Seminar for Nizhniy Novgorod journalists

21.04.2008 // Union of Journalists of Nizhniy Novgorod region/Nizhniy Novgorod Office of Russian Nuclear Society

Seminar “Problems of Coverage of Development Prospects of Nuclear Industry by Mass Media of Nizhniy Novgorod Region” was conducted in Nizhniy Novgorod on Apr 17

The seminar was organized by the Union of Journalists of Nizhniy Novgorod and the Nizhniy Novgorod Office of the Russian Nuclear Society with the support of the Government of Nizhniy Novgorod region and Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation.

The mass media of Nizhniy Novgorod are actively discussing the problem of energy shortfalls in Nizhniy Novgorod region. The local authorities and experts say that nuclear energy is one of the best ways to solve this problem. It is obvious that this problem must be solved through a dialogue between the government and society. And the mass media can serve as a kind of bridge between them. Unfortunately, our public is still poorly aware of the work of the nuclear industry. In order to be able to establish a dialogue between the authorities and people, journalists must enhance their own competence in the sphere.

The objective of the past seminar was exactly to enhance the competence of mass media representatives. Representatives of over 20 newspapers and magazines of Nizhniy Novgorod and Nizhniy Novgorod region attended the event. The director of the PR and Mass Media Department of Atomenergoprom OJSC Ivan Dybov told them about the present situation in the nuclear power industry of Russia, the goals of the current reforms and the development prospects of the sector.

The head of the Defense Industry Department of the Industry and Innovations Ministry of Nizhniy Novgorod region Vladimir Nefyodov reported on the measures the local authorities were taking to solve the problem of energy shortfalls in the region.

The senior researcher of the Nuclear Safety Institute Irina Abalkina (Moscow) presented a detailed comparative analysis of the risks of different sources of energy. The pro-rector of the Nizhniy Novgorod State Technical University, the director of the Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering and Applied Physics, professor Sergey Dmitriyev told the journalists about the university’s work to train personnel for the nuclear power industry and answered their questions.

Journalist, honored cultural worker of Russia Yuri Yavorovsky presented his vision of how journalists should cover the activities of the nuclear power industry. Student of the Communication Technologies Department of Nizhniy Novgorod Technical University Nadezhda Sukhareva presented a very interesting report: the results of her survey of different aspects of the public attitude towards the development of the nuclear power industry.

The participants in the seminar were unanimous that now that the government is openly and strongly supporting the nuclear power industry, it is necessary to actively enhance the public awareness of this sphere. This work should be based on pluralism and competence.