Sofia Malyavina spoke about the format of work in public space, communication support for events and the importance of relations with the media.
“Monitoring, timely reaction and decision-making are important,” Malyavina noted, giving examples of the instant appearance of Accounts Chamber reports in the media.
It is worth noting that Sofia Malyavina previously headed the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation.
The head of the press service paid special attention to working with social networks, which, in her opinion, is extremely important.
She described the features of the Accounts Chamber’s content policy, developed according to the principle “uniqueness – regularity – relevance – accessibility” and highlighted the key components of high-quality work on social networks: design, content, communication, moderation and monitoring.
In the context of video content, it was noted that the Accounts Chamber was the first department to begin producing video news.
Also, talking about social networks, Sofia Malyavina gave an example of a post that received the greatest response from the audience. “We calculated salaries in pre-revolutionary Russia and converted them into modern rubles,” the speaker shared with the students. “This aroused a lot of interest and brought attention to our department.”
The Prosecutor General's Office transferred materials to the Investigative Committee for a pre-investigation check of the scandalous tender for 21.5 million rubles in the Ministry of Health
Former assistant to ex-Minister of Health Tatyana Golikova Sofia Malyavina may become a defendant in a criminal case on fraud with budget funds in the amount of 21.5 million rubles. The Prosecutor General's Office found out that the treasury overpaid several times for a contract with the Tusharp company for PR support for a social campaign to prevent HIV infections. The inspection materials were transferred to the Investigative Committee, which has already begun a pre-investigation investigation. Investigators do not rule out that Tusharp received a lucrative contract with the help of Malyavina.
Information about the start of the inspection was confirmed to Izvestia by the Investigative Committee.
“We have received documents from the Prosecutor General’s Office, for which a pre-investigation check has already been scheduled,” the Investigative Committee told Izvestia. — It should be noted that so far there are no names in these materials.
The materials say that the Prosecutor General's Office identified violations in the Ministry of Health and Social Development's competition for conducting an anti-HIV campaign in August 2011. According to prosecutors, the competition was won by the organization that offered the maximum price - 21.5 million rubles. Another of the three participants was ready to do all the work for only 7.4 million rubles, that is, almost three times cheaper. “All work under the state contract was accepted and paid for by the ministry, and damage was caused to the federal budget,” prosecutors reported.
Last year, human rights activists from the organization “Agora” reported to the Prosecutor General’s Office that the company “Tusharp” LLC (2SHARP agency), which was registered only in 2010, won the competition. One of its founders was registered in the Seychelles.
Sofia Malyavina
Human rights activists found out that the general director and founder of Tusharpa graduated from the Tolyatti Academy of Management together with the assistant to the former head of the Ministry of Health and Social Development Sofia Malyavina, and then worked with her in the same periodical. According to Agora, friendship with the official led Tusharp to victory.
Prosecutors confirmed the suspicions of human rights activists. “Members of the Unified Commission for placing orders for the supply of goods, performance of work, and provision of services, in violation of the law, did not properly analyze the participants’ applications and assessed them on the basis of an expert opinion signed by the former assistant to the Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation,” prosecutors noted in their conclusion .
As Izvestia found out, in 2011 Malyavina actively collaborated with Tusharp. Several joint projects were organized using budget money allocated by the Ministry of Health and Social Development. For example, the anti-tobacco campaign “Let's Change”, within the framework of which, in particular, the Nicotine INdependence Club was created on the portal takzdorovo.ru with information to help those quitting smoking, as well as a special computer program that provides assistance in the process of quitting smoking.
Budget funds were also used for the “Healthy Russia” campaign, in which videos appeared on the Internet encouraging people to maintain their health.
Some of these campaigns were carried out with the help of Tusharp, some with the help of AMK ZNAMENKA. However, each time, representatives of the Ministry of Health under the leadership of Sofia Malyavina and the founders of the Tusharp company, Maxim Sevastyanov and Anton Busygin, who acted as creative directors, worked on the projects. Also, another co-founder of Tusharpa, Oksana Solovyova, was involved in some projects, who is designated in the credits for one of the videos as a creative strategic director.
Sofia Malyavina. Photo: taom.ru
Malyavina and Sevastyanov had long-standing business and friendly ties. For example, Izvestia has at its disposal a special issue of Aktualnaya Gazeta for 2004, published by the Togliatti Academy of Management. The imprint states that Sofia Malyavina is responsible for the release, while Maxim Sevastyanov was responsible for the design layout and layout.
