Kvorum (Moscow) - January 21, 2009

On the Day of the Russian Press, parliamentary journalists were honored with awards. Every year, the State Duma accredits some 1,500 reporters from nearly 500 Russian mass media. Their stories covering the activities of Russia's federal legislative body serve as a valuable contribution to the country's historical chronicles.

On January 13, the Day of the Russian Press, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov awarded diplomas and gifts to the winners of the creative competition for the best coverage of the day-to-day routine of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly in 2008. The following names were cited as the best journalists:

• the News Agency category: Irina Inoveli (Interfax), Lyudmila Kuzmich (RosBusinessConsulting), Yelena Malysheva (ITAR-TASS), Natalia Shmakova (RIA Novosti);
• the TV category: Vita Vinokur (VKT TV Company), Vitaly Vtulkin (Mir TV), Dmitry Kochetkov (Channel One), Dmitry Novikov (NTV), Yevgeny Rozhkov and A. Terekhov (Russia TV Channel), Marina Tumanova (TV Center);
• the Radio category: Inessa Zemler (Ekho Moskvy), Violetta Nezhevenko (Shanson);
• the Newspapers category: Nail Gafutulin (Krasnaya Zvezda), Oleg Kazakov (Kvorum parliamentary weekly), Yury Makhrin (Delovoi Vtornik), Olga Pavlikova (Gazeta), Maria Rybakova (Moskovsky Komsomolets), Vera Tsaryova (Parlamentskaya Gazeta), Viktor Khamrayev (Kommersant), Tamara Shkel (Rossiyskaya Gazeta);
• the Magazines category: Dmitry Kamyshev (Vlast), Lyubov Kizilova (Mirovaya Energetika, World Energy), Alexander Platoshkin (Russia Today), Vera Kholmogorova (Expert);
• the Internet Publications category: Anna Kozyreva (FC Novosti);
• the Regional Mass Media category: Tamara Bychkovskaya (Slovo radio station, Novosibirsk);
• the Press Photographer category: Valery Belousov (ITAR-TASS), Sergei Kusin (Rossiyskaya Gazeta).

Chairman of the Russian Union of Journalists Vsevolod Bogdanov congratulated his colleagues on their professional holiday and awarded a group of correspondents with the union's diplomas. Boris Gryzlov handed Bogdanov the State Duma's Certificate of Merit as an acknowledgement of Bogdanov's active public and political stance. The editorial office of the Kvorum newspaper is happy to congratulate our colleagues on their high awards from the State Duma, especially our parliamentary correspondent Oleg Kazakov.