You're reading: Media Blog: Azarov, Yanukovych head watchdog press enemies list

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and President Viktor Yanukovych headed the rating of enemies of Ukrainian press in 2012-2013, two media watchdogs announced on June 6, Ukraine's professional holiday for journalists.

Azarov headed
the rating for his activity in two positions that he fills: as head of government, and as chief of the ruling Party of Regions, the Institute of Mass Information and Independent
Media Trade Union said in the report.

As prime minister, Azarov has been accused of hampering access to ministers by journalists during government meetings. As Party of Regions chief, he was accused of putting pressure on media and even censorship that significantly increased in the last
years.

Yanukovych
placed second in the rating for “the constant rise in the number of assaults on
journalists and impunity of attackers, purging  media from criticizing authorities and harsh topics, spread of various kinds of censorship,” the
report said.

Top cop Vitaliy Zakharchenko completed the podium for obstructing the work of journalists, the report ended. First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov was called  press enemy number 5 for the return of “temnyky,” because his press service had sent written instructions to the media, outlining which topics to cover, how to cover them, and
what news items to kill that were first introduced during the presidency of Leonid
Kuchma.

Prosecutor
General Viktor Pshonka received 7th place “for absence in
progress of investigations regarding assaults on journalists.”

More than half of the 21 “press enemies” named included local officials and  lawmakers.

The list
has mentioned two media outlet owners who were accused of censorship. They were billionaire Viktor Pinchuk (11), owner of STB, Novy and ICTV TV
channels, and Igor Kolomoisky (14), who owns UNIAN news agency.

The rating
also included Mykola Kniazhytsky a current lawmaker and a former CEO of TVi channel,
who the watchdogs accused of “ruining the reputation of an opposition channel” during a recent scandalous change in ownership of TVi that
brought to resignation of most of its editorial team.

The
rating has been created in two stages. At first the journalists from all over
Ukraine nominated candidates for the rating, and then a special commission including
10 journalists and media experts evaluated the nominees and composed a rating
of 21 names based on anonymous electronic vote.

Ukraine’s enemies of the press with chief offenses, according to the IMI/IMTU ranking:

Mykola Azarov, prime minister. Creation of constraints for communication between ministers and journalists.


Viktor Yanukovych, President. Purge of media environment from critics of authorities and harsh topics, spreading of various kinds of censorship. (c) Andrew Kravchenko


Vitaliy Zakharchenko, Minister of Interior Affairs. Responsible for police obstruction of journalists’ work.


Vitaliy Zhuravsky, lawmaker. Idea of criminal persecution for journalists for libel as outlined in his draft law.


Serhiy Arbuzov, Vice-Prime Minister. Return of “temnyky” – written coverage instructions to the media.


Valentyn Zaichuk, head of parliament administration. Refusal to provide journalists with public information, hampering their work in parliament.


Viktor Pshonka, prosecutor general. Lack of progress in investigations of attacks against journalists.


Mykola Kniazhytsky, lawmaker. Ruining the reputation of opposition TVi channel.


Sergiy Kulyk, head of state security department. Responsible for his personnel obstruction of journalists’ work.


Oleksandr Tkachenko, CEO of 1+1 group of companies. Discrediting the UNIAN news agency.

Kyiv
Post staff writer Oksana Grystenko can be reached at [email protected]