The 2SHARP agency told Izvestia that they were insulted with the best of feelings and no longer intended to work for the benefit of the state.
“We made more than 20 excellent videos for campaigns of the Ministry of Health and this is the gratitude that awaited us,” one of the co-founders and creative director of the agency, Anton Busygin, shared with Izvestia. “There was no crime in our actions.” We just wanted to do something for the good of our country.
In a conversation with Izvestia, Sofia Malyavina refused to give any comments regarding the inspection, saying that she no longer works for the Ministry of Health and Social Development.
In 2003, Yuri Shchekochikhin wrote an article about secret heroes. Then the special forces soldiers who participated in the assault on Nord-Ost were outraged that out of the five Stars of Heroes of Russia, only two went directly to the participants in the operation....
In 2003, Yuri Shchekochikhin wrote an article about secret heroes. Then the special forces soldiers who participated in the assault on Nord-Ost were outraged that out of the five Stars of Heroes of Russia, only two went directly to the participants in the operation. But the Heroes turned out to be: the first deputy director of the FSB, General V. Pronichev, the head of the Special Purpose Center, General A. Tikhonov, and the classified chemist who developed the classified gas that was released into the Theater Center.
For a mediocre special operation that claimed the lives of hundreds of people, awards were given to those who invented it, and to those who were responsible for the fact that such a terrorist attack could occur in the first place. Those who risked their lives were ignored by the state.
Since then, the tradition of presenting VIP orders has become commonplace. Novaya has written more than once about how the number of government awards and the number of recipients is growing. There are a majority of top officials among the order bearers. And every new human tragedy: war, terrorist attack is a reason to increase their number. There is still an understanding: publicly hanging orders and medals on federal officials is somehow not very decent. Therefore, the small bureaucratic joys of deputy ministers and heads of departments remain an intra-corporate matter and do not reach the level of holiday reports from state television channels.
Few people knew about Presidential Decree No. 1610. Meanwhile, it lists those who were awarded state awards “For courage and dedication shown in providing medical assistance to victims of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict.” Who are these people who risked their lives during the August War? There are no military surgeons, Emergency Situations Ministry doctors, paramedics or orderlies among them. The most important contribution to saving the lives of military personnel and civilians caught in the combat zone was made by 12 high-ranking employees of the Ministry of Health and Social Development.
It must be said that the awarding technology has already been worked out to the point of automaticity. Lists for the presidential administration, as a rule, are prepared by the department where potential recipients of the order work. In this case, the list was prepared by officials of the Ministry of Health and Social Development.
Yes, some ministry employees flew to the conflict zone and surrounding areas. Even Minister Golikova and her assistant Sofya Malyavina were in North Ossetia - in Vladikavkaz. As Sophia told us, they inspected the placement of refugees and the wounded, the organization of sending to Moscow those who needed help from federal medical institutions... This is certainly important, but this is the performance of immediate duties that are in no way related to risk and feat. An ambulance doctor, when responding to a call from a raging drug addict, risks much more. And his work for a meager salary should long ago be considered heroic.
However, the ministry does not think so. And as a result, Sofya Malyavina was awarded the Order of Friendship - “For courage and dedication.” But Sophia flew to Vladikavkaz as a press secretary, assistant to the minister. She could not provide medical assistance at all, because she is not a doctor.
Help "Novaya"
“Sofya Andreevna Malyavina graduated from the Togliatti Academy of Management in 2003 with a degree in Philology, specialization in Public Relations. In 2002 she received diplomas from the MBA program, Michigan Flint University, USA: Marketing, Operations management. From 2007 to the present - graduate student at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. From 2002 to 2004, she headed the Public Relations Center of the Togliatti Academy of Management. From 2003 to 2004 - employee of the Agency for Management Technologies, Moscow. From 2004 to 2007, she headed the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation. She oversaw the work of the official printed publications of the Ministry and the website of the Ministry of Industry and Energy of Russia. Since October 2007 - Press Secretary-Assistant to the Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation. Directly oversees the implementation of the Ministry’s information policy in the field of health and social protection of the population, as well as government communication projects to promote mass donation, develop the pension system and promote a healthy lifestyle. Advisor to the State Civil Service of the Russian Federation, 3rd class.
Sofia Malyavina certainly has many merits, but what does the Order of Courage have to do with it?
