Monitoring for September 2014 can be found here.

1. 1.                 Materials with violations of professional standards that may indicate censored or paid information.

The table below presents the amount of materials on social and political topics which violate professional standards as a sign of censored or paid information.

Table 1. General amount of materials with violations of professional standards that may indicate censored or paid information.

During the analyzed week,  the remarkable increase (comparing to the previous months) of the paid materials on half the channels can be explained with pre-elections PR of political parties and blocks, as well as some politicians running for the Parliament on the single-member districts. Here, we present a separate table of the general number of pre-elections paid news on different channels:

The first three channels ("Inter", "Ukrayina" and ICTV) aired various materials about the parties and blocks giving time to their speakers for promotion of their political forces in the form of populist plans and unjustified criticism of the current government or political opponents. All these materials were unbalanced, without proper completeness and backgrounds, and most of them violated the standard of separating the facts from opinions. Many materials also violated the standard of reliability of information presentation.

On the contrary, almost all the paid news (7 out of 8) on "1+1" were against some political forces. Five of them were dedicated to the leader of the Radical Party Lyashko and his political force. For instance, they talked about Lyashko not voting for the anti-corruption law, as well as his property. Also, one of the materials spoke about the representative of “Opposition Block” Nestor Shufrych in a negative way. Another material stated that the General Prosecutor's Office would examine the acts of all previous Ministers of Defense, and it had some charges against the leader of “Hromadyanska Pozytsiya” Anatoliy Hrytsenko. All of these materials also violated the standards of balance of opinions, completeness, and separating facts from opinions. For example, one of the videos states that in Chernihiv, the candidate from “Radical Party" has more than dubious reputation: “According to the activists of Chernihiv, he is a member of a gang of so-called Europeans."

Channels with the most paid news solved the problem of promoting political forces in different ways. The most often, it was presented as an “overview of campaign events." However, the overview was not about the events, but the statements of politicians, often on distant topics. In this case, the channels simulated "political pluralism" and created a vision that the representatives of different sides were shown. Here, we present the table with political forces promoting themselves during the week (the numbers may not be the same as in the previous table because sometimes, one material promoted two or more political forces):

In its “previews”, “Inter” mentioned and promoted the candidates from “Opposition Block” twice or even three times.

The channels also widely used read information with comments and without the balance of opinions and completeness of news. The most often, the statements were tied to the evaluation of specific events. “Inter", "Ukrayina" and ICTV included comments from representatives of "Opposition Block" and sometimes other forces in a large number of materials without real causes; and their comments did not have a direct connection to the materials’ topics.

For example, in the materials on "Inter" and "Ukrayina" about the Parliamentary adoption of anti-corruption law, Shufrych urges lowering the retirement age for women, and in the video on "Inter" about overthrowing Lenin’s statues in Kharkiv, Vilkul agitates for "Opposition Block” ("And while some destroy, others are busy solving problems, such as pensions and salaries. Today Oleksandr Vilkul - already as a member of the opposition – visited one of the machine-building enterprises in Kharkiv. THE COMMENT: “Opposition Block” will abolish the pension reform, lower the retirement age, and index pensions and wages in line with inflation and real appreciation of the dollar when it joins new parliament”. According to Vilkul, women were affected the most by the pension reform because it raised the retirement age from fifty-five to sixty years. During the economic crisis, they are often jobless. "Opposition Block” promises to support women now when the current elite cannot do it, and the lower classes do not want to live the way they live. And overthrowing Lenin in Kharkiv region seemingly has nothing to do with it "), Dobkin criticizes the government in the materials about Kachaniv prisoners sewing body armor for ATO, and the video about the government’s idea to give refugees working places on building a wall on the border with Russia; and there is another material on the same topic where Boyko criticizes the government. Another representative of “Opposition Block" Larin criticizes the government in the material about doctors seemingly getting lower salaries in Rivne. The journalists prepare viewers to the comments of "Opposition Block" with such statements: "The opposition believes that we have to help not only the soldiers in ATO, but destitute refugees," "But the opposition does not see consistency in the government's decisions," "And here is the reaction of the opposition", and so on. In the materials, “Inter” journalists often make harsh conclusion such as: "Instead, the government offers its way out of the situation. For example, to send unemployed refugees to build the wall on the border. However, nobody knows where exactly they will have to build it. But the government knows that the construction will cost tens of millions of euros.”

