It’s great to see CNN, one of the world’s top news channels, dedicating nearly a week’s worth of special coverage to Ukraine through its i-List series, which aired Jan. 17-21.
But it’s been disappointing to see CNN’s PR-ish and superficial coverage, showing a Ukraine hardly recognizable to its citizens.
Ukraine deserves more attention than it gets from mainstream television media. The coverage, coming as the U.S. and European Union express growing concerns about the deterioration of democracy under President Viktor Yanukovych, could have been illuminating. But we didn’t see insightful journalism, at least by the time this edition of the Kyiv Post went to press on Jan. 20.
One report featured Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov hyping up Ukraine’s promising agriculture sector. There was no mention of unjustified grain export quotas and non-transparent barriers that have caused huge losses for foreign investors.
Another episode showed a happy and smiling Kyiv police officer learning English in preparation for the Euro 2012 soccer championship. It didn’t mention recent crackdowns on the political opposition, let alone the longstanding problems with police brutality, corruption and racial profiling.
A CNN spokesperson said an upcoming episode will feature a Yanukovych interview, with him saying his government wants “political and economic stability… and sees the balance between East and West differently than his pro-Western predecessor [Viktor Yushchenko].”
CNN said the i-List series on Ukraine is sponsored by the Ukraine Economic Reform Fund. The fund was not immediately able to respond to Kyiv Post inquries, but claims on its website to be backed by Ukrainian business.
It describes its mission as consulting government and promoting a positive image of Ukraine. On its website, the fund has press release-style “news reports,” such as “Ukraine’s Leadership Launches Vital Reforms.”
Asked by the Kyiv Post about the program’s sponsors, i-List anchor Jim Clancy said: “I assumed they were government.” He suggested that Ukraine needs promotion and described his program as “cultural journalism” that doesn’t go deep into politics. CNN officials stressed that editorial independence was preserved.
Whatever the case, the i-List series on Ukraine comes off as too soft on Yanukovych. It’s a shame they are leaving before the Jan. 22 protest.