We searched for a long time on the website of the presidential administration and the Ministry of Health and Social Development for lists of other order bearers - those who did not leave operating rooms for days under fire. Not found. Orders and medals went to ministerial workers.
Major General, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Director of the All-Russian Center for Disaster Medicine “Zashchita” Sergei Goncharov refused to talk about the awards, which, in our opinion, bypassed his employees.
The Russian military has long had this formula: “After hostilities, the innocent are rewarded and the innocent are punished.” And there is one more postulate (pleasant for generals): “Rewards are given where they are given.” Now these maxims will become part of the everyday life of doctors.
DECREE
PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation to employees of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation
For the courage and dedication shown in providing medical assistance to victims of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, award:
ORDER OF COURAGE
KOTELNIKOV Anatoly Anatolyevich- Advisor to the Federal Minister
TOPILINA Maxim Anatolievich- Deputy Minister
UYBU Valentin Viktorovich- Head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency
ORDER OF HONOR
Krivonos Olga Vladimirovna- Director of the Department of Organization of Medical Care and Health Development
SKVORTSOVA Veronica Igorevna- Deputy Minister
ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP
MALYAVIN Sofya Andreevna- Assistant to the Federal Minister
MEDAL OF THE ORDER “FOR MERIT TO THE FATHERLAND, II DEGREE”
COW by Konstantin Grigorievich
PEREPELITSA Vladimir Antonovich- Deputy Head of the Department of Social Protection
MEDAL “FOR THE RESCUE OF THE DEAD”
DEMIDOV Vladimir Petrovich- Head of the Department of Social Protection
KOZHEVNIKOVA Zhanna Vladimirovna- Head of the Department of Organization of Medical Care and Health Development
RAKHMATULLINA Vadim Damirovich- Deputy Director of the Department of Analysis and Forecast of Development of Healthcare and Social and Labor Sector
ROMANOV Vladislav Vladimirovich- Deputy Head of the Department of Organization of Medical Care and Health Development
President of the Russian Federation D. MEDVEDEV
"Biography"
Education
In 2003, she graduated from the Tolyatti Academy of Management with a degree in Philology.
In 2002, she received diplomas from the MBA program, Michigan Flint University, USA: “Marketing”, “Operations management”.
2007 – postgraduate student at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"News"
Economic downturn worsened by fiscal paralysis
The Accounts Chamber has repeatedly criticized the actions of the Ministry of Finance to optimize budget expenditures. “When at the beginning of 2015 it was decided to proportionally reduce expenses by 10%, and for the remaining 90% to give ministries the right to determine their own priorities, the Accounts Chamber opposed it. Such optimization led to the fact that departments took a long time to redistribute the remaining 90% and the first quarter was lost; budget money did not work for the economy,” Sofia Malyavina, a representative of the joint venture, explained to NG.
Correspondence of Tatyana Golikova: the Russian Federation SP exposed the Prime Minister of Ingushetia in malicious violations
The correspondence includes a message sent to Golikova by her assistant Sofia Malyavina. Malyavina reports that she fulfilled the order to send a number of materials from the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation to the editorial office of the Izvestia newspaper for writing an article. “She pointed out the Maltes company, which did not build a house for orphans,” writes Malyavina. “The journalist looked at it through SPARK (Interfax’s information system about legal entities - EADaily’s note).”
Two-thirds of regions plunged into deficit
The press service of the Accounts Chamber yesterday confirmed to NG the thesis that in the first half of 2016 the situation is similar to what it was last year. Also, the representative of the Accounts Chamber, Sofia Malyavina, told NG that “with a total surplus of 386.1 billion rubles. Consolidated budgets of only 33 regions have been executed.” “Of these, the surplus of Moscow amounted to 178.7 billion rubles, the Sakhalin region - 61.6 billion, the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - 20.1 billion, the Tyumen region - 16.8 billion, the Leningrad region - 15.2 billion, St. St. Petersburg – 14.3 billion rubles,” Malyavina listed. With a total deficit of 109.5 billion rubles. The budgets of 52 regions have been executed, she added.
“The reason that some of the budgets were executed with a surplus was the tendency for regions to restrain the execution of the expenditure part of their budgets, which is typical for a significant part of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation,” explained Malyavina. “Thus, an analysis of data on the execution of budget assignments planned for 2016 shows that the expenditures of the consolidated budgets of the regions in the first half of 2016 were fulfilled by 42.6% of the planned budget assignments, while the revenue execution was 50%.”
