Senior U.S. diplomat speaks in Tashkent about media's role in society
TASHKENT. April 12 (Interfax) - The U.S. administration supports independent journalists, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Michael Hammer told Uzbek journalists in Tashkent on Friday.
The U.S. sees journalists as the fourth branch of authority, relying on their reports, he said.
Debates between media personnel of various bias on the one hand and the government on the other, must continue, he said. This will help create conditions where the government will instantly respond to reporters' and citizens' arguments in the media, Hammer said.
Hammer also said that he had attended a conference in Tashkent on state executive agencies' openness as a crucial condition for ensuring public control.
The conference centered on the most essential aspects of state executive agencies' transparency, he said.
Hammer said that during the conference and at other events he spoke on how important it is for the government to work openly with the mass media.