Press Minister Congratulates Media People On Professional Holiday

Russian Minister of Press, Television and Radio Broadcasting and Mass Communications Mikhail Lesin congratulated mass media people on the professional holiday--the Day of the Russian Press marked on January 13. This day is the holiday of people of various professions - journalists, editors, polygraphic workers, distributors of printed editions - all those whose daily work gives people an opportunity to be well informed about current events and to find answers to the most vital questions of modern life, says the message which RIA Novosti received on Friday. "The freedom of the press in Russia and the opportunity to have and to express one's own point of view is not a declaration already but an everyday reality of our life," the minister stressed. "The importance of the press is determined not only by the ability to provide a wide range of readers with trustworthy and objective information but also by the ability to take a civil position contributing into the consolidation of social bases, accord and stability in the society," Lesin said.