Moscow, June 2 – RIA Novosti. The 59th World Newspaper Congress to convene in Moscow June 4-7 will be the largest of its kind, with 104 countries to be represented, Mikhail Seslavinsky, Federal Press and Mass Communications Agency (Rospechat) Director, said to a RIA Novosti news conference Thursday.

“As many as 1,344 congress participants from 104 countries had registered by May 30, 2006. The heads of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, the biggest publishers and the most prominent editors were among them,” he said.

World Newspaper Congresses are annual events, hosted by different countries in turn. Moscow competed against Shanghai, Barcelona and Goteborg for the honor and won. Russia’s capital has never before hosted the congress, said Seslavinsky.

“That is flattering, and we believe Moscow is the right choice. Russia’s media market is among the most rapidly developing in the world. We have a great deal to tell and to show, and we share numerous problems with many other countries. The congress will provide the rostrum for debates on those shared problems,” he went on.

The Rospechat Director sees “progress of the periodical press in the new digital era” among the most important topics for discussion alongside “the correlation between free speech and media responsibility,” which Seslavinsky also highlighted.

He hopes the 13th World Editors’ Forum, to be held as part of the congress, will help to dispel “ridiculous” coverage stereotypes, which “present Russia as a grossly ignorant country with total censorship, primitive morals and endless criminal and interethnic clashes.”

The 59th World Newspaper Congress will include roundtables on the mass media in the post-Soviet area, the impact of digital technologies on the press, and the latest newspaper and magazine development strategies. Managers of the world’s leading outlets will address the gathering to share their innovation, advertising and outsourcing know-how, and information about the other aspects of their work.

The World Editors’ Forum agenda will include the notorious cartoon controversy, related debates to involve two spokesmen of the Danish-based Jullands-Posten, which carried the cartoons that aroused Muslim community indignation.

Forum discussions will also concern attracting young readers, in particular, what is known as “free information generation,” that is, the people who prefer to learn the news from free-distribution newspapers and open web resources. Certain events will be dedicated to the role of “people’s journalism”, the progress of weekend editions, the use of modern technologies, and other topics.

The Rospechat is supporting GIPP, Russia’s Guild of Press Publishers, official host of the upcoming 59th World Newspaper Congress.