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Hot Media Sector News
Commission for Journalism Ethics Cites 1+1 TV Channel for Ethics Violations
July 12 – The Commission for Journalism Ethics (CJE) cited 1+1 TV channel for breaches of ethics made in a June 25 news piece about the political party "Servant of the People." This was announced on the Commission’s website on July 11, as part of the independent monitoring of Ukraine’s parliamentary elections supported by the Council of Europe projects "Supporting Transparency, Inclusiveness and Integrity of Electoral Practice in Ukraine" and "Strengthening Freedom of Media, Access to Information and Reinforcing Public Broadcasting System in Ukraine.”
The video report, called "Pre-Election Competition," was produced by TSN, the news production arm of 1+1. Media experts submitted the segment to the Commission for consideration. The Commission noted that the video was fully devoted to the election promises of "Servant of the People" political party candidates. According to the Commission, "journalists used a number of judgments (their own comments) that do not attempt to test, question, or submit independent expert assessments of the political statements of this party…
The absence of news reports on 1+1 about other political parties indicates bias in favor of the “Servant of the People” political party."
The Commission concluded that the video violated several articles of the Code of Ethics for Ukrainian journalists, specifically:
- Article 2 (that journalists should act in the interests of society rather than those of the authorities/media owner);
- Article 6 (standards of completeness and objectivity of information);
- Article 7 (separation and proper labeling of political advertising);
- Article 9 (the separation of news and opinion); and
- Article 10 (balance of points of view).
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian and on the website of the Commission for Journalism Ethics in Ukrainian.
Survey Reveals Facebook to be the Most Popular Social Network in Ukraine
July 11 – According to a survey by the sociological group "Rating," the most popular social network in Ukraine is Facebook. Facebook is used by 74% of Ukrainians who receive news from social networks, the survey revealed, while YouTube is second with 55% of the Ukrainian audience. Instagram came in at 35%, Telegram at 16%, and Twitter at 3%.
The survey, commissioned by the International Republican Institute (IRI), was conducted from June 13 to 23 throughout Ukraine, except in the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. A total of 2,400 Ukrainians aged 18 and over were polled. The sample group was selected by gender, age, region and size of the respondents’ place of residence.
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
Ukraine’s President Says Pro-Russian Monopolization of TV Channels is Unacceptable
July 10 – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the monopolization of the TV space, especially by people with pro-Russian views, is unacceptable during wartime. He made these remarks at a meeting with district council members and the local city administration of Boryspil, in response to a question about the TV bridge (a live show linking audiences and moderators in separate TV stations) NewsOne planned to organize in tandem with the Russian federal TV network Russia 24.
"During the war, individuals who do not have pro-Ukrainian views cannot monopolize a Ukrainian TV channel. We must deal with this," Zelenskyy said. He said the issue would be regulated at the legislative level after the election of a new parliament.
"There will be no information monopolies," the president said. "We will not allow such people like [pro-Russian Ukrainian politician] Medvedchuk to monopolize Ukrainian television," he added.
Detector Media reported earlier that on June 14 it became known that Taras Kozak, a close ally of Viktor Medvedchuk, had become the owner of ZIK channel. Kozak merged his three newly-purchased TV channels – 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZIK - into a single media holding called "News" under the leadership of Oleksiy Semenov, who was formerly head of the channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and Pryamyy (Direct).
On July 7, Ukrainian TV channel NewsOne and Russian state-owned channel Russia 24 announced a joint TV bridge called "We Need to Talk," to be broadcast on July 12. The plan caused a public outcry and was criticized by many Ukrainian civil society organizations. Medvedchuk is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. There was a suspicion that the idea behind the TV bridge idea was to discuss rapprochement between the two countries at terms and on conditions that would be favorable to Russia first and foremost, rather than Ukraine. Many Ukrainian politicians urged the National Security and Defense Council and President Zelenskyy to take action. President Zelenskyy criticized the proposed teleconference, calling it a public relations stunt prior to the parliamentary election.
On July 8, in the face of waves of public criticism, NewsOne cancelled the TV bridge. On the same date, the National Security and Defence Council instructed the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Police not to disclose further details about the case for security reasons.
