Mediastan Page #6

in the hope that it would lead to some of the proposed projects.

The Presidential Meeting was featured on the front page of

'Neutral Turkmenistan' newspaper on the following morning.

This is the main office of 'Neutral Turkmenistan'.

The main office of the most important newspaper in the country.

Which is founded personally by the President.

Who sent you here?

Who ah...

Well, I know what visas are and all that...

...so I'm just curious who sent you here?

We came by ourselves, I don't know...

Did you come as tourists?

Who invited you?

We have a question that can only be resolved

with the help of a local journalist.

Well, you see, I'm not a journalist.

I'm a Member of Parliament.

- Yes, but...

No, no, no. I'm just explaining who I am.

Since our President is...

...the publisher of our newspaper...

...he appointed me...

...because...

...well there is no because, he just appointed me.

[ VLADIMIR GUBANOV,

Editor in Chief "Neutral Turkmenistan" ]

When you real about Turkmenistan,

you know what they write.

You know it, I know it:

that Turkmenistan is a country where there

is no freedom of expression whatsoever.

That there is no criticism, only love

and admiration. Is that so?

You know what I respond to that? Do you think

you are the first person to say such a thing?

You know what I respond to that?

I recall that American President...

...in those terrible years of the last century,

...who spoke to his people and said:

'Smile, god damn you!'

Don't hang down your head.

Just smile!

But don't we search for truth

in a diversity of opinions?

Diversity of opinion?

Look, I'm an experienced man and I'm trying

to understand where the truth is...

I can't.

Do you understand?

You read this - it seems right.

You watch this - it also

seems right.

It seems as though all

is confirmed by facts.

But try and solve the puzzle.

Well, that's it. I'm sorry

but I have a... newspaper!

Why is the president on

all of your front pages?

Is that by law?

I don't even know how to answer

... well, you see...

...there is no demand of harsh

criticism by journalists.

[ VLADIMIR KOMAROV,

Wed Editor "Neutral Turkmenistan" ]

- So you have criticism of the system from the top?

No, not the system- rather

specific workers or organisations...

...that don't fulfill their quotas.

So the journalist is an

echo-chamber for the people?

Obviously it doesn't sound good when you put

it that way... but we have other tasks...

Let me just show you

some pictures of our nature.

And you can judge for yourselves.

The desert.

...here it is still in spring,

...but it is starting to wane.

Look at all this beauty.

Where else can you see...

...such amazing canyons.

In the Soviet days

I was younger, of course,

...all of this was much

more interesting.

I lived for journalism.

Now I have settled down.

I choose my topics

I don't jump on everything.

Now I'm a friend of nature.

It interests me more.

Well, you have to agree

that it is more pleasant...

...than digging around in...

...in ...excuse me...

some kind of sh*t...

...trying to prove something

to someone.

Sorry for not being contactable for a while

we've understood that quite a few people have

been engaged in our search and rescue mission.

We've had the Swedish Ambassador in London

and we had the Foreign Ministry in Sweden

and Dimitry's editors...

...and the former Ambassador to Uzbekistan all engaged.

I think we got them just...

Oh, and Jan Helin as well...

...it was just at the fail safe point when we pulled them back.

Twenty-four hours and there would have been a public stink.

On the positive side

we can give you some small good news

we were actually deported from Turkmenistan.

Excellent!

Journalists!

I think this, this for instance

should journalism be lucrative or not?

Is an issue that is very interesting for us.

But I'm not sure this is the right place to propose it...

[ Location:

Ellingham Hall,

England ]

It's not an issue, it's just...

these particular people

we are working with, who the f*** are they?

Why do they do anything?

Why would they work with these cables

why would they not work with these cables?

Many of them for money!

Yes, then this needs to be said!

They do this for the money!

Everybody does things for money!

Why are you judging that?

Who said that I was judging that?

You are judging it!

No, no, no, you are judging that.

This movie is judging that!

I'm just saying that we need to be concerned

that we are not going around places

saying that we are better than you

because I've had the situation and I've f***ed off

And you're still there.

This is what I don't like.

I don't like this approach.

Where have you seen that?

Well I've seen it when you go to people

you knock on their doors

then suddenly you are WikiLeaks

and then when they have a strong reaction you're like...

A strong reaction? When they say they won't publish the cables?

What are we going to do, force them?

No, you have to call before...

But why? Then you'd get a totally different opinion

then you would only get the response that they want to give

as opposed to showing the audience what they will say.

But do you not think it is an interesting question

to see if media around the world will do this

and who will and who won't?

Do you really not think that is an interesting question?

Do I think that it is an interesting question?

No...

That they are too scared to publish US Government documents

is not an interesting question?

No, even if they are scared there are many other criteria.

What criteria is there other than fear?

Interest, newsworthy-ness...

No, no, no, you could write a script...

every news organisation that has a website

has a website developer

who can just go, puff like that

and they get free hits in Google.

It is very, very profitable to publish cables

because you don't have to write cables.

It is free stories!

The point as far as I see it is that

there are boundaries to free speech

in the same way

that there are boundaries to our thoughts

and to our language

and 'newspeak' is basically what we are dealing with

and these boundaries, they look different in different countries

but they always exist in either one way or another

and that is called either censorship or conformism

or self censorship or whatever it may be.

We have a unique opportunity to

actually just show where these boundaries are.

It doesn't necessarily mean that this boundary

is better than that boundary...

Yes, or every boundary that there is...

But people are usually unaware of where these boundaries are.

The easiest way of getting hold of them is by asking a person

and they will say 'well I cannot write about the king'

or 'I cannot write about sex' or whatever.

But most often they will lie.

They will not tell you that there are any boundaries

they will say 'we have no boundaries whatsoever'.

And this is what you will get when you interview

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