The Media Program in Ukraine Weekly Briefer

Hot Media Sector News
 
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Says Investigators have Key Suspect Evidence in Pavel Sheremet Murder Case
August 7 – Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, in his interview with Radio NV on August 7, said his investigators have video images of the key suspects in the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet.
 
Pavel Sheremet, a Belorussian journalist who was living and working in Kyiv, was killed by a car bomb in the morning of July 20, 2016. Police opened a criminal case and termed it a felonious homicide committed in a way dangerous to many people's lives. Until now, police investigators and prosecutors have not found the persons responsible for the journalist’s murder.
 
“We see the likely participants in this crime, but it still needs to be proved by a series of investigative actions,” Lutsenko said, adding that he “can say nothing more.” Lutsenko also noted that Sheremet was his friend, and so this is not an easy case for him. “This is a difficult case, because even our American colleagues [the Federal Bureau of Investigation] have been unable to assist us in identifying a person by using our camcorder footage. We only have the height, constitution, approximate features, etc.,” he added.
 
Earlier, Lutsenko said the main motive for the crime was “revenge for Sheremet's professional activities.”
 
On July 23, the head of the National Police of Ukraine, Serhiy Knyazev, said they questioned 3,500 people and performed 26 crime scene re-enactments in Sheremet’s murder investigation. On the same day, he presented to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Interior Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov secret information in the investigation. Following their meeting, Zelenskyy announced that the criminals would be found and brought to justice.
 
In August 2018, police announced that making additional information about the assassination public might have a negative impact on the case. Later on, Lutsenko reported that his prosecutors had information that could likely lead to the murderers. Back in May of this year, Lutsenko once again reported investigators had made serious progress in the case, but he did not reveal any details.
 
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
 
Media for Conscious Choice Movement Calls for Transparency from President’s Team in Wake of Fake News Incident
August 5 – The Media for Conscious Choice movement published a statement after a number of Ukrainian media erroneously reported the resignation of Andriy Bogdan, the head of the president's office.
 
The movement’s statement read “on August 1, a number of media and news agencies broke in the news on the dismissal statement, which was allegedly written by the head of president’s office Andriy Bogdan. According to the “Mirror Weekly,” the photo of this statement was received by certain journalists from the source in the president’s office, namely from the deputy head of the president’s office Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who, in his turn, denied this fact. On August 2, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Bogdan, as well as all other members of his team, wrote statements about dismissal without indicating the dates. In the President's opinion, the distribution of the copy of this statement cannot be considered disinformation. Commenting on this story, Andriy Bogdan said that journalists in vain identify themselves with the society, because Zelenskyy´s team communicates with the society without any intermediaries.”
 
The statement noted that “representatives of the President's office deliberately supported the dissemination of fake news by handing over a copy of Bogdan’s statement simultaneously to several journalists, neither confirming nor refuting its authenticity during the whole day.”
 
The statement signatories called this a deliberate provocation against the media. “We consider it unacceptable, when public servants and politicians are deliberately spreading false information, undermining the trust in the MEDIA. The reaction of the head of the state Zelenskyy, who did not recognize the incorrectness of the actions of his subordinates, is of a special concern,” the statement said.
 
The statement signatories also expressed their disagreement with Bogdan’s statement that his administration, by using social media to reach the public directly, has annulled the role of journalists as intermediaries between the authorities and society. “We consider manipulative all actions to oppose the direct communication of politicians with citizens through social networks to the communication through the MEDIA. Both methods are necessary elements of political transparency. To control politicians, to ask questions, in particular inconvenient ones, and to require answers, is one of the main tasks of the mass media, whereas the authorities must be open, in their turn. Accountability of the authorities to the society through the media cannot be replaced by comfortable communication of MPs in social networks, because the society overall is not only their friends and followers in social networks. We believe that the President and his team should draw important conclusions from this situation and avoid repeating it in the future,” the statement read.
 
“We hope that this case will be a warning for journalists as well: non-official relations with politicians, the mutual services should by replaced with transparency, fact-checking and strict adherence to professional standards. The main task for media is to remain needed by the audience and supply people with up-to-date, qualitative and truthful information, at the same time articulating the needs of the society to the authorities and politicians," the statement concluded.
 
