Ukrainian version

1. MATERIALS WITH SIGNS OF BEING ORDERED (OR WITH CENSORSHIP)

Generally in March in daily summary newcasts of examined channels was such amount of socio-political materials with the signs of censorship or signs of being ordered:

Table 1. Number of socio-political materials with the signs of censorship or signs of being ordered:

In March general number of such materials grew in comparison with previous months and reached the level of December. The positions of channels in the chart did not change, so we could make the conclusion that general number of news demanding censorship or being the matter of ordering materials grew.

TABLE 2. Number of business materials with the signs of censorship or signs of being ordered:

The number of non-political subjects with the signs of being ordered considerably grew in March, notably on the channels of Viktor Pinchuk's group. Advertising materials of other businesses (like Borys medical clinic, CDMA, etc.) were added to the traditional issues of charity projects of the channels owners (Pinchuk's and Kuchma's foundations on Novy, STB and ICTV, Bukovel resort on 1+1)

Table 3.1. Number of materials with the signs of censorship or signs of being ordered within main lines - positive or neutral, without opinion balance, materials about the GOVERNMENT:

Table 3.2. Number of materials with the signs of censorship or signs of being ordered within main lines - negative, without opinion balance, materials about the OPPOSITION:

NOTE: general number of materials may not coincide with the general numbers (table 1) as some materials have both lines present.

The main trend of positive highlighting the activity of the government and its representatives was kept. The general number of clearly ordered materials about Yanukovych, Azarov. Klyuev, Tyhypko, Boyko, Popov and other officials of the government considerably increased in March. Possibly it was the sign of general increase in number of such news topics. Slight increase in number of negative materials about the opposition concerned mostly glancing refs in materials about the criminal cases against the opposition politicians.

The following standards are violated by the channels in their materials with the signs of censorship or signs of being ordered:

TABLE 4.1. Violation of OPINIONS BALANCE standard:

TABLE 4.2. Violation of information COMPLETENESS standard:

TABLE 4.3. Violation of FACTS AND OPINIONS SEPARATION standard:

TABLE 4.4 Violation of information RELIABILITY standard:

TABLE 4.5. Violation of information ACCURACY standard:

General trends were still the same. The main violations in material with the signs of being ordered were the violations of opinion balance standard and completeness of information standard. However, the increase in violation of facts and opinion separation standard that had been first noticed in December 2010, still continued. Most channels continued giving more materials with journalists' personal estimations and opinions. Besides, the number of violations of стандарту достовірності подачі інформаці standard could be noticed. More and more often journalists present facts without due references to the source or replace them with some abstract references, as "the experts say", "law enforcement bodies inform", etc.          

2. CONCEALMENT OF SOCIALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION BY THE CHANNELS

In realization of political orders concealment of certain subjects or their components (as positions and argumentation of parties, expert evaluations, exact facts and backgrounds), that being disclosed, would be unfavourable for the government, still play very important role.

TABLE 5. General number of concealments of important subjects, opinions, facts or backgrounds:

The general number of subjects, concealed by channels, grew again. The difference between the leaders and outsiders in the chart is not substantial, as the vast circle of subjects was concealed by most or by all the channels.

TABLE 6. Number of concealments of information about protest actions of different political forces and separate social groups, about court orders against those actions and about law enforcement bodies activity on blocking of these actions and their participants arrest:

The general number of concealments in March increased because of increase in number of protest actions. The figures of channels were not very different. However Channel 1 concealed such issues much more than others, as before.