More on the official website of the President of Ukraine in English and on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
Two Ukrainian Women Journalists Win “Courage in Journalism Awards”
July 10 - Anastasiya Stanko, a journalist with Hromadske TV, and Anna Babinets, the head of the Slidstvo.info investigative reporting agency, are the winners of the 2019 International Women's Media Foundation’s “Courage in Journalism Awards.” The awards ceremony will be held in October 2019 in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
The Foundation reported on its website that the prizes are awarded to "brave journalists who talk about prohibited topics, work in an environment that is hostile to women and share a complicated truth." The Foundation added in its note that more than 100 journalists from 56 countries around the world are being honoured this year.
Babinets, in her comments to Detector Media, said she was nominated by Bruce Shapiro, a journalist and executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Stanko wrote with humour on Facebook that "Anya, as an investigative reporter, googled that we were the first Ukrainian women to be awarded with such a prize. I did not google. But I believe Babinets."
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
Prosecutor General Says Criminal Proceedings Launched against Co-owners of NewsOne TV Channel
July 9 – The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko announced the initiation of criminal proceedings to investigate whether two beneficiary owners of Ukraine’s NewsOne TV channel, Taras Kozak and Vasyl Golovanov, are also co-owners of a Russian bank.
"The two individuals concerned are simultaneously the directors of an offshore bank and also owners of Ukrainian TV channels. The Russian bank - Promsviazbank - is registered as an offshore belonging to Kozak and Golovanov. This bank has the authority to finance the Russian government’s defense orders, and therefore, is involved in the military aggression against Ukraine. Proceedings on the financing of terrorism have been launched," Lutsenko said. He also announced that he sees grounds to deprive NewsOne of its broadcasting license. A pre-trial investigation has been entrusted to the chief investigative department of the State Security Service of Ukraine. According to Lutsenko, the procedural supervisor gave instructions to launch interrogations regarding other procedural actions against Kozak, a Ukrainian Member of Parliament, and Golovanov, the general producer at NewsOne.
Earlier, on July 8, Detector Media reported that the Prosecutor General told journalists that one of the beneficiaries of Ukrainian NewsOne TV channel is also co-owner of the Russian Promsviazbank, through which the Kremlin finances the war against Ukraine. Kozak called the prosecutor’s statement "a cynical lie, which testifies to his lack of professionalism and professional inaccuracy," while noting that he is the only owner of NewsOne TV channel. Several weeks earlier, Russian TV presenter Dmitriy Kiselev, in his program "News of the Week" on Russia’s First Channel, reported that Russia 24 and NewsOne channels would air a TV bridge. However, on July 8, NewsOne cancelled the TV bridge, saying the channel was pressured to abandon the project and that its journalists had received threats of physical violence against themselves and their families.
More on Interfax Ukraine in Ukrainian.
Internet Association Publishes List of 100 Top News Websites
July 9 - A list of the top 100 news websites as of June 2019 was published by the Internet Association of Ukraine (InAU). According to InAU, among the most popular online media were Obozrevatel (19%), Segodnya (16%), TSN (16%), 24 (15%), and UNIAN (13%).
Also among the top ten in June were RBC-Ukraine, Znaj.ua, Strana.ua, Politeka, and Ukrainska Pravda.
The Internet Association of Ukraine compiles ratings based on monthly online audiences in Ukraine for online media that have their own editorial staff and produce their own content on social and political topics. The research sample for this rating was a media panel of 5,000 internet users over 15 years of age.
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
TV Bridge to Be Held between Channel 24 and Georgian Rustavi 2
July 9 – Channel 24 has announced that it will hold a TV bridge with the Georgian TV channel Rustavi 2. The topic will be Russia and the threats and challenges that come with having Russia as a neighbor.
"The date for the TV bridge will be finalized soon…but the topic is already known – the dangerous neighbor we have in common to the north, as well as the threats and challenges that this brings and how to deal with them," the Channel 24 press office said.
The format is to involve a frank exchange of ideas on air between the two studios in the two countries about the following:
- How to counter Russia’s threats;
- New rules of the world order;
- Should we rely on guarantees and support from international leaders?; and
- How have Ukraine and Georgia changed during the period of occupation and how can these occupied territories be regained?
