EU-Ukraine relations
Yulia Tymoshenko
Euro crisis
Verkhovna Rada
Chornobyl
Georgiy Gongadze
Libel law
Oct. 28 parliamentary election
Ukrainian vs. Russian language
Spinning an election, Kremlin-style
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As nation readies digital TV switch, an obscure firm grabs monopoly
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OSCE wants to continue cooperation with group working on Ukraine's electoral laws
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Citing undemocratic process, U.S. group withdraws from effort to redraft election law
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U.S. pro-democracy group quits election law drafting council
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Election law reform as disappointing as last fall’s elections
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Yanukovych may face international scorn over undemocratic elections
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Westerners, local observers rip Oct. 31 elections as undemocratic
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Police hassle merchants at Troyeshchyna market; racism, corruption seen
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U.S.: Ukraine’s election ‘did not meet standards for openness and fairness’
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Channel 5, TVi see threat to free speech in court ruling on frequencies
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Media expert: Only two TV stations still give viewers fair news coverage
Leading television channels, controlled largely by oligarchs loyal to President Viktor Yanukovych, primarily aired the views of election monitors from Russian-controlled missions who are notorious for seeing no problems. Russia, after all, has not had democratic elections in a long time.
See also the table 'Who told the truth about Ukrain's local election?'
The same pro-presidential spin came from reports by Interfax-Ukraine, Ukraine’s leading news agency.
The business is run and co-owned by Oleksandr Martynenko, who served as press secretary to former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, the media-stifling authoritarian who ruled the nation from 1994 to 2005. The Kyiv Post is a subscriber to Interfax reports.
Media analysts said the slanted coverage demonstrates that Ukraine’s news media are moving closer to Russian-style journalism, in which the Kremlin line is obeyed, at least by the major national TV networks.
In other cases, comments were distorted.
Apart from the long lines that people had to stand in, there were no other problems.”
- Pawel Kowal, European Parliament member.
For example, the conclusions of European monitors – such as European Parliament member Pawel Kowal – were presented selectively.
Citing Kowal and other monitors, leading TV channels and Interfax-Ukraine left their audiences with the conclusion that Ukraine’s elections were fair.
Kowal was quoted by Interfax-Ukraine saying that he and colleagues personally saw no major violations while monitoring a handful of voting stations on Election Day.
Kowal was similarly quoted by Inter TV channel, owned by Security Service of Ukraine chief Valery Khoroshkovsky: “Apart from the long lines that people had to stand in, there were no other problems.”
But other relevant comments by Kowal were ignored. For example, Kowal expressed concern that “big problems” that affected the election and that a final assessment would come later.
“Changing election rules months ahead of the vote is clearly a big problem. It’s also a problem when a party cannot take part ... in several regions,” Kowal said.
The quote made it into London’s Financial Times, but was nowhere to be heard on Ukraine’s major TV channels or Interfax-Ukraine.
“Preliminary reports from election monitors suggest that Ukraine’s Oct. 31 local elections did not meet standards for openness and fairness set by the presidential elections earlier this year.”
- U.S. Department of State statement.
A tough statement by the U.S. Department of State was made public on Nov. 3, which began: “Preliminary reports from election monitors suggest that Ukraine’s Oct. 31 local elections did not meet standards for openness and fairness set by the presidential elections earlier this year.”
Reports by international media focused on this conclusion, but Ukrainian television ignored questioning of the fairness of the vote.
Instead, the TV stations focused on the last part of the statement, where the U.S. reiterated its eagerness to help Ukraine develop better election laws.
Interfax-Ukraine’s short report on the U.S. statement, for example, had the following headline: “The U.S.A is ready to help Ukraine reform its election laws.”
The U.S.-funded OPORA, which fielded the largest and most professional group of election monitors nationally, found their conclusions downplayed by most Ukrainian news outlets.
The organization found that the election was not fair, democratic or open – a finding ignored by Interfax-Ukraine and the nation’s largest TV channels.
When asked by the Kyiv Post why comments challenging the fairness of the election never made it into its reports, Interfax-Ukraine declined to comment. But media experts said there is an explanation.
