Public Council on Freedom of Speech and Information restarted
The constituent gathering of the Public Council on Freedom of Speech and Information took place on 25 October 2006. According to the Provisions on Public Councils, this is an advisory consultative bodiy attached to the parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information. The Council includes 19 media experts and representatives of civic organizations. Taras Shevchenko, Director of the Media Law Institute, who in 2005 and 2006 headed the Independent expert council on the work of the mass media during elections, was elected Secretary of the Council.
The Chair of the Committee Andriy Shevchenko outlined the key tasks facing the Council as follows: a discussion platform, expertise and drawing up draw laws on media issues, consolidation of an expert milieu through making improvements to information laws.
“For the Committee this is a breath of fresh air. These people are a rich reserve of Ukrainian media experts. I believe that this can substantiality improve the quality of information lawmaking.”
Among the priorities for the Public Council’s work the following were highlighted: public broadcasting; privatization of the press; an improvement in the laws “On advertising” and “On television and radio broadcasting”.
The first Public Council on Freedom of Speech and Information was formed in autumn 2002 when it was headed by Mykola Tomenko.
Initiative Group
Artem Bidenko, Association for External Advertising of Ukraine
Tetyana Vorozhko, OSCE
Serhiy Huz, Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine
Ludmila Humenyuk, Centre for Media Reform
Vitaly Zaminus, “Vidrodzhenya” [“Renaissance”]
Valery Ivanov, Ukrainian Press Academy
Ihor Kohut, Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives
Dmytro Krykun-Symansky (Internews – Ukraine)
Maxim Lazebnyk, All-Ukrainian Advertising Coalition
Natalya Ligachova, Telekritika
Kateryna Myasnykova, Independent Association of Broadcasters
Vitaly Pekar, Ukrainian Internet Association
Olena Prytula, Ukrainska Pravda
Vasyl Samokhvalov, Centre for Public Media
Viktoria Syumar, Institute for Mass Information
Oleh Komenyuk, IREX
Oleksandr Chekmyshchev, Committee “Equal opportunities”
Oleksiy Shalaisky, ProUA
Taras Shevchenko, Media Law Institute