Most often, journalists’ asked questions on quarantine while contacting IMI emergency phone

From January 1 to December 31, 2021 inclusive, IMI lawyers provided 239 legal consultations on a variety of issues related to the activities of journalists, the media, and information relations. Most of the questions concerned quarantine restrictions in one way or another, which significantly affected the work of journalists. Starting with the fact that the quarantine restrictions themselves were constantly changed by the government, and ending with the fact that these restrictions often served to hide the concealment of information from society; from how to cover opponents of vaccination, and ending with the peculiarities of the employment contract for remote work of journalists.

The main problem, according to inquiries to the IMI hotline, in 2021 was the denial of access for journalists to various meetings of government and local self-government, public court hearings under the pretext of quarantine restrictions. For most such cases, consultations helped to stop obstruction and journalists were admitted. 

Many questions concerned various economic aspects of the media. For example, disputes over the rent of the editorial office: sometimes due to misunderstandings, sometimes due to incorrect or untimely processing of documents during the reform of state or municipal print media, and sometimes used against the editorial office to pressure and change its editorial policy. Questions from journalists on the IMI hotline could also be related to the regulation of advertising, the conclusion of business contracts, resolving issues related to the length of vacations of editorial staff, and so on. There were appeals related to copyright, marks for goods and services, etc. 

IMI lawyers also provided advice on how to create media, including print media, news agencies, and television companies. They explained the peculiarities of liquidation procedures during the liquidation of the media outlet.

Traditionally, the hot topic was correlation of the right to privacy and the right of society to know important information. These two rights come into conflict each other, and each case requires to see all the circumstances: how confidential is the personal information? how socially important is to make it public, what interest should prevail? is it possible to use information about a person from social networks? and if the person disseminating the information is a minor? Is it possible to use images of children in the texts at all? is it possible to mention the name of the suspect in the crime? and if the suspect is a ruler or a very influential person and there is a danger that the court will not be objective? IMI Legal Hotline receied many issues of the.

IMI lawyers also performed pre-publication analysis of materials, prepared written professional explanations intended to be provided to interested parties, and provided advice on wording in requests for access to public information.

It will be recalled that the IMI has a legal hotline journalists, mass media and other participants of information relations can contact IMI legal hotline for legal avice as to the issues related to the legal regulation of the collection, storage and dissemination of information, in particular on the Internet. Legal advice is provided by media lawyers Roman Golovenko and Ali Safarov by phone 050-44-77-063 . Questions can also be sent to IMI e-mail: [email protected] .