In the materials about closing 34th Channel in Dnіpropetrovsk, the hostess on “Ukrayina” calls it "the largest regional channel that was consistent, objective, patriotic, and always followed the journalistic standards in its work”; and ICTV, “Inter”, and “Ukrayina” somehow show Oleksandr Vilkul from “Opposition Block” commenting this event. The channels explain his appearance by saying that “one of the leaders of the “Opposition Block” Oleksandr Vilkul appealed to the country’s leaders asking them to deal with this situation”. The material on “Inter” talks about unsuccessful provocation in Kryvyi Rih and shows Vilkul who talks about the situation on 34th Channel one more time.

The material about British boy who treats his brain cancer in Czech Republic is the best example that shows how members of “Opposition Block” comment things they have no connection to on “Inter”. The video ends with such words:

Correspondent: “The story about British boy is known in Ukraine, too. Many regard the boy’s treatment as an example of the conditions the government has to create for those who suffer from cancer in Ukraine”.

Commentary (Serhiy Larin, “Opposition Block”): “In our country, everything is the opposite. Our “native” government cuts the salaries, does not pay doctors money, there are no equipment and vaccines for little children, no medicine. That is why current government is unable to do what it has to do, and we, opposition, know how to solve the problems including the ones in medical sphere”.

Inviting guests to the studio was another tool of political PR on “Ukrayina”. During the analyzed week, “Sobitiya” agitated for “Opposition Block” by inviting Vilkul, Shufrych, and Pablenko, “Batkivshchyna” by inviting Senchenko, “Radical Party” (Popov), and “Narodnyi Front” (Yemets). All, except Senchenko, were invited without actual informational reason, and the hostess asked them questions, that, first of all, were connected to the elections, and second of all, were complimenting and provided guests with the ability to agitate for their political forces with hostess paying no attention to this agitation. For instance, the hostess asked: “Today “Opposition Block” spoke about its plan to battle crisis in Ukraine. What is included in your program?” or “The plan does sound up-and-coming. Can you explain the mechanisms behind different points?”

There were very few materials that tried to create an informational reason. For instance, “Inter” and ICTV created full materials about the candidate from “Pravyi Sektor” Bereza and his raid against gambling places on Troyeshchyna. ICTV aired similar material about “raid” of the candidate from “Svoboda” Illenko. Also, “Inter” aired the video about Shufrych and Boyko “meeting with the voters” in Odesa. “Inter” also spoke about “Opposition Block” candidate Lyovochkin meeting with Nuland in Kyiv: “They know each other for a long time. They had a trusting and sincere conversation about the future elections, and political and economic situation in the country. They also talked about the reforms. Both agreed that they were needed the sooner the better. Otherwise, it would be impossible to stabilize the country’s economy”.

***

On the channels that were clean from political agitation such as the First National, or the channels that aired very few paid news such as 5th Channel, New Channel, and STB, the amount of paid news did not increase greatly during the analyzed week. The channels had traditional materials about statements or protocol events of officials such as the President (meeting Nuland, the leaders of parliamentary parties and military before the elections, seeing new technology for the border patrol, visiting ATO zone), the Prime Minister (meeting with OSCE representatives, giving tanks to the soldiers in ATO zone), and other officials. All the channels aired videos about these events without needed balance of opinions, information completeness, and background. ICTV has the biggest amount of such materials (14), then, there are “1+1” (12), “Ukrayina” (11), First National (10), and 5th Channel (10). STB had 9, “Inter” – 6, and New Channel – 4.