Ukrainian television news programming is becoming just like in Russia. This became evident in the first days of this new leadership.”
- Natalia Ligachova, head of the Kyiv-based Telekritika media watchdog.
“Ukrainian television news programming is becoming just like in Russia,” said Natalia Ligachova, head of the Kyiv-based Telekritika media watchdog.
In such a model, Ligachova said the news media’s role is to praise the nation’s leadership, refrain from criticism and leave citizens with the impression that everything is well.
“This became evident in the first days of this new leadership,” Ligachova said. “It is very clear now that the quality of news reporting at almost all television channels has noticeably worsened. Reports are to be positive about the group in power, or not reported at all. In contrast, the opposition is to be reported on with a negative twist, or not at all.”
Considering that billionaire oligarchs backing Yanukovych own many of the nation’s top media outlets, Ligachova said the situation on TV was unlikely to change soon.
“What is important is to raise awareness of this situation to citizens,” and direct them to alternative sources of news, Ligachova added.
Читайте статтю українською мовою.
Kyiv Post staff writer Roman Feshchenko can be reached at feshchenko@kyivpost.com.
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The quote made it into London’s Financial Times, but was nowhere to be heard on Ukraine’s major TV channels or Interfax-Ukraine.
Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/88818/#ixzz14MbrewmJ
primarily aired the views of election monitors from Russian-controlled missions who are notorious for seeing no problems. Russia, after all, has not had democratic elections in a long time.
Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/88818/20/page/1/#comments#ixzz14Mcog2Lc
Or ever...
!
Thank you , thank you Roman.
I have been 'scolding' KP/and its editors for months on using InterfaxUkraine, as a reputable 'news agency'
IntUkr send press releases written by POR/Yanuk to KP, and these press releases are printed in the UKRAINE or POLITICS link,,,,when they are blatantly propoganda by the ruling gov't.
KP should place these press releases under the OPINION link, the reader can then draw their own conclusions.
But,,,,when KP prints these paid for press releases in the UKRAINE/POLITCS section,,,,,,then they are deliberately misleading the reader.
This also places KP as being complicit with the present corrupt gov't.
The world knows now, and has told Yanukalin this election was fraudulent.
Again, Roman, your story is gutsy, and right on. Keep it up. You are a first class journalist .
BRAVO TO YOU!!
THIS PRESIDENT IS ON THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL NOW.
PEOPLE,,,KEEP PROTESTING,,,,,,AND HE WILL RESIGN.
BLESS UKRAINE!!
.
I also commend the Kyiv Post for its honest article. Unfortunately honestly is not a value that Yanukovych possesses. Like the communist regime before him, they are masters of spin. I however disagree that if the people keep protesting he will resign. He will only leave kicking and screaming. There is too much at stake for him and his Kremlin cronies.
You may be right, but to sit back now when Yanukalin is on the defensive, is the wrong thing.
Keep the pressure up......and MAYBE,,,,some improvement will take place,,,,,like him leaving,,,,,,even if if is kicking and screaming.
DO NOT RELENT,,,,,KEEP PROTESTING
BLESS UKRAINE
,
To read your article is like a trip down memory lane. Your style of writing and presentaion of facts is so like the news I read for more than 30 years before Ukraine became independant that I think you must truly be a "Chip off the old block". Give us a real report of fact and leave out all the various opinions which are meaningless. Don't report to us how countries with such a poor record of honesty and openness critisise how and what we do.
-- the European Union and the United States were paying close attention to the local elections and as I say, we don't believe they met appropriate standards.
It is critically important for a country like Ukraine, that's building its democracy, to ensure the participation of all parties that want to participate, to have an electoral law and code that meets international standard. And from the preliminary reports that we've gotten that doesn't seem to be the case.
Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/88986/#ixzz14XGpDozr
In the past, the international community never cared at all about Ukraine's local elections, never even sent monitors. If the elections were bad this time, they were even worse before. But god forbid that Yanukovych should get any credit for improving things.
What a lot of crap you're writing.Yushenko brought more international observers to this country and all elections were freely and widely reported. Yanukonvict on the other hand has been hesitant to invite observers and did his utmost to block out media coverage.We're already back to Soviet times and god willing, we will be able to put your criminal Yanukovict back in his prison cell asap!
