Poll: Russian media tolerates dissent

MOSCOW, June 17 (UPI) -- In a recent poll, 40 percent of Russians said the media express viewpoints disagreeable to the authorities.

The news agency RIA Novosti reports the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center conducted the poll June 4-5 and found 40 percent saying viewpoints different from the authorities are found in media.

Thirty-six percent said media fail to take differing viewpoints even though they can, and 17 percent said media are under the complete total of the authorities.

VTsIOM polled 1,561 Russians in 46 regions, territories and republics. The statistical margin of error was stated about 3.4 percent.