Also, “Ukrayina” aired 8 materials about Akhmetov’s Fund helping refugees. STB, New Channel, and ICTV talked about Kuchma visiting Kazakhstan “as a representative of contact group in Minsk”. “Inter” keeps on criticizing Kolomoyskyi. Besides accusing Kolomoyskyi’s people of shutting down 34th Channel, the journalists also accused the governor in capturing the airport Boryspil although there is no evidence (the journalist says: “Shut down the channel is not difficult, but control the country’s main airport is the most serious business. Now we know whom to blame for the problems in the airport. These are the people of Dnipropetrovsk’s governor and oligarch Kolomoyskyi”). The channel also talks about the debts of the group “Privat” owned by Kolomoyskyi. New Channel aired the material about the beatings of the people who were spreading the advertisements of “Opposition Block”: “The party members are positive that Kolomoyskyi organized this crime”.

Table 2. Amount of materials on business topics that indicated paid information:

During the analyzed week, ICTV had a large amount of materials with advertising features. In the material about Ukraine’s economic losses during the war, the word is given to the representative of investment company “Dragon Capital” and the representative of the concern DTEK. The latter lies in his commentary about higher prices of imported coal comparing to the prices of coal from Donbas. There is another material about lack of the coal, and the video also advertises the concern DTEK. There are two materials about Kuchma’s fund.

In the material about road building in Ivano-Frankivsk, “1+1” gives word to the managing director of resort “Bukovel” Oleksandr Shevchenko (who is also the candidate). Another material is about the festival of Ukrainian products where the channel advertises “Privatbank”.

“Ukrayina” has two materials that advertise DTEK.

“Inter” has a material about Firtash’s Fund that presents Ukrainian artists in London.

STB has a material about the round table on gas production; and there, the journalists speak about the presentation of the project of the company “ANS” and investment company “Dragon Capital”.

Table 3. Amount of materials with such violations: UNBALANCED AND TOO POSITIVE MATERIALS ABOUT THE OFFICIALS:

In materials that indicated paid or censored information, the channels violated such standards:

Table 4.1. Violation of BALANCE OF OPINIONS:

Table 4.2. Violation of COMPLETENESS of information:

Table 4.3. Violation of SEPARATING FACTS FROM OPINIONS:

Table 4.4. Violation of AUTHENTICITY of information:

Table 4.5. Violation of ACCURACY of information:

1. 2.                 Suppression of socially important information in October 2014

During the analyzed week of October 2014, the channels often ignored topics that the government could find uncomfortable (data for October includes one week from 6th to 12th October, data for September includes one week from 1st to 7th September, data for July is a week from 7th until 13th, data for May includes period from 5th until 11th, data for March includes a period from 3rd to 8th, and data for January includes a period from 20th to 25th).

Table 5. General amount of suppressions of important topics, thoughts, ideas, facts, and backgrounds.

Table 6. Amount of suppression about various mass protests:

Table 7. Amount of informational suppression about pressure on freedom of speech:

None of the channels reported that:

Crimean Tatar channel ATR reported occupied government in Crimea trying to close it “for promoting extremism” (October, 8).

Table 8. Amount of informational suppression about war and other crimes of the occupants and their allies in Ukraine.

None of the channels reported such events:

Ministry of Defense states that occupants use Russian-made bullets against Ukrainian military (October, 5).

In Luhanks, separatists occupied Svyato-Troyitskyi temple of Kyiv Patriarchy (October, 5).

More than 225 thousand of retired people on Donbas could not get 3 billion of pensions because of the separatists (October, 5).

During the “truce”, 56 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, and 316 were wounded (October, 6).

24 hospitals do not work because of the separatists – Ministry of International Affairs (October, 6).

Rostov governor told Putin that Ukrainian refugees started returning to Ukraine (October, 6).

The amount of refugees in Ukraine increased to 387 thousand (October, 6).

Russian human rights activist states that during the fall, many Russian soldiers will not return from the army since they were killed in Ukraine (October, 6).

Separatists in Luhansk region threw dead Russian soldiers into a whole and exploded it (October, 7).

Militia of “DNR” stopped exchanging hostages (October, 7).

On the occupied territories of Luhansk region, there were cases of residents dying out of hunger – “Prava sprava” (October, 7).