The following subjects were among the issues that were not mentioned in the main newscasts of all the channels:

About 100 people gathered in front of Verkhovna Rada demandind Kivalov to retire from deputy responsibility (March 3)

The miners in Yenakievo threaten to go on strike because of the problems with the salary. Blacking the work of a mine can cause the underflooding of the town (March 4)

The students of the National Technical University of Ukraine asked the President to stop the audit of the university by Control and Revision Office, and threatened to go into picketing (March 7)

In Poltava about 200 entrepreneurs picketed the mayor's office demanding not to make town markets a part of community property (March 15)

The workers of Kharkiv instrument engineering plant plan to go on termless strike because of salary non-payment (March 25)

Almost half of all Ukrainians are ready to take part in protest actions, according to the polling of Gorshenin Institute (March 28)

In Ukraine in average 8 protest actions a day take place, and they get more and more crowded, as social polls inform (March 29)

TABLE 7. Number of concealments concerning government's attacks on the freedom of speech:

The channels concealed such news in approximately the same way. Such information appeared a bit more often on Channel 5. It's worth mentioning the following events that the audience of any of the channels under examination did not learn of:

The broadcasting of Chornomorska television and radio broadcasting company was limited by order of Yanukovych - Tymoshenko said (March 3)

The journalists of Chernivtsi accused city mayor of suppression of the freedom of speech (March 14)

The employees of three Odesa channels asked Yanukovych to stop the takeover of their media (March 14)

The relevant committee of Verkhovna Rada asked the General Prosecutor's Office to clarify the situation with the Gazeta Po-kyivsky newspaper (March 16)

Verkhovna Rada did not adopt the resolution on hearing the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affaires and Security Service of Ukraine concerning the detentions of journalists (March 17)

TABLE 8. Number of concealments of information about decrease of different components of welfare of population or its separate groups (increase in price of basic food and household products, tax, duties and payments increase, utility rates increase, basic services price increase, retirement age rising, state-financed organizations shutdown and their workers dismissal etc.):

Again, in March there were more such events, so number of concealments also increased. 1+1 highlighted such information a bit more than others (it could be called tendency), as well as Inter. Ukrayina, Novy and ICTV concealed it considerably more often.

It's worth mentioning the following events that the audience of all 8 channels under examination did not learn of:

National Commission on Regulation of Communications offered to raise the monthly fee for local communication by 35% in towns and by 56% in villages during 2011 (March 4)

The governmental group raised top price of A-95 gasoline to 9.5 UAH/litre (March 12)

People's Solidarity trade union urged Ukrainians not to pay for utilities if the gas price would increase in April (March 12)

The opposition intended to bring up an issue of salary indexation according to the real inflation (March 14)

Official rate of unemployment in February was 2.2% - State Statistics Committee informed (March 15)

The fare in suburban and long distance transport in Poltava region will increase (March 18)

Consumer attitude of Ukrainians deteriorated in February - GFK informed (March 21)

Ivano-Frankivsk city council raised the price of meals in kindergartens (March 21)

The tuberculous vaccine crisis goes on in Volyn region (March 23)

The Ministry of Justice registered the decision of the National Electric-power Regulation  Commission to raise electricity rate by 15% (March 25)

Executive committee of the Odeca city council raised hot water supply rates post factum (March 25)

The Russian Federation Black Sea Fleet owed its workers about 2 million UAH (March 28)

In Dnipropetrivsk region domestic regional transportation fare rose by 20 % (March 29)

Limit gas price for industrial customers of Ukraine would be raised by almost 12% in April - National Electric-power Regulation  Commission informed (March 30)

TABLE 9. Number of concealments of information about governmental attacks on the businesses:

Among the issues, disregarded by all the channels are:

NGOs of agro-industry predicted the failure of sowing season because of problems with grain importation to Ukraine (March 2)

About 200 people picketed the mayor's office in Poltava, demanding not to make town markets a part of community property (March 15)

Nibulon lodged a protest in court against the allocation of grain exportation quotas (March 19)

The entrepreneurs of Dnipropetrivsk intend to give Azarov "nonfat social package" (March 22)

Most entrepreneurs felt suspicious about income tax allowances, envisaged in the Tax Code - Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Ukraine informed (March 29)

The government of Ukraine set prohibitive quotas on buckwheat products exportation (March 29)

