"Readership nihilism with regard to the mass media is the sad effect of its market switchover. We are witnessing the depreciation of journalism as an enlightening profession", Loshak told RIA Novosti in the interview.
The total edition of Russian newspapers and magazine last year was about 30 million copies, or ten times less than in the 1980s.
After a decade of the mass media transformation, there is no longer firm belief in the Soviet-times word in print and Russians have become accustomed to the words "PR", "black PR" and "jinsa" (ads paid for in a veiled way).
Pursuit of large editions has turned into small-mindedness and low-grade prints, laments Loshak. He headed Ogonyok about a year ago, after leaving Moskovskie Novosti, the flagship of the perestroikan "glasnost".
"In normal society there can be no such gap between the gutter-press and quality editions. Hopefully, Russian readership has already hit the intellectual bottom and is beginning to surface", Loshak said.
"Media managers vindicate the shallowness attacking us from the screens and newspapers by the 'rules of the market', pursuit of mass publications, ratings and the ad time. I don't believe that a multimillion readership and viewers are required for getting the ad money. Remember the old NTV television programme, which was not preferred by all. The viewers made it preferred by advertising investors", Loshak believes.
In his opinion, the Russian media market has become part of the world market space and is living according to the general rules, although it has "purely Russian" traditions.
"In Russia cablegram style journalism stands a poor chance of survival. Russian readers want 'beauty of expression'", he is sure.
The Ogonyok editor does not share the increasingly frequent calls for "moral censorship" for the mass media and thinks that intervention of the state is only permissible for "the old democracies".
"A wise editor-in-chief is better than an unreasonable media committee. Sues are better than complaints to party organs. Freedom of the press is the main thing which we have and must preserve", Loshak is sure.