Separatists prevented Red Cross representatives from visiting Luhansk (October, 7).

In Sevastopol, Ukrainian organizations were not invited to the discussion about national issues (October, 8).

Investigative Committee of Russia explains the traces of torture on Sentsov’s body as his sadomasochism (October, 8)

In Donetsk, the militants kidnapped the judge of the Appeal Court (October, 9)

The number of refugees in Ukraine is already nearly 400 thousand people (October, 10)

During the occupation of Crimea, its new officials eliminated almost 90% of higher education institutions (October, 10)

In Luhansk, militants "arrested" the deputy from “Party of Regions” Tykhonov "for cooperating with the Ukrainian government" (October, 10)

In occupied Crimea, not a single Ukrainian school remained (October, 10)

Militia sells Putin’s “humanitarian aid” in stores of Donetsk (October, 11)

Militants included over a thousand students from Luhansk into a «death list” (October, 11)

Crimean students who sang Ukrainian anthem at a meeting with Konstantinov are threatened with expulsion and forced to give out the initiators of the act (October, 11).

Table 9: Statements and actions of the international community over events in Ukraine:

None of the channels reported these events/facts: 

Moherini called for revision of the EU's relations with Russia and full support of Ukraine (October, 6)

Anti-Putin meeting took place in the center of Moscow (October, 6)

Polish President considers supporting Ukraine one of the top priorities of the West (October, 6)

Human Rights Watch is concerned with the disappearance of pro-Ukrainian activists in the occupied Crimea (October, 7)

EU must not allow the creation of a "land corridor" between Crimea and Russia - Moherini (October, 7)

UN: Militants torture Ukrainian hostages (October, 8)

The website of the White House published a petition to support Nadiya Savchenko (October, 8)

Kerry called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine immediately (October, 9)

UN: UN mission recorded the beating and torture of hostages by terrorists in Donbas (October, 9)

UN: In Donbas, almost 40 thousand small and medium enterprises stopped working (October, 9)

The OSCE should significantly expand its presence in the East of Ukraine, now it is inadequate - US Ambassador to the OSCE (October, 10).

Other notable topics that were silenced by all the channels:

From the beginning of the year, Ukrainian took 110 billion UAH deposits from banks (October, 6)

Kyiv police spoke about significant increase of street crime in the city, linking it with the influx of refugees from the East of the country (October, 6)

Inflation in Ukraine accelerated to 17.5% (October, 6)

Jemiliev said that Yanukovych once blackmailed him with his son’s freedom and demanded him to join Party of Regions (October, 6)

The court returned the cinema "Zhovten" to Kyiv community (October, 7)

The military commissars will be forwarded to ATO zone to replace the wounded soldiers (October, 8)

The head of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchy asked the Pope and Obama to stop Russia from starting World War III (October, 8)

6 judges who led cases against Maidan activists violated the oath - TSC under the High Council of Justice (October, 8)

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchy: Russia's security services are preparing provocations on October 14 (October, 11).

Monitoring of compliance with professional standards in the information services of Ukrainian TV channels was carried by NGO "Telekritika" with financial support by USAID, provided through the "Internews Network". The purpose of monitoring is to increase media literacy of Ukrainian society, motivate media to be just and responsible, respect professional standards, and improve the quality of media products.

Monitoring focused on videos about social and political topics in the main news of such channels as  "Inter», ICTV, «1 +1», STB, New Channel, First National, Channel 5, and TRC "Ukrayina". The monitoring period took place on 5-11 May.

            Monitoring is an independent expert assessment of the NGO "Telekritika." All conclusions and opinions expressed in all monitoring publications may not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the "Internews Network". Monitoring methodology is described here. For the materials, see the section "Monitoring" on the website MediaSapiens. In 2012, the methodology has changed, so now monitoring is carried out for one week every month.

            Note: Data for October includes one week from 6th to 12th October, data for September includes one week from 1st to 7th September, data for July is a week from 7th until 13th, data for May includes period from 5th until 11th, data for March includes a period from 3rd to 8th, and data for January includes a period from 20th to 25th.