I brought more international observers to this country from my KGB comrades in Moscow and my KGB comrades in the CIS countries!
The DEVIL resides within Yanukonvict and his party of Regions.In Kharkiv where we live,they blatantly lied and stole our votes right infront of our eyes.They are everything evil under the sun!
The Devil and his prophets MUST GO!!!
Pfft, angry orange losers and their hohol diaspora pimps whine and moan for great laughs of the civilized humanity.
No wonder the losers are so sour - the Ukraine people shoved their boot up the orange arse yet one more time, and the western masters of the orange losers are not happy with their orange crapsters, heh, heh, heh :D
"The U.S.-funded OPORA, which fielded the largest and most professional group of election monitors ...."
This statement demonstrates who is meddling with the democratic elections in Ukraine and is sufficient for the whole inept orange propaganda rant to be dunked into the trash bin where it belongs,
No wonder the orange losers are so agry - their US masters spent all this US taxpayer money to subvert the democratic election in Ukraine much like in 2004 but LOST miserably because the Ukraine people remember well how the orange kleptomaniacs in power and their thieving orange cronies ruined the country, HA HA HA HA, gasp, HO HO HO HO :D
PATHETIC LIAR! You're shouting loud in order to cover up the truth. After all, you're a paid propaganda liar, repeating the same crap week after week.You're posts are not relevant to any issues and you should be banned from KP.
Oh! just in case you didn't know, spreading anti American lies is a crime punishable by jail time.From the multitude of comments you've made, you a definitely a potential suspect and should be jailed! So, watch out!
The truth hurts, hence angry orange losers whine. Just like this brain dead orange holol. What an pathetic US-paid slave, heh, heh, heh :D
You're lies will catch up with you soon.You are a menace, a waste of time and a danger to yourself and society.You are a worthless contributor to this forum and your days are numbered!!Don't try switching your IP address, it won't help!
heh,heh,heh...
All of the mafiosi from the Party of Regions are putting out the same spin as before - with emphasis on "US funded." Kolesnichenko, Chechetov, Miroshnichenko, and all the other barking dogs from the Party of Regions that make the rounds of talk shows to push sovok relic propaganda have been given their orders.
They bark at people, and interrupt, instead of talking to people. Barking at people and interrupting people so as not to give anyone a chance to talk is a sovok relic tradition and technique.
According to twisted sovok relics mafiosi barking dogs, observing elections is the same as "interfering" with elections.
Reporting on falsification of elections is the same as "subverting democratic elections."
Yes - the observers were there to see the subversion on the part of the Party of Regions.
And to report on the subversion by the Party of Regions.
If the mafiosi gangsters in and out of government from the Party of Regions did not subvert the elections - there would be nothing to report.
Instead - Interfax and the pro-Yanukonvikt media remind one of sovok days and the saying about the 2 sovok newspapers, Pravda (Truth) and Izvestia (the News):
"In Pravda (Truth) there is no izvestia (news), and in Izvestia (the News) there is no pravda (truth)."
Mafiosi sovok relics are still trying to hang on to that perverted sovok tradition with all their might.
And, apparently, die laughing about it. HO HO HO
The US praised the election of Yanukovych (helped by his US PR/image firm) as fair.
Remember, most readers of this website aren't logically-stunted turnip farmers/hookers from Russia, so you need to change your rhetorical devices...
The angry orange losers still don't get it - they are so pathetic in their denial, they hate to recognize the fact that even in the US, no foreign funded NGO are allowed to meddle in local elections.
But then again, being paid US marionettes, the orange losers lack any brains and do embarrass themselves in most demeaning and humiliating ways, heh, heh, heh :D
OPORS most certainly are not a independent unveils electoral monitoring group. They do not speak for the US government either.
The fact is 6he European and US governments have signed off on the elections. Whilst there were issues they were of a technical nature and most certainly did not effect the overall outcome of the election. Neither the official organs of Europe or t6he US condemned the conduct of the elections. There is a big difference between being critical and opposing Criticism should not be interpreted as being condemnation it is not,