Self-censorship, government restrictions plague coverage of election in Ukraine (09/26/04)

Self-censorship, government restrictions plague coverage of election in Ukraine

RFE/RL

WASHINGTON - Media coverage of the presidential election campaign in Ukraine has been inadequate due to a restrictive media climate in the country, according to Andriy Shevchenko, a Ukrainian journalist who spoke to an RFE/RL audience in Washington, last week. Journalists engage in "self-censorship," while the government restricts access to information producing "the most restrictive coverage of elections in Ukraine's history," Mr. Shevchenko said.

A news anchor and also news director for Channel 5 Television, the only nationwide, independent, Ukrainian television station, Mr. Shevchenko said that his station strives to provide full and objective information about the campaign. An agreement signed between the news team and the manager of the station in summer 2003 guarantees the news department independence and frees them from political interference by the station owners. The other national stations are either government-controlled, or owned by oligarchs openly supporting the candidacy of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych for president. Not surprising, he said, "pro-government candidates such as Mr. Yanukovych dominate the airwaves in Ukraine." Mr. Shevchenko said that only his own station, Channel 5, has been airing live interviews with the candidates.

Mr. Shevchenko said the biggest problem for independent journalists in Ukraine is being cut off from information by the government, but that has required journalists to become more "skillful at dodging problems caused by officials." At the same time, media owners have discovered that the government can cause problems for stations by canceling or denying licenses, putting them at a competitive disadvantage. Mr. Shevchenko predicted that stations feeling this pressure will give up news coverage completely, citing a decision by Ukraine's Channel 3 to stop broadcasting news by the end of 2004.

There is also a "lack of confidence and trust" in the Ukrainian media, Mr. Shevchenko said, and that means that "the media will have little impact in the upcoming presidential election." He believes that nonetheless "even one outlet, such as Channel 5, could change the outlook of the election." Mr. Shevchenko added that, among Ukraine's population, the older generation knows how to "read between the lines" of the media, while the younger generation gets their news mostly from the Internet. He said the Internet is a powerful source for regional newspapers and is mostly a free market.

He predicted that not a great deal in media coverage will change after the presidential election because "the television markets are already established and stations know how to earn a profit under the current system." Moreover, Ukraine's journalists are "not motivated to practice real journalism" and "freedom of speech is not appreciated in either [political] camp."

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