Journalists don’t agree with Moroz over taking example from the Russian media

Ukrainian journalists have criticized the statements made by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz over what he called the need for changes in the information policy of the state in favour of the practice presently followed in the Russian media. Moroz believes that Ukrainian channels provide insufficient coverage of significant events and trends in the country.

On Wednesday in Odessa, Oleksandr Moroz said that Ukraine lacked balanced information state policy, and praised the information bulletins on Russian television channels which he claims, “provide coverage of events of national importance, as well as the state of affairs in the regions”.

The President of the Ukrainian Press Academy Valery Ivanov, during an interview given to the Ukrainian Service of Deutsche Welle explained Moroz’s statements as reflecting the dissatisfaction of the present regime with critical reactions from the media to their activities. “Moroz has long established his resources for a democratic politician. He expressed this as his own personal position. Yet judging by new draft laws, this is the joint position of the ruling coalition”.

Deputy Editor of the newspaper “Ukraina moloda” [“Young Ukraine”] Olena Zvarych said that Moroz’s statement was on a par with those issued in Soviet times.

Other journalists and experts whom Deutsche Welle spoke to, also considered the work of the Ukrainian press to be professional, and that the news broadcasts on Russian television channels were completely censored.