THOUSAND OAKS : Soviet Journalists on Fact-Finding Trip

Soviet journalists Sergey Frolov and Stanislav Kutcher, on a mission to talk to as many “average Americans” as possible during a tour of the United States, passed through Thousand Oaks this week.

The two correspondents of the Moscow daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, circulation 17.6 million, have worn the leather on their Soviet-made shoes hitchhiking and busing their way across America.

The goal of the two journalists is simple: They want to talk to as many “average Americans” as possible before they leave Sept. 5. That, they say, will help them sift American fact from fiction. “We always thought America was perfect,” Frolov said. “That’s why we’re here. The information about America is not right.”

In Thousand Oaks, they were guests of David L. Jones, an executive producer at the Seventh-day Adventist Media Center in Newbury Park. Jones said he invited the journalists into his home because Jones’ brother-in-law was their guest in Moscow.

Although they see the city as a typical suburban California community, with well-kept streets and friendly faces, they were dismayed by the lack of public transportation.

They travel with no typewriters but have filed two handwritten stories by fax to Moscow and dictated one by phone, Kutcher said. The two expect to file more stories at the conclusion of their trip.

What the two Soviet journalists have in common with their American counterparts is curiosity.

The two are busily taking mental notes about what Americans eat, watch on television and think. They offer advice on such topics as the amount of ice served in drinks at McDonald’s (“Too much”). In turn, truck drivers have offered them tips on picking up women (“Speak with thick Russian accents”).

Frolov, 31, and Kutcher, 19, said they have found much to enlighten and discourage them. On July 4, the second day of their trip, they were mugged by two knife-wielding thieves on a street in New York.

“They were very polite. They said thank you and left,” Kutcher said.

In small Midwestern towns, residents were suspicious of the curiosity that the Russians brought with them. Kutcher said he often joked that “we’re gathering samples to be analyzed by the KGB.” If that’s true, then the intelligence agency will learn a lot about popular culture and fast food, a phenomenon that fascinates many Muscovites.

“By the way,” Kutcher asked, “what’s the difference between Pepsi and Coke?”