When coming to work on Nov. 12, Kateryna Kobernyk, deputy chief editor of the web edition of Forbes Ukraine, didn’t know that it would be her last day at the publication. She wasn’t the only one. Twelve other journalists out of an editorial staff of 50 would resign that day in protest to what they say are chief editor Mikhail Kotov's censorship attempts.
The newly departed include the print version’s managing editor Borys
Davydenko, three editors and three correspondents, the web edition’s managing
editor Oleksandr Ruban, two editors, two correspondents and an art director, besides Kobernyk.
They accused Kotov of rejecting without explanation several
political stories that they had pitched.
One story was on the advisers of First Deputy Prime Minister
Serhiy Arbuzov. Another was supposed to feature the new information policy of
the ruling Party of Regions based on documents the journalists received, according
to Kobernyk.
“When we asked why we are not writing about that, we
were told that nobody would explain to us anything,” Kobernyk says, adding that the
journalists who brought up the issue denied access to the Forbes Ukraine
website. “From the representatives of the owner we received the message saying
that, taking into account tough relations with the chief editor, there is
probably no way we can find common ground and we have to discuss conditions for
exit.”
Meanwhile, Kotov denied there is censorship at the publication.
“The current situation is a simple administrative case
inside the editorial staff which absolutely has nothing to do with influencing
the information policy or the management of the media holding,” Kotov said in a
written statement released on Nov. 13. “Moreover, this act looks strange to me
on the eve of signing an agreement about independent policy, a consensus which
was reached last week.”
Yuri Rovensky, general director of VETEK Media, which manages
UMH holding, one of Ukraine’s biggest media groups that includes Forbes and 50
other brands, called the case “provocative,” insisting that the holding has
been adhering to all license agreements of its parent company and providing
objective and professional coverage.
“Taking into account my big experience in the media business
I consider this decision a result of inconsistencies inside the editorial staff
and ambitions of some of the staff seeking extra benefits,” he said.
This is not the first case of journalists leaving Forbes
Ukraine. At least three journalists resigned, including former chief editor Vladimir
Fedorin, who left the publication in July, after it was purchased by young
Ukrainian multimillionaire Serhiy Kurchenko, who reportedly paid $340 million
for UMH holding. The deal was closed on Nov.5. While some left on their own volition,
some journalists were later forced to leave. Kobernyk recalls a case when one
of her colleagues was fired for “not quite speaking positively about the new
owner.”
So far, according to Kobernyk, management hasn’t
approved yesterday’s resignation notices and she is afraid lawsuits will follow
that stem from litigation launched against the publication some time ago.
“Yesterday representatives of the owner told us that
there are some lawsuits against the publication,” she says adding that they
didn’t specify which ones and against whom. “So, those lawsuits might be soon
seeking many journalists or some of them.”
Kyiv Post
staff writer Anastasia Forina can be reached at [email protected].
