I have been working in media and communications for more than 20 years. I began my career as a correspondent for the newspaper Liter, a new and exciting media project at the time, founded by Yerlan Bekhozhin in 2004. Later, I had the opportunity to work as Liter's Moscow correspondent while pursuing my master's degree at the Faculty of Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University.
After completing my studies, I continued teaching alongside my professional work.
Over the years, I have gained experience across several fields, including journalism, media management, government communications, and strategic communications.
One particularly interesting chapter of my career was working with the Club of Editors-in-Chief, a non-governmental organization. I also worked in Kazakhstan's Kyzylorda Region, where I served as Communications Adviser to the regional Governor. During that time, I continued teaching media and journalism students at Korkyt Ata University.
Later, I headed Khabar, Kazakhstan's national television channel, before being invited to join the Communications Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Today, I have returned to the field of education, working at the Kazakhstan Branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

At the Kazakhstan Branch of Moscow State University, I am responsible for communications. We recently celebrated the Branch's 25th anniversary. Over these years, the institution has trained approximately 3000 highly qualified specialists for Kazakhstan's economy.
Alongside my administrative responsibilities, I continue to teach. I actually began teaching master's students at the Branch while I was still Director of the Khabar television channel.
For me, teaching has never been just another professional responsibility. It has always been a way to share knowledge and give something back.
Today, I lecture on media linguistics and strategic communications to students enrolled in the master's programme in Media Linguistics.
Looking back, my professional journey has always revolved around two areas that are particularly close to my heart: communications and education.

I believe that all media, whether traditional or digital, should pursue one overarching goal: to serve the public good, however idealistic that may sound.
Today, it is increasingly difficult for traditional media to compete with social networks and AI-powered tools.
Nevertheless, I firmly believe that regardless of the platform through which media organizations distribute information – whether television, print publications, or their own social media accounts – their responsibility remains the same: to maintain high editorial standards and encourage audiences to seek out meaningful, substantive content.
Journalism is traditionally understood to serve several key functions: informing, educating, and entertaining. I would like to see today's media place greater emphasis on education and providing audiences with reliable, well-researched information. There is already more than enough entertainment content available.
I would like to share an analogy used by Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, who has led the publication since 2015. When asked by journalists about the intense competition for audience attention in today's information market, she compared the content produced by The Economist to the cuisine of a Michelin-starred restaurant, while likening the endless stream of information feeds to fast food. I find this comparison particularly apt. In an age of information abundance, what matters most is not simply attracting an audience's attention, but offering people something genuinely valuable and substantial.

According to the global digital research platform Data Reportal, there are currently 2.4 billion active users of AI tools worldwide, while the number of social media users has reached 5.7 billion.
With such enormous volumes of information circulating every day, media literacy and critical thinking have become essential skills for everyone. It is no longer simply a matter of navigating the information landscape. It is also about digital literacy, good information hygiene, and personal security.
First and foremost, we need to rely on trustworthy sources, remain vigilant, and verify information before accepting it as fact. This means getting news from credible outlets rather than automatically believing everything we encounter on social media or receive through messaging apps.
In the age of artificial intelligence and Tik-Tok, it is especially important to remember that even photographs, videos, and audio recordings can be fabricated. Deepfake technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated by the day.
And if a particular news story triggers a strong emotional reaction, that is precisely when we should resist the urge to believe it immediately – let alone share it with others. Instead, we should take the time to verify the information through several independent sources.