Sputnik International
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A new drafted law stipulating restrictions on TV programs, newspapers, magazines, and websites with images or information suspected of harming children's health and development, may soon be adopted, a Russian respected business daily said

A new drafted law stipulating restrictions on TV programs, newspapers, magazines, and websites with images or information suspected of harming children's health and development, may soon be adopted, a Russian respected business daily said.

Vedomosti said the draft on the protection of children against information possibly harming their health and development proposed by the Russian pro-Kremlin United Russia party may be adopted by Russia's State Duma during a second reading.

The bill is aimed against pornography, foul language, justification of the use of drugs, alcohol, and smoking, denial of family values, as well as excuses or justification for the acceptance of violence or cruelty. It states that dissemination of such information should be strictly limited.

TV channels, including news stations, will be banned from broadcasting videos showing or describing accidents, crashes, catastrophes, diseases, or deaths, which can cause fear, terror and panic among children during prime-time (from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Also daytime TV programs should be preceded by a warning on age limit.

Newspapers and magazines with such information should be sealed and sold in places inaccessible to children. Under the new bill, newspapers and magazines must also put a warning on the front page or cover, and websites must have a "child warning" label that occupies 5% of the page in its upper half.

Media fear that such restrictions will hamper the normal circulation of the press and that the implementation of some of the demands is simply impossible.

"TV channels will not be able to broadcast full daytime news," a lawyer of one TV company said, as a substantial part of news is related to violence and catastrophes.

A senior manager at another company expressed fear that TV channels will not be able to show popular films from Rambo to the Pirates of the Caribbean before 10 p.m.

The commercial director of the Kommersant publishing house, Pavel Filenkov, said that it would be impossible to sell daily newspapers and magazines sealed in protective wrapping.

The senior Yandex [Russian equivalent to Google] legal adviser said that a complete labeling of websites is technically impossible.

This is not the first time United Russia has tried to impose restrictions on media.

Last month, United Russia cautiously backed a proposal to forbid media outlets from broadcasting statements by terrorists. The proposal came a week after twin suicide bombs ripped through the Moscow subway, killing at least 40.

"The fact that the largest media outlets in the country carried a statement by the terrorist Doku Umarov is unacceptable," United Russia deputy Robert Shlegel said. "The media should only report the killing of terrorists."

However, this proposal was severely criticized by Russian media.

MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti)

 

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