Penza, 28 December 2015. PenzaNews. The Penza region lacks the journalists well acquainted with religion field, suggested Alexander Elatontsev, acting head of the regional Internal Policy and Mass Communications Department, during the religious organizations cooperation task force session held on Monday, December 28.

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“Frankly, we in the Penza region have a lack of journalists who write, film, work online who’d have a deep understanding of this topic,” he said.

As a positive example, Alexander Elatontsev praised Natalya Sizova from “Penzenskaya Pravda” newspaper, who, according to him, has a detailed acquaintance with the subject.

“I will tell you openly: recently, we visited the faculty where journalists are studying. A great many of them who leave the university with a diploma are, to put it lightly, not acquainted with the issues that every secondary school student must know, and primarily the terms,” noted the acting head of the regional Internal Policy and Mass Communications Department.

In 2016, the authorities plan to hold a teaching meeting for media representatives on issues related to coverage of religious news, he added.

The idea was supported by Vasily Trokhin, deputy chairman of the Penza region government.

“Perhaps we need to coordinate the work of the media in preparation of some kind of promotional materials – for or against – in this field, in this very issue. We need to think about it,” he said.