1. Materials showing signs of being ordered in August

Generally, in August the monitored TV channels gave the following amount of socio-political materials with the signs of being ordered or with the signs of censorship  in their summary newscasts:

Table 1.  The amount of socio-political materials with the signs of being ordered or with the signs of censorship

First three positions remain unchanged (Channel 1, ICTV, Inter). As before, these three channels very often highlight the events, connected with the actions of the government - in the spots very alike, with the same standards violation. There were 39 such "coincidences". It can be the evidence of channels activity coordination, ordered by government institution. This conclusion can be proved by the fact that the channels named usually conceal the same subjects or their particular aspects.

In comparison with July, general amount of ordered material considerably increased in August, which can be accounted for the socio-political activity increase after the vacation time. Despite this fact, the amount of ordered materials on STB channel did not increase but vice versa - it grew less. The channel successfully resists the applied pressure. Along with this, the number of ordered materials on 1+1 and Channel 5 disproportionately increased. It is quite possible that the management of those channels suffered increased external pressure.

Table 2.  The amount of ordered (censored) materials within the main lines

Note: total amount of materials may not coincide with the numbers in Table 1, as in some materials both lines are followed.

This august justified one more tendency - the censorship policy lately has been aimed at  the creation of positive image of the government that "successfully and enthusiastically sets the country in order". Despite general increase of the amount of ordered materials, the number of negative references to the opposition became even less. The opposition's actions and declarations, as well as any protests, organized by certain society groups, are mostly concealed. Obviously, the censors denied previous policy of negative representation of the opposition. Now the negative mentions about opposition are incidental, appearing in the speeches of the first persons (the president, prime minister, ministers, parliamentary coalition members etc), that are actively quoted by TV channels. Usually the context given is "new government got bad heritage from predecessors", "new government has to correct the mistakes and crimes of previous one" or "enemies of the government", such as corn traders or journalists, are accused in  all kings of misfortune.

Traditionally, the governmental activity is simulated by standard invalid messages from different meeting, counsels, conferences, which are presented by the channels as oral notices or soundbites of an important official.

 Table 3.  The amount of short messages, simulating governmental activity

There are numerous pieces that have specially selected facts and opinions that seem to "ground" the decisions of the government or "excuse" its failures. Such materials are mostly given by Channel 1, Inter and ICTV.

Table 4. The number of expanded materials, grounding governmental decisions or excusing governmental failures

This month the number of ordered materials about successful actions of force structures officials (Ukraine Security Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Prosecutor Office, customs, taxmen)  suddenly increased and came to the front. Any of these materials, as it is, has no right to appear in the news. Journalists, at least, do not have to be satisfied with the abstract enough information, got from press relation services or from the heads of the force structures. They should have prepared comprehensive materials, including interviews with the accused, their lawyers, representatives, relatives etc. The journalists mostly do nothing about it.

Apparently, this is the way, in which the censors try to break the negative image of force structures that they have got recently through the assaults on the press, on the business of the political opponents of the government and on the opponents as well, protest actions suppressing and the recent murders and violence incidents, performed by the force structures officials themselves.

 Table 5. The number of short (incomplete and unbalanced) materials about the successful actions of the force structures

 In August there was a new "wave" of materials on some channels, about the "nationwide discussion" of the Tax code. These pieces were very alike materials about the "nationwide discussion" of the political reform in 2003-2004. However, this time the censors did not give the channels the task to expand this subject, it has only to be present in the information space, therefore those ornamental issues were highlighted mostly by the national Channel 1. 

  Table 6. The number of short materials about the "discussion of the Tax code"

The number of materials,  advertising businesses even decreased in comparison with the July and has no systematic character. These are more like single occurrences, not  even present on every channel.

  Table 7. The number of ordered materials about business

In order to broadcast these ordered materials, channels violate the following standards 

Table 8. Violation of professional standards in order to perform political order (censorship)

Note. "A" column shows data in August, "J" column shows data in July for comparison

The trends stay the same. Ordered goals usually get achieved through violation of standards of balance of opinions (opponents of the government rarely have opportunity to speak, and experts have it even more rarely) and completeness of information (concealing important details or critically needed backgrounds). Other violations used less extensively. However, we may speak about considerable increase of veracity violation, when channels simulate balance of opinions in their ordered materials by using journalists' thoughts with quasi-references like "people say", "customers declare", "pupils' parents complain" etc, or give opinions of so-called anonymous "experts", "specialists" or "professionals". Sometimes the true information is given with unreliable references like "according to statistics".