Ukraine continued setting quotas on grain export till July 1, 2011 (March 30)

Shell criticized the work of Anti-monopoly Committee of Ukraine that had fined it (March 30)

In case of further limits on grain exportation Ukraine risks to be left with big transition leftovers and the manufacturers risk to have no circulating funds - Ukrainian Grain association states (March 30)

TABLE 10. Number of concealments of information concerning the opposition's public statements and activity (without regard for opinion balance violations in ordered materials):

The channels concealed this kind of information in about the same way. The general number of such events was considerably less this month. It is worth mentioning the following topics among those that were concealed:

Verkhovna Rada refused to consider the bill of the opposition against the closure of schools (March 1)

The anti-corruption laws prepared by the government were a kind of indulgence for  major corruptionists of Ukraine - Tymoshenko said (March 1)

The opposition suggested to introduce some subsidies for agricultural producers that have unstable prices for their goods (March 3)

Korolevska offered to free entrepreneurs-retirees from paying single social due (March 4)

Tymoshenko was officially invited to the summit of European People's Party in Brussels (March 8)

Yatsenyuk urges the opposition to sign the resolution of non-confidence in the government (March 10)

Hrymchak demanded to launch the criminal case against Stohniy (March 10)

Tarasyuk urged Yanukovych to deprive Gaddafi of state awards of Ukraine (March 10)

The government of Ukraine gave away the national interests in order to please Moscow - Tarasyuk said (March 11)

Nasha Ukrayina party is afraid of authoritarianism and demands to give the opposition the right to participate in the reform of the Constitution (March 11)

In Zaporizhzhya Svoboda organization protested against having the Russian language as the community language by the decision of the region council (March 11)

Za Ukrayinu! party demanded the government to give account in the parliament for the crisis on grain market (March 11)

Tymoshenko promised to terminate the agreement of prolongation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet basing in Crimea, in case she had the power (March 11)

Tymoshenko urged Azarov not to make her guilty of the current government activity (March 11)

There were reasons to talk about the possible default in Ukraine - Turchynov said (March 14)

Ukraine can be deprived of the membership in the Interpol because of the crime boss Tayvanchyk free movement through the country - Turchynov said (March 14)

Tymoshenko made a claim to the General Prosecutor's Office about the inflation index falsification, but she had no hope for reaction (March 14)

The European Party leader, Mykola Katerynchuk claimed that the government made efforts to liquidate this political force (March 14)

BYuT-Batkovshchyna demanded to adjust retirement benefits and salaries according to the real inflation index (March 15)

Kyrylenko registered draft on the denunciation of the treaty with Russia on the completion of two nuclear reactors (March 15)

The opposition intended to demand the appointment of their representative as the head of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine - Tomenko said (March 15)

8.5 million of Ukrainians were already in the default condition, the rest were on the edge - Korolevska said (March 15)

Tymoshenko claimed that the activity of the government in the field of retirement benefits and salaries services was the subject of the Criminal Code (March 16)

The government itself pushes the society to the radical actions - Korolevska said (March 17)

If there were no pressure on the General Prosecutor's Office from abroad, Tymoshenko would not be present on the summit of EU - Mishchenko said (March 17)

The opposition demanded to investigate the selling of Ukrtelekom (March 17)

The centre of decisions making was transferred to the administration of the president - vice speaker Tomenko said (March 19)

Korolevska offered to permit legal bodies to work with facilitations (March 21)

The government of Ukraine is getting ready to ruin the electoral legislation in Ukraine - BYuT-Batkivshchyna considers (March 22)

The opposition in Dnipropetrivsk demands the governor to talk Ukrainian (March 22)

The case against Kuchma is the kind of playing "just" Yanukovych - Tymoshenko considers (March 22)

Turchynov does not believe that Gongadze's murder will be solved by the current government (March 22)

Yanukovych feigns the European choice - Tymoshenko considers (March 24)