The director general of Channel 24, Roman Andreiko, wrote on the channel’s website that the language of communication on air will be Russian.
Ukrainian journalists and experts will participate in the discussion in the studios of Channel 24. The participants from the Georgian side will be revealed soon.
More on Detector Media in Ukrainian.
Media Program in Ukraine Partners’ Activities
Center for Democracy and Rule of Law Holds 15th School of Media Law
June 9 – Fifteen lawyers and four journalists from six countries (Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus) began an intensive three-week course in media law on the premises of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv. The course was organized by the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM) within the framework of its 15th summer International School of Media Law, an educational project for media lawyers from Ukraine, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The School’s main goal is to improve the participants’ practical skills and theoretical knowledge in media law. In the current legal and media context, media lawyers work with a wide range of issues, from consultations on journalistic standards and copyright to protection of media representatives in courts, including international courts. The course fills a gap in international media law as this is not currently covered by law faculties of Ukrainian universities.
Gillian McCormack, Director of Internews in Ukraine, in her welcoming remarks, spoke about Internews’ long years of cooperation with CEDEM, and its current support for the summer school through USAID’s Media Program in Ukraine. "It’s not easy to be a lawyer. While it’s an honorable profession, it’s not always one with a good reputation. In literature and drama lawyers are often portrayed in a negative light. However I have had occasion in my life to need the services of a lawyer, and I have always been impressed with their professionalism, courage and kindness. If you ask why Internews is supporting this school, it is not just to create a pool of lawyers trained in the specifics of the law, but to help you, as graduates, create networks and a community that will help you go on to provide practical services and contribute to a society in which people’s rights are protected. I hope to hear about you and your achievements soon," McCormack said.
Studies at the international summer school will be held in a lecture format followed by discussions and practical exercises. Experts will talk about the standards of journalism that lawyers need to be aware of, copyright, public service broadcasting, access to information, and personal data protection.
More in Ukrainian on the CEDEM site.
Politics Café Held in Kharkiv
July 10 - The Kharkiv Press Club organized a “politics café” attended by local political analysts Julia Bidenko, Oleksandr Romanyuk, Igor Polischuk, Oksana Babayeva, Olexiy Litvinov, Volodymyr Rapoport, Olexander Amstilsky, and Dmytro Lyakhovetsky. Psychologist Maxim Zhidko and sociologist Olexander Kizilov also attended, as did the Kharkiv region electoral ombudsman and regional OPORA representative Yuriy Chumak. Representatives of political parties, public organizations, single-mandate candidates, international election observers, and journalists also attended. Overall, the political café hosted 20 participants.
The participants discussed the case of cancelling the TV bridge between News One TV channel and Russia 24, the local political environment on the eve of the parliamentary election, and the Russian information war against Ukraine in the run up to the elections.
Odesa’s Institute of Political Information (IPI) participated in the café through Skype. IPI director Pavlo Kolotvin presented the iVote resource for voter education, developed with Internews support. Kolotvin told the attendees that 50,000 Ukrainians had already compared their political preferences with the political party platforms using the iVote resource.
More on the Kharkiv Press Club YouTube channel in Ukrainian.
“Issues of National Security” Discusses Laws on Media Transparency
July 9 – The Center for Journalist Investigations of the Information and Press Center (IPC) broadcast the 23rd episode of the “Issues of National Security” TV series. The key topic of the program was draft bills #6762 and #8494, which are designed to make media ownership and funding transparent. The studio guest was Mykola Kniazhytsky, an MP and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Humanitarian Issues. He said that the current parliament will not pass these bills. “Despite the fact that these draft bills were approved by the relevant committees long ago, Ukrainian oligarchs have influence within most of the parliamentary factions and they do everything possible to ensure the bills are not put to parliament for consideration. By blocking the bills, they [oligarchs] play into the hands of the aggressor country and only think of their own illegal enrichment.” Kniazhytsky said he was involved in drafting the laws, which in his view should counter channels funded by Russia.
IPC is airing this series of 34 programs over an eight-month period with the support of the Media Program in Ukraine. So far, 23 one-hour TV programs in the “Issues of National Security” series have been broadcast on IPC’s YouTube channel, on Facebook and on Chornomorska TV.
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