In Irkutsk Oblast, at the Religion and Media round table, representatives of faiths and regional media discussed how to improve cooperation and make coverage of religious life better. Key topics included journalist training, strengthening interfaith peace, and respect for believers feelings in the media. Participants agreed such meetings should be held more often to continue dialogue between authorities, religious groups, and the press.

The day before, a round table on the topic “Religion and the Media” was held in the regional administration, organized at the initiative of the interfaith council under the regional government. Representatives of the leading religious associations in the region and heads of regional media discussed the problems and prospects of relations between religious denominations and the mass media in the Irkutsk Region.
During the meeting, the participants spoke about the need to improve interaction between the press and religious organizations in order to provide better coverage of the latter’s activities. This requires professional training for specialists in the field of religious studies.
The round table participants discussed the role of periodicals and public organizations in strengthening interfaith peace and harmony, the interaction of religious associations and the media in the spiritual and moral education of young people, as well as the issue of respecting believers’ feelings in television programs and on the pages of regional newspapers.
Regarding the opinion of representatives of some denominations about insufficient coverage of their activities, the heads of print media objected that the purpose of the press is not spiritual and moral education, but informing the public. And the media are coping with this.
All participants agreed that such meetings - the last one was held 2.5 years ago - need to be held more often.
- The fact that this work is necessary, and that we - representatives of the authorities, religious associations, and journalists - will continue it, is, without a doubt, a fact and will remain so, - said Sergei Kushnarov, chairman of the interfaith council under the government of the Irkutsk Region.