Ukraine's top broadcasters manipulate public opinion, says news monitor

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The director of a project on mass media in Ukraine said on February 11 that Ukraine's major broadcast outlets were manipulating public opinion as the presidential election season begins with the country increasingly receiving a single perspective on political events in Ukraine - much of it by way of unnamed sources.

Natalia Kostenko, a sociologist and director of the project dubbed Political News Monitoring, told The Ukrainian Weekly that a survey completed in December 2003 revealed that the six major channels that broadcast nationwide were limiting the number of viewpoints they offered in their standard evening news broadcasts, many times to a single political line, which was most often reported in an authoritative, supportive manner.

Ms. Kostenko refrained from going so far as to conclude that the major channels shared a single political assignment, but she admitted that the results of the survey revealed that the channels were promoting a single, pro-government point of view.

"Journalistic norms require several points of view. What has happened here does not come close to that," explained Ms. Kostenko.

The study that Ms. Kostenko directed, organized by the Ukrainian Press Academy and funded by the Renaissance Foundation, noted that the number of political news stories that presented several points of view on the six major channels had decreased by half since October 2003, from 20 percent to 10 percent. Meanwhile, the number of stories supporting a single political line, "in an affirmative manner" had risen from 55 percent to 60 percent. It noted that 30 percent of all news packages did not name the sources of their reports.

The survey results also supported allegations leveled by the political opposition that television news broadcasters had failed to adequately cover issues that involved them. It noted that in December 2003 three of the four opposition parties were presented in only 21 percent of stories on political developments in Ukraine, while the majority's voice was heard 79 percent of the time.

The most covered parties

Most often covered were the Social Democratic Party-United of Viktor Medvedchuk, who is President Leonid Kuchma's chief of staff, along with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's Regions of Ukraine Party. The nominally oppositionist Communist Party also received substantial coverage.

The news stories most often cited majority leaders, Prime Minister Yanukovych and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn in their pieces. President Kuchma was mentioned in every fourth story on political matters in Ukraine. On the other hand, opposition force leaders Viktor Yushchenko of Our Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko of the eponymous political bloc and Oleksander Moroz of the Socialist Party were not named in a single report broadcast by the major stations in December.

The survey also perceived an increase in positive stories on Ukrainian state political institutions, from 66 percent to 75 percent of all stories, and a corresponding decrease in coverage of political parties.

Ms. Kostenko said that more than one reason exists for the development of a single political line in Ukraine's allegedly free press. However, most overriding is the relationship of the six major channels to state authorities.

Close relationships cited as factor

"There is a close relationship between the owners of the television channels and their news department, and between the owners and state authorities," explained Ms. Kostenko. She also noted that a lack of professionalism among some journalists and producers, and the meager salaries they receive only compounded the problem.

The six major channels - UT-1, Studio 1+1, Inter, Novyi Kanal, ICTV and STB - are all owned or controlled by politicians close to the presidential administration. UT-1 is the official government broadcast arm; Studio 1+1 is controlled by Mr. Medvedchuk; Inter is controlled by his business partner, Kyiv Dynamo Soccer Club owner and National Deputy Hryhorii Surkis; Novyi Kanal, ICTV and STB are owned or controlled by National Deputy Viktor Pinchuk, President Kuchma's son-in-law.

Only one fair and balanced channel

During an earlier press conference, Ms. Kostenko identified only one channel from among those that have the ability to broadcast to all parts of Ukraine as presenting political events in a fair and balanced manner. She said that only Channel Five, owned by National Deputy Petro Poroshenko, a leading member of the Our Ukraine political bloc, met the most basic of journalistic standards.

Ms. Kostenko said she did not believe that the reporting by the six leading channels would improve any time soon.

"We now have the political reform effort taking place, then we have the presidential elections," explained Ms. Kostenko. "It is an extraordinary time, so it is difficult to foresee that changes will take place soon."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 15, 2004, No. 7, Vol. LXXII

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