2. Concealing of highly important social information by the channels

In completing political orders important part is concealing some issues or their aspects (positions and reasoning of certain parties, expert opinions, certain facts and backgrounds), disclosure of which is disadvantageous for the government.

Table 9. General number of important issues, opinions, facts or backgrounds concealing

There is certain increase in the number of concealed issues that can be explained by the socio-political activity increase after the vacation time. The difference between "leader" and "outsider" is not considerable. It can show that the general range of "forbidden" issues is determined rather definitely, so all the channels prefer to avoid those numerous issues that can be censored.

General trends stay the same - channels' positions slightly changed in this "anti top list". The issues themselves are much more illustrative.

Table 10. The number of concealed pieces of information about various protest actions of different political forces and certain groups of people, about judicial restraints of such actions and about blocking of such actions and detention of their participants by law enforcement officers

Certain decrease in number of such materials does not mean that the channels more often highlight such events - such materials are not broadcasted more often. It is just that there were less such protest  actions in August. But it is worth paying attention to some issues, concealed by all channels unexceptionally, that is Ukrainian audience  knew nothing about such events as, for example:

Termless protest action on Poltava mining processing pla

nt (August 2);

Protest rally against gas price increase in Ivano-Frankivsk (August 5);

 Judicial restraint on protest actions during the Yanukovych's planned visit to Chernivtsi (August 6);

All Ukrainian technical and vocational education employees organization demands to dismiss Tabachnyk (August 12).

Table 11. The facts of concealing

information about government's attacks on the freedom of speech

This table shows that, first, the amount of concealing this subject increased considerably, and second, in the country now there are much more such events, concerning attacks on the freedom of speech. These issues are not highlighted almost unanimously, only Channel 5 and STB sometimes inform about them. Among the issues that were not highlighted by any channel, therefore, a great part of Ukrainians did not learn about them, could be named the following:

Due to the claim of TVi, the court demands the President to prove Khoroshkovskyi's 10 years experience in the field of law (August 6);

The auditing board of Crimea started auditing of Chornomorska TV and radio broadcasting company on Wednesday (August 11);

Tonis TV and radio broadcasting company addresses Yanukovych, asking to stop its corporate raid (August 10);

Journalist and editor of Novyi styl' newspaper Vasyl Klyment'ev disappeared in Kharkiv (August 14);

Ministry of Foreign Affairs received preliminary conclusions of RSF concerning the freedom of speech in Ukraine (August 17);

RSF appeals to perform thorough and clear investigation of Kharkiv journalist Vasyl Klyment'ev (August 20);

In Poltava region unknown people attacked a newspaper of the district by fire of automatic weapon (August 26);

German journalist Konrad Schuller states that Security Service of Ukraine examines people he interviewed in Ukraine and SSU states that they have not done this (August 27);

Vexed questions of German journalists to Yanukovych, namely on the point that he have not given the answer about the corruptness of the head of SSU Khoroshkovskyi (August 30);

Interior minister Anatolyi Mohylyov's opinion - VKontakte social network should be closed legislatively, supposedly because of  porno peddling (August 31)

Table 12. The amount of concealed information concerning lowering of the social standards of  all the population or its certain groups (increase in price of basic food and household goods, tax, charges and payments increase, increase in housing services payments and basic services price, retirement age augmentation, state-financed organizations closure and their staff dismissals etc.)

In comparison with July we had only one substantial change - in August STB concealed such information more often, the data on other channels stayed approximately the same. As the examples of the issues concealed from the general public, so that not any channel informed about it, can be named the following

Kremenchuk bread-making complex increased the price of "social" bread (August 5);

The fine on the late payments of housing services is one of the conditions of cooperation with IMF (August 9);

Ministry of Finance wants to introduce progressive taxation scale for natural persons to the project of Tax Code (August 10);

Ukrzaliznytsya got only 23% of  compensation for beneficiaries' transportation from the government during the 7 months of 2010 (August 14);

Ukrainian Federation of Trade Unions made a claim, including demand for the government to reconsider the conditions of cooperation  with IMF (August 16);

Regional council of Ternopil demands to restore the moratorium on gas and electricity price increase (August 20);

According to ICPS and GfK Ukraine research, in July customers' mood of Ukrainians deteriorated badly (August 30).