Note: The Media for Conscious Choice movement was launched on February 5, 2019, and was designed to provide citizens with the chance to elect the president and the parliament on the basis of complete, reliable and objective information in the media. The leading Ukrainian media - TV channels, radio stations, print and online outlets, as well as media NGOs - participate in the movement. The first signatories of the Movement memorandum were UA: Pershy, Ukrainian Radio, Hromadske Radio, Ukrinform, Interfax-Ukraine, Liga.net, Mirror Weekly, Novoye Vriemya, Cenzor.Net, Channel 5, Ukrainian Week, Opinion, a number of regional media, NGOs, Independent Media Council, Detector Media, Institute of Mass Information, Internews Ukraine, Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law, Suspilnist Foundation, Independent Association of Broadcasters, Donetsk Institute of Information, Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, Center for Human Rights Zmina, Regional Press Development Institute and other organizations, and individual journalists – over 70 signatories in total.
 
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
 
Mirror Weekly’s Editor-in-Chief Calls Information about Bogdan’s Resignation Manipulative 
August 2 – The editor-in-chief of “Mirror Weekly” newspaper and website, Yuliya Mostova, in her comments to Detector Media, said she considers the person who circulated a supposed letter of resignation of Andriy Bogdan, the head of the President’s office, to be a source of manipulation, and not a source of information.
 
Mostova said that on August 1 “Mirror Weekly” reported Bogdan’s resignation because, according to Mostova, it was “disseminated as an insight by the deputy head of the President’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.” Tymoshenko himself denied this fact in his interview with Detector Media. When asked why “Mirror Weekly” published the name of its source for the resignation announcement, Mostova said, “I do not consider it to be a source of information. This is a source of manipulation. Of course, Tymoshenko is a switchman [a person who does not make decisions, but fulfil orders of a boss]. But people need to know their names - people who are interested in facts, not in emotions.”
 
Mostova added that, in her memory, “it is for the first time when fake news is presented not through some dubious accounts, but when a number of media outlets having an absolutely clean reputation were discredited.” Mostova also said “Mirror Weekly” did not check the information before publishing Bogdan’s resignation story because her editors trusted the Interfax Ukraine agency, which publicized this news first. “We trust this agency. And it is extremely unfortunate that this person has allowed himself to intentionally use a reputable agency to misinform media consumers,” she concluded.
 
Earlier, on August 1, the Interfax Ukraine agency reported Bogdan’s resignation but retracted the story later the same day. Kristina Berdynskykh, a journalist with Novoye Vriemya (NV) weekly, wrote that she received a copy of Bogdan’s resignation statement. Nash.Maxi TV reported that Ruslan Riaboshapka, the deputy head of the President’s office, denied Bogdan’s resignation. The next day, when everyone realized that there was no actual resignation and it was possibly a joke perpetrated by the President’s office team, Berdynskykh wrote on the NV website that she received the copy of Bogdan’s resignation statement from a staff member at the President’s office. Berdynskykh refused to name her source.  
 
Interfax Ukraine’s director general Oleksandr Martynenko refused to comment on the situation.
 
On August 2, during his meeting with media representatives in Ivano-Frankivsk, President Zelenskyy confirmed the existence of Bogdan’s resignation statement. “We — all the key people who came with me — agreed from the beginning that we would write statements of resignation without dates. If society or the President feel that one or the other person cannot cope with the tasks set by Ukraine, then at any moment, this person... will resign,” Zelenskyy said.
 
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
 
Advisor to President Supports Merger of UATV and UA:PBC
August 5 – Presidential advisor Mykyta Poturayev, in an interview with LB.ua, suggested that state-owned UATV, the multimedia platform for international broadcasting, merge with UA: PBC, Ukraine’s public service broadcaster. Poturayev made the recommendation while answering an LB.ua journalist’s question about the possibility of launching a separate TV channel for Donbas and Crimea based on the UATV platform. "Let’s first deal with what we already have,” Poturayev responded. “I still have no idea how much we spent on UATV, what equipment they own. Of course, it has to be merged with the public broadcaster, with an option of separate funding sources for both of them. Secondly, UA: Donbas and UA: Crimea may be prioritized for the occupied areas while ATR (Crimean Tatar channel) may receive funds from the state bodies - Cabinet of Ministers or others."  
 
Poturayev also voiced his ideas about how to protect Ukrainian media from Russian influence through the mechanisms of transparent funding and extending the powers of the National Council for TV and Radio (the state regulator).
 
Note: Currently, UATV channel and the Ukrinform state information agency are parts of the international broadcasting system of Ukraine, and are subordinate to and funded by the Ministry of Information Policy. Their activities are regulated by the law On System of International Broadcasting of Ukraine (approved by the Parliament in December 2015). According to this law, UATV has the right to broadcast abroad only, but also into Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.
 