Korolevska demands that the head of Ministry of Internal Affaires punished road policemen that interfere with the car protest march (March 24)

The case against Kuchma was aimed at distraction of people's attention from socio-economical problems and fall in the government's popularity (March 25)

Nalyvaychenko criticizes the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affaires to close up the subdivision that deals with the investigations of crimes against Crimean Tatars during the deportation (March 25)

In Dnipropetrivsk Nasha Ukrayina party opposes the transfer of social objects to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Moscow (March 25)

Tymoshenko demanded everybody who was saying that she would "run away" to apologize (March 25)

Parubiy from Nasha Ukrayina party registered a bill on the denunciation of the treaty on the prolongation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet basing in Crimea (March 26)

Hrymchak asked the General Prosecutor's Office to deal with Azarov and Yanukovych on the grounds of  "Melnychenko's  tapes" (March 26)

Tymoshenko will unite the efforts of Ukrainian and European communities in struggle against the authoritarianism in Ukraine (March 28)

They wanted to turn BYuT members into "trunks" at a price $1-3 million per MP - Tymoshenko said (March 28)

Korolevska opposed the cancellation of living minimum wage (March 30)

Either I would be imprisoned or free, but I would always be with Ukraine - Tymoshenko said (March 31)

BYuT-Batkivshchyna will demand Verkhovna Rada to cancel the surcharge for utlitites payment because of increase in salary debts (March 31)

Lutsenko counts on trial jury (March 31)

TABLE 11. Number of concealments of information concerning disputed situations provoked by the government in humanitarian area (reducing governmental support of the Ukrainian language, shutdowns of schools with the Ukrainian language of education, distortion and disregard of the national liberation movement history by officials or government institutions, oppression or disregard of non-pro-Russian religious churches by the government etc.):

Among the subjects, disregarded by all 8 main channels in the summary newscasts were the following:

The parents of Donetsk pupils addressed foreign diplomats, seeking for help to save their school (March 30)

In the history textbooks  for 11^th grade the chapter "Great Patriotic War" was restored but the chapters about Ukrainian Rebel Party and "Orange" revolution (March 31)

TABLE 12. Number of concealments of information concerning conflicts, provoked by law enforcement bodies activity against non-criminal people:

In this field, as before, Channel 5 had considerably less concealments. Other channels conceal approximately the same number of concealments. Among the subjects, disregarded by all the channels in March were the following:

Makarenko's and Didenko's arrests will continue to April 10 (March 9)

Korniychuk asked the court to let him move through the country and to close the criminal case (March 10)

Verkhovna Rada did not support the bill on protection of the "Business Maydan" (March 16)

The court refused to free the activist of "Tax Maydan" (March 18)

The son of ex-head of the Treasury, Tetyana Slyuz, put on the wanted list, claimed that he suffered from physical intimidations from the police (March 24)

After the presidential elections, till the September 2010. the number of repressions aimed at  the participants of the protest actions - social research information (March 29)

Human rights activists stated that since the beginning of the year 15 people had died in the institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affaires (March 30)

Other significant subjects, concealed by all the channels in March:

The parliament of Ukraine refused to prolong the moratorium on agricultural lands sale (March 2)

The Cabinet of Ministers raised the price of National Olimpiyskyi stadium again, this time by 29% (March 5)

Ukrainians' trust in the current government recedes rapidly - the poll of Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (March 9)

Lviv regional council demanded Yanukovych to dismiss the head of State Customs Kaletnyk (March 9)

Chyzhmar doubts the guilt of the detained and does not believe in personal revenge (March 10)

Most Ukrainians are against secret voting lists and renovation of the Constitution of 1996 - TNS polls (March 10)

Increasing investments in Ukraine were restrained by great risks and the lack of clarity - the US Ambassador said (March 10)

The judges of the Supreme Court possibly were not independent in passing a no-confidence motion against the head of the Court - Onopenko admitted (March 11)