In August the government stepped up the pressure on  the businesses that did not belong to the governmental officials themselves or to the loyal businessmen. Such pressure is performed with  the help of the force structures - Security Service of Ukraine, General Prosecutor Office, Ministry of Internal Affaires, tax administration, Auditing board etc. This is "legitimized" by the courts under control of the government. The channels mostly conceal this subject.

Table 13. The amount of concealed information concerning the attacks of the government on the businesses

Here we have a rare unanimity of most channels. Only 1+1 sometimes highlights such information. In this field audience did not learn almost anything about the entire story with the bites of Tax administration and auditing board on Chornomorska channel, which is the business of Senchenko from Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. In addition, all the  channels stayed silent about all the claims of Senchenko himself, particularly about the illegal search in his office in Symferopil.

Table 14.  The amount of concealed information concerning the public statements and actions of opposition (without consideration of balance of opinions violation in ordered materials)

Here the channels are also almost unanimous. The subjects that not any viewer learnt about included:

BYuT announced the collection of Ukrainian citizens' signatures against the Tax Code ratification (August 4);

BYuT claims political persecution of the party by the government (August 11);

Bat'kivcshyna party representatives accuse the government in the pressure on the eve of local elections (August 12);

Yulia Tymoshenko calls the Ukrainians on coming to Verkhovna Rada on September 7 in order to support the ratification of the law on the moratorium on the increase of prices and gas rates for the people (August 12);

BYuT claims that the government falsifies the information about the registration of local offices of Regions Party in order for them to take part in local elections (August 17); 

BYuT registered the bill on the moratorium  on retirement age increase for women (18 August);

Nasha Ukrayina and UNP demand to forbid Russian politicians Luzhkov and Zyuganov, who demonstrate "contempt for Ukrainians", entrance to Ukraine (August 19);

Iryna Vannikova claims that Yanukovych's team deliberately creates "hunger for information" for the President and President's Press Service answers this claim (August 19);

The head of the opposition government Serhiy Sobolev states that Dmytro Firtash fairly monopolized disjunctive gas transmission pipelines of Ukraine (August  19);

BYuT calls Regions Party initiative to disband Kyiv district councils an attempt to usurp power in the capital (August 20);

 Yulia Tymoshenko calls the Ukrainians on coming to the meeting against  the increase of gas rates and public utilities rates  on September 7 (August 20);

Andriy Senchenko from BYuT claims that he is politically persecuted and supplicates protection of the parliament speaker Lytvyn (August 26);

Ukrainian Nationalists Congress states that high school student in Donetsk region are forced to study in Russian language classes (August 27);

Lviv Regional Council members postponed their plenary meeting from September 7 to September 8, in order to participate in opposition's action in Kyiv (August 30);

Hennadiy Moskal from NUNS states that Interior minister Anatoliy Mohyl'ov threatens him (August 30);

Inquiry of  NUNS deputy Hennadiy Moskal to the General Prosecutor Office concerning illegal construction of Mohyl'ov's private residence in Koktebel, Crimea (August 30)

Other issues that were not even mentioned in any summary newscast of 8 main channels included:

The government added almost one third to the financial estimate of the Olimpiyskyi stadium reconstruction in Kyiv (August 3);

Bryansk engineering plant, that illegitimately and without competition got Luganskteplovoz plant from the State Property Fund of Ukraine, still did not pay 165  million hryvnas of the first payment for the block of stock (August 3);

The acting Head of Kyiv City State Administration Popov gives the position of adviser to ex-mayor of Kyiv Omelchenko (August 4);

Russia will have 70% part  in the construction of "Ukrainian" AN planes, despite the fact that Ukraine can provide complete fabrication cycle of airliners (August 11);

The  Higher Administrative Court did not examine claims about the illegitimacy of giving the titles of Heroes of Ukraine to the Soviet soldiers (August 13);

The government abolished the concept and financial backing of the State program of Ukrainian Cossacks movement development (August 13);

The court  claimed illegal  the Donetsk Regional Council decision to proclaim the Russian language the community language of the region (August 17);