After Agora’s intervention, the Prosecutor General’s Office asked the Investigative Committee to open a case regarding the state order of the Ministry of Health for HIV prevention
Let us recall that exactly a year ago the Interregional Human Rights Association “Agora” appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office with a request to check the presence of affiliation between the assistant minister, press secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia Sofia Malyavina and a certain LLC - the winner of this open competition of the department, one of the founders of which is a legal entity created in the Seychelles islands. Despite the data provided, prosecutors then responded to human rights activists: “Arguments about the possible affiliation of the competition participants with officials of the Ministry, as the customer, were not confirmed during the inspection.” However, as it turned out, the RF GP took note of the materials sent by human rights activists and subsequently conducted a large-scale audit of the implementation by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation in 2011 of the legislation on procurement for public needs.
A “show-off fair” is taking place in Russia: Russian officials and businessmen put up the largest team of torchbearers
The Olympic torch relay is a significant event for Russia, as in principle are most semi-protocol events dedicated to the home Olympics. The coverage of the marathon in the central Russian media matches the scale of the event. Not a single news release is complete without reports of the torch’s conquest of new nooks and crannies of the homeland and the adjacent air and water environment. The Russian relay is already breaking records and TV ratings, although more with embarrassment than with the planned inspiring message.
Vladislav Surkov needs a new leader
Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the creation of a department for socio-economic cooperation with the CIS countries, Abkhazia and South Ossetia on June 26, 2012. It was headed by former deputy head of the Ministry of Health and Social Development Yuri Voronin, and the curator was presidential aide Tatyana Golikova (head of the Ministry of Health and Social Development from 2007 to 2012). Together with Mr. Voronin, many other members of Tatyana Golikova’s team came to work in the department: Valentina Shirokova, who previously headed the department for organizing medical care for children and obstetric services; Olga Krivonos, who worked as director of the department of organization of medical care and healthcare development; ex-director of the social insurance development department Tatyana Savitskaya; Sergei Zhuk, head of the property complex department; Elena Shipileva, head of the financial department; Tatiana Golikova's assistant Sofia Malyavina.
Employees of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation were honored to participate in the Moscow leg of the Olympic torch relay
Today, employees of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, Director of the Press Service and Information Department, Sofia Malyavina, and Director of the Legal Support Department, Sergei Zhuk, took part in the second day of the Moscow leg of the Olympic torch relay. Both employees adhere to a healthy lifestyle. Sergey Zhuk is a professional swimmer and, after serious training, took part in the swim across the Bosphorus Strait “From Asia to Europe” (distance 6.5 km) under the auspices of the Turkish Olympic Committee. Sofia Malyavina became one of the first developers of programs for the development of a healthy lifestyle “Healthy” Russia" and the development of mass voluntary blood donation.
Medal "For Picking Up the Phone" and Order "For Lifting Up from the Chair"
Yes, some ministry employees flew to the conflict zone and surrounding areas. Even Minister Golikova and her assistant Sofya Malyavina were in North Ossetia - in Vladikavkaz. As Sophia told us, they inspected the placement of refugees and the wounded, the organization of sending to Moscow those who needed help from federal medical institutions... This is certainly important, but this is the performance of immediate duties that are in no way related to risk and feat. An ambulance doctor, when responding to a call from a raging drug addict, risks much more. And his work for a meager salary should long ago be considered heroic.
Former PR woman of the Ministry of Health Sofia Malyavina will be tested for AIDS
Former assistant to ex-Minister of Health Tatyana Golikova Sofia Malyavina may become a defendant in a criminal case on fraud with budget funds in the amount of 21.5 million rubles. The Prosecutor General's Office found out that the treasury overpaid several times for a contract with the Tusharp company for PR support for a social campaign to prevent HIV infections. The inspection materials were transferred to the Investigative Committee, which has already begun a pre-investigation investigation. Investigators do not rule out that Tusharp received a lucrative contract with the help of Malyavina.
The Prosecutor General's Office suspected the Ministry of Health and Social Development of negligence
After the proposed applications were reviewed by members of the Unified Commission for placing orders for the supply of goods, performance of work and provision of services, it turned out that the organization that requested 21.5 million rubles for the implementation of the project won. The expert opinion was signed by the former assistant to the Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation. At that time, this position was held by Sofia Andreevna Malyavina. That is, as noted in the message of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, a proposal was chosen that, at a contract price, was more than 2 times higher than the proposal of another participant in the competition.