Only 23 enterprises got automatic VAT refund (March 12)

Ex-head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine said that Ukrtelekom had been sold fro ridiculous price (March 12)

Hrach's Communist Party of Workers and Peasants created the oppositional government in Crimea (March 12)

The period of trust for new Ukrainian government came to an end - sociologists said (March 14)

In January 2011 Ukraine increased the negative balance of foreign trade by 63,7% -State Statistics Committee (14 March)

The mayor of Sevastopol intends to demand the increasing of compensations to state budget for the Black Sea Fleet of Russia deploying by the city (March 16)

The method of inflation calculation in Ukraine had to be changed - the Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine said (March 16)

Ukrainian taxpayers had paid too much for recapitalization of banks - the Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine said (March 16)

The Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine noted the weakness of judicial and tax reforms in Ukraine (March 16)

One of the criminal cases against the ex-speaker of the Crimea parliament Hrytsenko was dismissed - Prosecutor's office (March 16)

Some entrepreneur politicians (Klyuev, Tihipko, Khoroshkovckyi, Kolesnikov, Arbuzov) considerably enriched themselves when Yanukovych took the power - Focus rating informed (March 16)

Bureaucratic red tape does not let the ferry for evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from Libya out of Ukrainian port (March 17)

Verkhovna Rada decided not to forbid the candidates for Presidency to engage the officials to the campaigns (March 17)

Research Institute leaves the working group on improving the electoral legislation of Ukraine because of the lack of clarity in its work (March 18)

The General Prosecutor's Office demands the head of traffic police department to stop the violations of law while working on radars (March 21)

Ukraine's preparations to Euro 20112 was the failure of investments - experts said (March 21)

The gross external debt of Ukraine in 2010 grew by 13.5% - National Bank of Ukraine (March 21)

Gaz Ukrayiny decided to turn off gas supply for 13 enterprises of housing and communal services supply (March 22)

EPP is concerned about the political situation in Ukraine - declaration of the Summit (March 24)

The elections of the Trade Unions Federation of Ukraine were undemocratic - Semenyuk-Samsonenko said (March 25)

Yuriy Ivanyushchenko from the Party of Regions is prohibited entry to the USA (March 22)

Ivano-Frankivsk regional council supported the negative assessment of the first year of Yanukovych's presidency by Lviv regional council (March 25)

Ukrainian law enforcement bodies could have deliberately avoided any actions after the disappearance of the Palestinian engineer - his wife admitted (March 25)

The EU and the World Bank recommended Ukrain to liberalize state purchase for commercial state companies (March 25)

Estimated cost of new terminal building in the Lviv airport grew again, this time - by 54% (March 25)

Tyhypko promised that, if pension reform was not approved in June or July, he would resign (March 26)

Taras Chornovil considers Yushchenko involved with the death of his father (March 26)

Corruption interfered with the reforms in agricultural field in Ukraine - the EBRD representative said (March 26)

NGOs prepared their suggestions to the draft on public deputies elections - the head of Committee of voters of Ukraine informed (March 29)

The government would decide on the date of elections in Kyiv only resting upon the political expediency - the head of Committee of voters of Ukraine informed (March 29)

Zakhidenergo heads want to dismiss about 1.5 thousand of workers at the request of minor co-owner Rinat Akhmetov (March 29)

Organizations of Ukrainians in Europe state that Ministry of Internal Affaires stopped financial backing of their programs (March 30)

35 thousands UAH were collected in Lviv to give Shklyar an award (March 30)

Sevastopil will need 80 years to restore the roads if the financing stays the same (March 31)

The General Procurator's Office was not interested in making Melnychenko's tapes legal - Myrislava Gongadze's lawyer said (March 31)

Kuchma refused physical confrontation, waiting for the personal meeting with Yanukovych, whom he wanted to blackmail - Melnychenko said (March 31)