In all schools of Dnipropetrivsk region the stands with Yanukovych's portraits and agenda appear (August 25);

Dnipropetrivsk region resident died after the beatings got from the militia officer (August 26);

At the press conference Mohyl'ov told that law enforcement authorities had no hope to find the student of Kyiv Institute of International Relations Iryna Lazarenko, who had been kidnapped in May (August 26);

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov appointed two managers of Dmytro Firtash to the positions in the Naftogaz board of directors (August 30);

In the schools of Donetsk region Ukrainian classes are reduced, allegedly because of "optimization", and the parents are forced to write the application requests for their children to study in Russian language classes (August 30)

Also the channels lately unanimously keep silence about the results of any social studies that show considerable decrease of people's confidence in the government and decline of the positions of coalition parties that support the government.

The list of these issues, that were completely concealed by the channels, can itself testify the presence of a serious censorship in the country, as most of these subjects are socially significant or critically needed as the balance for the actions and statements of the government. Still this list does not show the real system of the censorship's work.

3. Separate Illustrative Issues of the month

Fires and fire hazard

During the first week of August the channels illustratively highlighted the issue of fire hazard and first forest fires in Ukraine. Up to Thursday, August 5, when Yanukovych summoned the meeting of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine on this issue, all the channels had been telling in their materials that all the services were perfectly alert and the government controlled the situation completely. But then Yaukovych  told the Council off, in order to improve his personal rating position - the channels treated it as if it was the benefit performance of Yanukovych, and changed their position towards the situation "on the spot". It became much more critical.

Corn market situation

The channels diligently avoided any kind of information concerning the response of the international organizations (namely WTO and International Corn Market Association) to the Ukrainian government's approach - via customs it blocked any kind of corn export thus did not give Ukrainian agrarians to earn money and ruined internal corn rates. All the channels on August 20 concealed that Ukrainian Farmers Association called the President and the Prime Minister for refusing  of the quotas for export introduction.

The channels did not try to clear this issue out. They gave groundless numbers, without any backgrounds, e.g. how much corn the State Reserves bought, how much went for export in previous years. There were no experts' opinions. The channels gave only "governmental version of the problem". And when the government accused the corn traders of "shadow" corn trade, on August 25, all the channels, without any exceptions, kept silence about Ukrainian Corn Association claim that denied these accusations (all the channels).

Unnecessary expenses of the government

Only STB made an investigative reporting of how much the tax payers paid  for the officials' constant travels to the Crimea in order to talk to Yanukovych. And it was done only after the mentioning of this issue in the weekly review in Telekrytyka. But not any channel inquired how much was taken from the State budget for mass disposal of the outdoor advertisements with Yanukovych's photos and mottos "Love Ukraine" and "We build new country", and which budget item includes  such expenses.

The government and the Crimean Tatars

In August the channels highlighted the dialog between the government and the Crimean Tatars representatives in absolutely inappropriate way. Medzhlis, the only legitimate representational body of this people, was limited in the possibility of impact on the state policy concerning the Crimean Tatars. The government did not respond to the Medzhlis refuse to negotiate in the situation, when the most members  of Crimean Tatars mission were representing not the legitimate body, chosen by the people, but some marginal organizations. Later Yanukovych almost halved the Council of Crimean Tatars Representatives (by the way, this fact was concealed by all the channels) and introduced considerable number of those  marginal organizations representatives to it, in order to have better control over the Council.

The position of Yanukovych and Crimean Prime Minister Dzharta was broadly highlighted by most of the channels at the beginning of the month, when Yanukovych  held "the conference on Crimea strategic development" in Crimea. The position of Medzhlis was completely concealed by the channels. All its claims in August did not appear in any summary newscast.

Such treatment of certain subjects by the channels witnesses the presence of severe censorship in profit of the government. 

This monitoring was done within the framework of the NGO  Internews Network U-Media "The monitoring of keeping to the journalist standards  and promotion of media competence of the broad spectrum of Ukrainian citizens", established by NGO Telekrytyka with the Mass Information Institute. The project aimed at the promotion of the media competence of Ukrainian society, encouragement of mass-media responsibility and keeping to professional standards, improvement of mass media quality. The criteria of the news quality estimation are given here ( part  1, 2, 3).