On July 15  at a meeting with media and civil society leaders at Ukrinform in Kyiv, Poturayev said Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s team planned to eliminate the Ministry of Information Policy and combine the National Council for TV and Radio with the State Committee for TV and Radio. Afterwards, in his interview with Detector Media, Poturayev pointed out that Zelenskyy’s team plans to create a body with extended powers, including the right to stop broadcasts prior to any court decisions on said broadcasts.   
 
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian and on LB.ua in Ukrainian.  
 
Advisor to President Suggests Creating IT-Ministry
August 5 – Presidential advisor Mykhailo Fedorov, in his interview with LIGA.net, said the President’s team plans to create an IT-ministry or a ministry of digital transformation based on the current Ministry of Information Policy. Fedorov also mentioned that such a ministry is in line with international practice, that there would be no need to create something new, and that they would simply transform the existing Ministry of Information Policy.  
 
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian and on Liga.Tech in Russian.
 
Cyber Attack on Chornomorska TV and Radio Company’s Server 
August 3 – On the evening of August 3, the Chornomorska TV and radio company internet server was cyber-attacked. According to a Chornomorska press statement, the attack was sophisticated, as the attackers seized control of all the key elements of the company’s online presence, including all backups and spare tools. The attack led to a serious malfunction.
The TV and radio company’s team restored the online services.
 
"We associate the attack with the company’s professional activities, including the coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war, and construction of “a bridge” over a mental gap created by Russian propaganda between residents of Crimea and Donbas and the free part of Ukraine," president of Chornomorska TV and radio company Yevheniy Kalensky said in a statement on Chornomorska’s website.
 
More on the website of Chornomorska TV-radio company in Russian.
 
Security Service Identifies Anti-Ukrainian Agitator in Sumy
August 2 – The Security Service of Ukraine identified an agitator in Sumy who disseminated anti-Ukrainian publications on the internet. Security Service investigators announced that a male Sumy resident posted information on his personal page in a social network that is banned in Ukraine calling for violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and for changes to the state border. The perpetrator also promoted the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), which are considered to be terrorist organizations in Ukraine.
 
According to the Security Service’s report, the agitator received anti-Ukrainian publications through his correspondence in social networks, from fake accounts created by representatives of the special services of the Russian Federation. The person in question not only disseminated anti-Ukrainian publications but also collected information from Russia’s propaganda resources and illegal armed groups. During a search of the agitator's place of residence, law enforcement officers found computer equipment and other material evidence of the unlawful activities. The investigation is in process.
 
More on the website of the Security Service of Ukraine in Ukrainian. 
 
Presidential Advisor Calls for Russian Content Ban
August 2 – Presidential advisor on humanitarian issues, Volodymyr Borodyanskyy, in his interview with Liga. Business, suggested that Russian media content be banned in Ukraine.
 
“Look, they attacked Ukraine. They took away part of the territory and started a war. So yes, I think the Russian content should be banned, because the meanings that are embedded into this product are a threat to Ukraine’s national security. If you want to build a strong Ukrainian independent state, we must have an answer on how we should build it, and information policy is part of the answer,” Borodyanskyy said.
 
When asked if Ukraine should engage in counter-propaganda actions, creating messages that debunk Russian propaganda messages, Borodyanskyy replied that “Ukraine is not Russia. I believe we are different. Thus, the ways to achieve our goals must be different too. We just talked about critical thinking. I believe that the nation will be strong, and Ukraine will be strong when the population understands the essence of what is happening. This is a very distant goal, but we need to promote those behaviors that we consider successful for the country. We are building our country, and we need to promote what makes us competitive in the world, what makes us stronger. No need to repeat what the enemy does. Our answers must be asymmetric."
 
Note: On July 29, Volodymyr Borodyanskyy, former head of StarLightMedia Holding, became an advisor to the President of Ukraine on humanitarian issues. On August 1, Borodyanskyy held a closed meeting with media experts and media executives. During the meeting, media manager Fedir Hrechaninov, formerly with StarLightMedia and currently with Media Group Ukraine, was chosen to coordinate the working group in developing the media part of the humanitarian strategy.
 
Borodyanskyy considers it to be a problem that oligarchs have the ability to influence and manipulate public opinion. To solve this problem, he contends, Ukraine needs to firstly, achieve the economic independence of the media, and secondly, to ensure that media content is not manipulative.
 
