Journalists in the Mazhilis: all for the best

New rules for journalists have been recently introduced in the Mazhilis (lower chamber) of the Parliament. Bolat Kalyanbekov, Deputy Chief of Mazhilis administration, replied to the complaints of the discontented ones in his Facebook account. Here is the full text of his post:

“These days, some media, as well as Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan and the International Foundation for the Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” in their open letter wrote about the restriction of the work of journalists in the Mazhilis of the Parliament.

As the Deputy Chief of the Mazhilis administration responsible for this work, I want to say that the work of the lower chamber of the Parliament is open to public. We create the most convenient conditions for journalists' work.

However, I would like to draw your attention to some issues.

There are 546 journalists accredited from 69 media outlets accredited in Mazhilis. An average of 80 to 100 journalists come  to cover plenary sessions and other official events. This means that there are about 15-20 TV cameras and photographers.

The media cover the work of more than 100 MPs. Plus, representatives of state bodies come to the Mazhilis to participate in the events. The Mazhilis administration staff works there as well.

What are all these numbers for? I want to  show clearly how many people are present in the building of the Mazhilis. When the session is over, all of deputies and ministers go out to two small corridors and journalists meet them there.

When a deputy or a minister is stopped by journalists for an interview, he or she turnes to be immediately surronded by a ring of dozens of TV cameras, microphones and mobile phones. As a result, we can ofter see images of  a deputy or a minister squeezed by dozens of journalists with microphones, cameras, who are asking questions randomly and simultaneously.

It is inconvenient for everyone: both the speakers and the journalists themselves.

During a recent interview with the chairman of the Mazhilis, I personally witnessed how one journalist hit her head on the camera several times while asking a question. One man was on his knees, holding a voice recorder. A mess of heads and hands holding voice recorders and microphones was before my eyes. Everyone tried to talk down the others. Many cameramen then asked each other for videos because their cameras couldn't record anything. All that caused fair criticism from journalists.

So it was proposed to regularte press scrums.

There are three banners in the hall of the Mazhilis. All of them are equipped with microphones, loud speakers, some space in front of them is separated by ribbons. The speakers stand in front of banners for interviews.

A comfortable space is created around a deputy or a minister. This gives him/her  an opportunity to focus on the answer and see the journalists asking the question. Journalists do not bother each other. Cameramen and photographers can work comfortably. It is convenient for both speakers and journalists.

All of the above innovations have already been tested. Most journalists supported them. The media received high-quality videos and photos.

At the same time, no one forbids journalists to apply to deputies and ministers for individual interviews. Access to them is not limited in any way. Deputies and ministers are recommended to go to the banners for an interview if journalists contact them.

If an exclusive interview is needed, speakers can stand aside and talk to the media, or do it at his/her deputy's office.

The press service is ready to provide assistance in organizing an exclusive interview with any Mazhilis deputy at any time.

As for taking offcial photo and video, all official events in  Mazhilis are broadcasted online. On average, this is about 3 hours of video. Everyone has the opportunity to watch the session. Some journalists watch the broadcast distantly and write news messages and articles. All deputy requests are  posted on the website promptly.

We analyzed the experience of  Parliaments and found that no country practices free moving of cameramen and journalists at the meeting room  during parliamentary sessions. Every country restricts interference with the legislative work of MPs.

So a decision was made to allow only official  video taken by cameramen. At the same time, the 10 minutes limit can be extended in certain the specific situations.

This B. Kalyanbekov's post got much approval in comments. Let's wait for the reation of those journalists who earlier could freely walk around the meeting room and "catch" the deputies in awkward moments.