IV All-Russian Forum of the Blood Service summed up the work of the Blood Service Development Program
Sofia Andreevna Malyavina, Assistant to the Minister of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation, told Forum participants about the communication campaign accompanying the Blood Service Development Program. She noted the importance of popularizing donation among the entire population, especially highlighting youth as a socially active group of society. Among the mentioned elements of the communication campaign are the all-Russian campaigns “Auto-MotoDonor”, “THANK YOU, DONOR!”, “Donor Saturday”, and “Day of Donor Age”, as well as the “Muzarteria” project - a creative competition of the Blood Service for the best musical work about volunteering and blood donation, to the final concert of which on December 3 she invited Forum participants.
Three years ago, it seemed to officials and employees of PR agencies that serious budget expenditures on promoting government projects were about to come to naught, along with national projects that required powerful PR support before the 2008 presidential elections. The state was ready to pay market prices. But the elections passed, and the funds for “information support” did not go away: departments both received and continue to receive huge amounts of money to promote important government initiatives. And despite the crisis, these amounts are growing steadily.
The volume of the government services advertising market this year will exceed a billion rubles. This money is shared between offices that work in the field of marketing government services, advertising firms that develop and distribute orders, the media and owners of other advertising spaces. This market has its own kings and outsiders, knights and swindlers. And they all hope that the golden rain that is pouring on them from the Russian budget will never dry up. It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of such advertising campaigns, but market participants seem to have nothing to worry about.
Win with a "box"
Last Tuesday, the Ministry of Health summed up the results of the competition for the placement of TV spots for the Healthy Russia project. This is one of the most expensive government advertising projects this year. Its meaning is extremely simple: don’t drink, don’t smoke, lead a healthy lifestyle and play sports. 242 million rubles were at stake, but there was no excitement: only one company took part in the competition - the Russian branch of the famous global advertising agency Ogilvy. In Russia, a competition in which only one company participates is considered invalid. But this does not affect the result: the law allows you to sign a contract with someone who at least came.
["Vremya Novostei", 12/08/2009, "They didn't skimp on "Healthy Russia": The Ministry of Health and Social Development moved from warnings about the dangers of smoking to online propaganda of the idea "it's better to be healthy than to be sick." Eleven companies took part in the competition for the creation of the Healthy Russia website, announced by the ministry. Among them are “Alternative Technologies” (they were ready to make a resource for 13.9 million), “Cyril and Methodius” (32 million) and the winner - “Ashmanov and Partners”. As a result, the cost of the project was 39,194,681.48 rubles. […] The project budget looks colossal.
For example, the new website of the Russian Pension Fund cost the state 3.8 million rubles. One of the most expensive government projects, the School Portal, cost 13.95 million rubles. — Insert K.ru]
Ogilvy did not take advantage of the lack of competitors. The price for which they agreed to fulfill the order ended up being almost two times lower than the Ministry of Health’s offer: the advertisement would be filmed and aired for 131.5 million rubles. Situations when only one application is received for a competition occur quite often. And this does not mean that there is necessarily a corruption conspiracy. It may be convenient for an agency to work with a certain contractor—they have mutual understanding and work experience—and competitors themselves understand that they will not be welcome and do not get involved in a fight.
But not all competitions are as calm as with “Healthy Russia”. In the spring, the Ministry of Sports held two competitions to promote a healthy lifestyle for a total of 117 million rubles. Many people wanted to win - the contracts were lucrative - but in the end they were awarded to the PR+Sport agency. The heads of several large Russian PR agencies believe that the scoring when summing up the results was dishonest and the winner was predetermined. If this is so, then the budget loses first of all - competitors offered much cheaper.
A typical picture: the department, by hook or by crook, drowns the rest of the contractors in order to give the order to its own. “One of the signs of a negotiated competition,” says Oleg Solodukhin, vice-president of the Company for the Development of Public Relations (CROS), one of the leaders of this market, “is when all members of the competition commission give almost the same points to all contractors: more for theirs, less for others.” And here the price factor is not the main one: members of the commission evaluate both the quality of the concept and the qualifications of the contractor.
