EDITORIAL: Forbes' fallacies (09/15/96)

EDITORIAL

Forbes' fallacies

By now many readers will have read or at least heard of an article about Ukraine published in Forbes magazine (September 9 issue) that is so slanted, so full of fallacies, that it not only does a grave disservice to its readers but tarnishes the reputation of the magazine that published it. Titled "Tinderbox" - and bearing an overhead that reads "The world hasn't seen the last of ethnic turmoil in Eastern Europe. Keep your eye on Ukraine." - the article was written by Paul Klebnikov, an associate editor at Forbes.

Right from the start, readers who have been to Ukraine recently have more than ample reason to question whether the writer has. In the lead paragraph Mr. Klebnikov states that Ukraine "is riven between those who want reunion with Russia and those who want to remain independent." He then paints a picture of "poor Ukraine," which is a "basket case economically" and "lags far behind Russia in abandoning socialism." His description of Kyiv is pure fantasy: "Ukraine's capital, Kiev [sic], has none of Russia's post-communist vitality: no traffic jams, few foreign cars, no new construction, no new wealth. ..."

Incredibly, the writer goes on to argue that "Reintegration with Russia would alleviate many of these [economic] problems, but the electorate is of two minds on the subject." He then cites the fact that over 70 percent in Ukraine voted in a referendum in March 1991 to remain part of the USSR; then in December of the same year, 92 percent voted to approve independence. "Now they seem to be changing their minds again," he notes, adding that 30 percent in a recent poll want to merge with Russia and another 50 percent want closer economic, political or military ties.

Well, what we have here, quite simply, is selective reporting of the facts. Yes, it's true that on March 17, 1991, there was a union-wide referendum in which 70.2 percent of Ukraine's voters opted for preservation of the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics," but it was defined in the referendum question as "a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics." Even more pertinent, however, is the result of the national referendum held in Ukraine on the same day as the all-union plebiscite: 80.2 percent of the voters said yes to the question: "Do you agree that Ukraine should be part of a union of Soviet sovereign states based on the principles of the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine?" Thus, the second question, clarified just what kind of "union" the citizens of Ukraine were interested in. Unequivocal evidence of the populace's intentions came in the aforementioned December referendum. As far as the recent poll cited is concerned, reporting the results of a poll cannot be serious reporting if, first of all, the question asked is not cited; and second, the sample is not defined. Otherwise you can find or juggle statistics to support any point of view, indeed, any fallacy.

Then there is the issue of characterization of Ukraine's population. "Ukraine has a long tradition of ethnic strife and borders that were fixed arbitrarily by communist leaders decades ago," writes Mr. Klebnikov. Ethnic strife? Come again? Arbitrarily fixed borders? Why pick on Ukraine? "Ukrainians are ethnically almost indistinguishable from Russians," continues Mr. Klebnikov. What does that mean? And there's more such blather.

As if the damage in the main article was not enough, Mr. Klebnikov also penned a companion piece that painted Ukraine as the home of fascists intent on pursuing the ideas of "racial and cultural purity." The subject of the article is a small fringe group, the Ukrainian National Self-Defense Organization (UNSO). But, one wouldn't know that UNSO is a tiny aberration in a nation of 52 million, since Mr. Klebnikov cleverly describes the group as "Ukraine's most powerful paramilitary nationalist organization," leading one to think, of course, that it is large and is one of many.

So, to Forbes magazine we say: Shame on you. Get your information straight, provide a relevant context and serve your readers properly.