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian. 
 
National Council Presents Results of its Audit in Border Areas
July 30 - The National Council for Television and Radio presented the results of its audit of 86 border districts in 15 regions (except Donetsk region), and noted that there is low concentration of Ukrainian radio stations and cable networks in the border regions of Ukraine. National Council member Maxym Onopriyenko made this statement at a press conference in Kyiv.
 
According to the National Council, the average concentration of Ukrainian radio frequencies in the regions it audited is 27%, meaning that 73% of radio signals are not Ukrainian. The smallest number of Ukrainian radio signals was found in Mykolayiv region, where there are almost no Ukrainian frequencies. In the border areas of Ivano-Frankivsk and Vinnytsia regions – Ukraine signals comprise just 11% of all signals available, while in Chernihiv it is12%, Zhytomyr - 13%, Rivne and Lviv - 20%, and in Zaporizhzhia - 22%.
 
The other eight border regions have slightly higher concentration levels of Ukrainian FM frequencies. In Luhansk region they comprise 32% of the signaks, in Volyn and Chernivtsi - 33%, Odesa - 36%, Sumy - 46%, Kharkiv - 48%, Kherson - 59%, and Zakarpattya - 78%.
 
According to the National Council, the average percentage of Ukrainian cable networks in the 86 border districts of 15 regions is 29%, less than one-third of the total cable networks operating in these areas. The lowest indicator was found in the border regions of Rivne and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, at close to zero. In the northern border regions of Luhansk region, just 7% of available cable networks are Ukrainian, in the border areas of Mykolaiv region – just 10%, Zhytomyr - 11%, Vinnytsia - 22%, and in Chernihiv - 26%.
 
In eight border regions the situation is better. In the border areas of Lviv region - 29% of cable networks are Ukrainian, in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv - 30%, Kherson - 31%, Sumy - 37%, Volyn - 50%, Zakarpattya - 56%, and in Odesa border regions - 65%.
 
Onopriyenko named two reasons for such low concentration of Ukrainian FM radio and cable networks:

1. Geographical: in the border areas the population lives in settlements and villages that are unevenly distributed and dispersed over a large area; and
2. Commercial: Broadcasting is not commercially attractive in these territories. Infrastructure development is costly.

1. Changes to the method of charging license fees and introducing a 70% discount on licenses for radio stations in the border areas. The National Council addressed this proposal to the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, which has the right to submit the relevant proposal to the Government; and
2. Amendments to the legislation and introduction of a simplified procedure for issuing temporary broadcasting licenses in the border areas of Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Odesa regions, regions affected by radio signals broadcast by the aggressor state [Russia].

 More on Detector Media in Ukrainian. 
 
Media Program in Ukraine Partners’ Activities
 
POID Reports on Regional Media Quality during Elections
August 1 – In June 2019, the Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy (POID) monitored reformed regional print media outlets and their websites in ten regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytsky, and Cherkasy. A total of 1,615 print media stories and 1,256 online stories were evaluated.
 
The monitoring results show that publications in the selected regions failed to comply with journalism standards and in presenting a balance of opinions. The print media, unlike most online publications monitored, violated the law on election campaigning; experts recorded a significant amount of politically biased materials (13%) and hidden advertising (13.8%) in regional print media.
 
The monitoring revealed that local media, print and online, provided a distorted picture of the political situation for their readers and hence limited people’s ability to make informed choices at the ballot box. Not all monitored media were aware of the rights and responsibilities they obtained when they successfully transformed from government-owned to  destatized media; many continue to work  in close cooperation with local authorities.
 
POID’s experts were concerned about the growing number of publications in Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytsky and Zakarpattia regions showing signs of propaganda and pro-Russian messages in their content. In quoting primarily the candidates in the Parliamentary elections who had pro-Russian sentiments, such media violated the standards of balance of opinion and impartiality.
 
According to POID, print media in particular failed to use different formats for journalistic texts, which would have made their newspapers more readable. Among the journalism story categories POID used to group content by theme, between 28% and 55% of the content fell under the "other" heading, which illustrated the general irrelevance of much of the monitored media content. In POID’s opinion, the real problem of the local media is the small number of analytical publications. Regional print media mostly ignored socially important topics, giving too much space to greetings, ads and entertainment content, as well as covering local authorities’ initiatives regardless of their newsworthiness. The armed conflict in Ukraine’s east and other war-related topics, as well as anticorruption activities, made up just 2% of these media’s entire content.