But PR agencies themselves are also sometimes cunning, so as not to once again compete with each other, and line up in a so-called “box”: by agreement, only one company enters the competition, and other market leaders are guaranteed to receive contracts from it. “The market is small, everyone knows everyone,” explains the head of one of the agencies. Stories like the one that happened with the order from the Ministry of Sports do not happen often: there are six or seven companies on the market, and they either compete with each other or unite in coalitions.
Completion time: one hour
Fees from the state
After the contract is concluded, the PR specialist begins work and delivers it to the customer in stages. There is no advance payment in this market: everyone first spends their money, and then receives their reward from the budget. Funds for promoting any major government initiative are distributed approximately equally.
About a third of the funds go to advertising: outdoor, on television and radio, printing advertising brochures, posters and making souvenirs. The remaining money goes to posting so-called information materials. We are talking about stories and articles in the press and on TV that are not labeled as advertising, but are still paid for from the budget. Another part of the money goes to pay for the organization of holidays, forums and press conferences, which are then used as information occasions.
The agencies emphasize that the publication of “information materials” in the press is absolutely legal. The law on mass media does not directly prohibit this, and in the law on advertising the concept of hidden advertising is very vaguely spelled out. So far no one has sued or filed complaints. As a result, newspapers and television channels receive money by bank transfer and publish or broadcast paid materials without the mark “for advertising rights.” Market leaders among newspapers: “Arguments and Facts” and “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. On television, everyone prefers to deal with VGTRK: you can post news on regional channels that are part of this state holding and cover the whole country.
Previously, the media did not participate in competitions, preferring to receive money from agencies. But recently a new trend has appeared on the market: the media go and win competitions themselves. At a recent competition of the Ministry of Health for “production and broadcasting of a series of television programs, united by the general direction of shaping the priorities of a healthy lifestyle among the adult population of Russia,” the same state-owned VGTRK won. The main argument was the price: instead of 67 million rubles, which the ministry was going to spend on this project, the television holding promised to meet 36 million.
The market understands that there is a moral dilemma here - the media should live off advertising, not royalties from the state. But it is difficult to give up this practice. “The customer himself must change his psychology,” calls on Solodukhin from KROS, “and order not the number of stories or articles, but events that are attractive to journalists.”
But employees of departments - they also have to report to their superiors - prefer to have a positive publication with a guarantee. The line between “informational support” of a good cause and advertising of the official to whom it is entrusted is very thin: if the minister came to distribute bicycles or textbooks to children, then a publication about this, placed in a newspaper for money, will satisfy all the criteria of the signed contract.
Without the Ministry of Truth
The government monitors the propaganda activities of departments, but does not attach too much importance to it. “Budget-funded propaganda exists in many countries, and we are no exception,” says Newsweek's senior government source. He is confident that there is nothing wrong even in the personal PR of ministers.
The agencies believe that the government is needlessly leaving things to chance. After all, departments often duplicate each other and talk - at public expense - about the same thing. Competitions to promote a healthy lifestyle held by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sports are often indistinguishable from each other. “There is no coordinating line,” fumes the head of one of the largest PR agencies, “and the same anti-tobacco advertising is being done by some in the forest, some by the firewood.”
But in this sense, departments are trusted both in the Kremlin and in the government - they have a better understanding of what problems they have. “There is no need to create a Ministry of Truth, God forbid!” - says a Kremlin official. As a result, all that is required from an agency or ministry is to extract money from the Ministry of Finance for propaganda. No one will ask about the results of the work either: the government does not require reports from propaganda campaigns, and the Accounts Chamber, checking such government contracts, only looks at whether the money was spent “in a targeted manner,” that is, in accordance with the assignment, or not.
It is really difficult to assess the effect of government advertising. An employee of the Ministry of Health says that there are planned targets, for example, for the percentage of people who quit smoking, they are contained in the main government document “Strategy 2020”. But no money has been allocated for sociological research. Rosstat recalls that when people learned about the upcoming census, they stopped unleashing dogs on census takers and started letting them into their houses. But the exact effect of census advertising cannot be measured.
Member of the Public Chamber Dmitry Badovsky believes that without special research it is impossible to assess the effect of state propaganda. However, anti-tobacco and anti-alcohol campaigns may have a different meaning, Badovsky believes. If the government decides to increase excise taxes on cigarettes or vodka, people will be more understanding about rising prices. Meanwhile, ministries are making plans for the future. According to Newsweek, by the end of the year the Ministry of Communications, for example, will hold a competition to promote digital television. The price of the issue is 1.2 billion rubles for five years.