ELECTION WATCH: Kyiv committee monitors media to determine who's on who's side (10/17/99)

ELECTION WATCH

Kyiv committee monitors media to determine who's on who's side

RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report

PRAGUE - From September 30 to October 3, the Kyiv-based Equal Possibilities Committee, headed by Oleksander Chekmyshev, monitored several Ukrainian media outlets to see whose side they were taking in the presidential election campaign, Interfax reported on October 6. Incumbent President Leonid Kuchma and the so-called Kaniv Four - an election alliance of Yevhen Marchuk, Oleksander Moroz, Volodymyr Oliinyk and Oleksander Tkachenko - were mentioned most often in the media monitored.

According to the committee, the newspapers Fakty, Uriadovyi Kurier, Nezavisimost, Ukraina Moloda, Segodnia and Demokratychna Ukraina devoted a "considerable part" of their coverage to President Kuchma, whom they generally praise, and present the Kaniv Four in a "negative light."

On the other hand, the newspapers Silski Visti, Den and Holos Ukrainy promote the Kaniv Four, while providing almost 100 percent negative material on Mr. Kuchma.

Such newspapers as Zerkalo Nedeli, Region, Kievskie Viedomosti, and Kievskie Novosti devote a "relatively even" amount of coverage to President Kuchma and the Kaniv Four.

The monitoring of Ukrainian nationwide television channels showed that Ukrainian Television-1, Inter and NTU (Ukraine's Popular Television) tend to promote Mr. Kuchma, while TET, Yutar TV and New Channel support the Kaniv Four.

STB, 1+1 Channel and Gravis are fairly impartial, devoting approximately equal time for Mr. Kuchma and his four allied rivals.

The total time devoted to the incumbent on the monitored national television channels was eight hours and 25 minutes (including a 15-second negative report), while the Kaniv Four received three hours and 41 minutes (including 23 minutes of negative coverage).

With regard to the preferences of local media, Mr. Chekmyshev said that the press and television in Poltava, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernivtsi and Mykolaiv prefer to promote Mr. Kuchma, while the outlets in Odesa, Lviv, Crimea, and Kharkiv give relatively equal coverage to Mr. Kuchma and his four rivals.

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