Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 10 April (BelTA) – Mass media play a big role in today’s world. It is information wars rather than armed conflicts that come to the fore today, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko noted as he met with heads and journalists of Belarus’ largest state-run media outlets on 10 April, BelTA informs.

“Mass media can crush anyone in one blow,” the head of state stressed.

“Information wars have become the defining feature of the 21st century. Mass media have been turned into a weapon. In fact, this weapon is more powerful than the nuclear one, because a piece of news can sweep the whole world. It is far from certain that the destructive power of nuclear weapons is greater,” the president said.

In this context, the key task is to fight for the hearts and minds of the people, he added. “If we do not win over the hearts and minds of the Belarusians, we will fail to ever build an independent country in its classical form," he underlined.

The president pointed to the big amount of information available today. “Printed media, TV, and the internet occupy our time and fill our mind. Any information travels at the speed of light, both positive and negative one. This situation has transformed into an information war. We can see it anywhere today,” the head of state remarked.

Belarus is an exceptionally peaceful country, Alexander Lukashenko pointed out. “Our land will never be a source of any aggression. However, we must be able to stand up for ourselves in military terms and in terms of information. There can be no hot war today. Everything begins with you. You come to the fore as journalists. Your task is to form a constructive public opinion through a timely and unbiased coverage of the material and an honest and meaningful dialogue with the audience,” the president summarized.