Noticeable increase in dodgy news on TV during February
UTV-1 consistently muffles or distorts socio-political issues embarrassing for those in power
In February the regular monitoring of TV coverage of socio-political issues found an increase in material which suggested it had been commissioned (or censored) as well as of cases where information of public importance was muffled. This is seen as linked with a general increase in the level of political activity during February.
As can be seen, the State-owned UTV-1 {“First National TV Channel”) continues to be the worst offender. In February the sharpest increase was from the channels Ukraina and STB
The number of news items on socio-political issues with signs of having been commissioned (censorship)
Channel | Feb 2013 | January 2013 | December 2012 | November 2012 | October 2012 | September 2012 |
UTV1-1 | 40 | 30 | 27 | 35 | 43 | 38 |
«Ukraina» | 28 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 24 | 26 |
ICTV | 25 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 30 | 30 |
«1+1» | 22 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 18 | 15 |
Channel 5 | 21 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 20 |
STB | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 20 | 24 |
Inter | 12 | 7 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 31 |
Novy Kanal | 10 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 23 | 17 |
ТВі | 7 | 4 | - | - | - | - |
Topics presented in tendentious, biased fashion:
The opposition’s blocking of parliament and negotiations between the majority and opposition;
President Yanukovych’s visits to Vilnius and to Brussels;
The opening of the Kyiv City Council session and protests;
The meetings between Yanukovych and Azarov with Štefan Füle, EU Commissioner for Enlargement in Kyiv.
As has become standard, channels did not cover facts and views which were inconvenient for those in power.
Overall number of important issues; views; facts or background muffled
Channel | Feb 2013 | January 2013 | December 2012 | November 2012 | October 2012 | September 2012 |
UTV-1 | 118 | 89 | 71 | 102 | 77 | 118 |
Novy Kanal | 114 | 79 | 71 | 97 | 78 | 111 |
«Ukraina» | 112 | 77 | 70 | 94 | 71 | 115 |
STB | 111 | 84 | 70 | 96 | 78 | 113 |
ICTV | 103 | 78 | 65 | 93 | 70 | 111 |
«1+1» | 99 | 74 | 63 | 93 | 72 | 110 |
«Inter» | 99 | 72 | 56 | 84 | 70 | 112 |
TVi | 97 | 71 | - | - | - | - |
Channel 5 | 95 | 65 | 55 | 89 | 63 | 93 |