Vladimir Soloviev, the head of the Russian Reporters Union, proposed to provide obligatory licensing for reporters making videos on YouTube channels. Such mandatory licensing has to solve the problem of fake news. But what the phrase “our colleagues” means he did not clear. It could include any video blogger. The problem of fake news requires solution in the form of legal regulation he believes.
But the Russian state duma skeptically regards this idea. “The problem should not be brought to the absurd”. Russian state duma does not consider the proposition to license video blogging and has no plans to do it in near future. Any proposition to improve the law is to be practically implemented; otherwise the amended law would be futile.
There are a lot of online platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook etc. where bloggers work from overseas in Russian as well as in other languages and nobody from overseas would receive a license for vlogging. “There is no need to register video blogs as mass media. Video blogging means expression of personal attitude before the camera”, – stated one of the deputies in Russian state duma.