For the first time in Ukraine’s history, journalists from UT-1 and elsewhere will carry out the debates, along with representatives of civil society, students and volunteers. A lottery will determine how the candidates will be paired for the debates.
Hosting actual, transparent debates is a brand new (and welcome) development at the clumsy, publicly-financed company that used to epitomize corruption, crony management and a skewed, Soviet-style information policy.
Slowly, things are starting to change there. Apart from the old faces, some air time has been given to journalists from Hromadske.tv – a young startup that broadcast the EuroMaidan Revolution live online for more than three months. Hooded and T-shirted, they look out of place on UT-1, which was basically a tool of government propaganda after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
But the changes, hopefully, will run deeper than simply introducing new faces. Ukraine’s parliament approved a law earlier this month to turn UT-1 into a public corporation. The company will have a transparently elected supervisory board of 14 members representing all political ideologies, coming from civil society, academia, human rights and other groups. The law earmarks 0.2 percent of the national budget to finance the station to ensure its independence from private interests. It will also be able to sell some types of advertising, but commercials will not be allowed to occupy more than 5 percent of air time. This law is a huge step towards transforming the company to better serve Ukrainians and their information needs, particularly at a time when misinformation and propaganda from Russia are contributing to the erosion of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Viewers are already hailing the changes as a step in the right direction. Last weekend the channel ran a Polish documentary in its original language, allowing the Polish-speaking minority to exercise their rights to get information in their native language. This is a commendable development, and we hope the new management keeps up the good work.
