Activity Details (ID# 6924)

Activity Synopsis

The objective of the seminar was to provide journalists from the Poltava region with practical training on the coverage of elections in accordance with the CoE standards (Recommendation No. R (99) 15 on measures concerning media coverage of election campaigns) in the perspective of the Presidential elections at the end of October 2004.

 

The participants were mostly journalists from the independent print media in the Poltava region.
Different documents (Recommendation No. R (99) 15 on measures concerning media coverage of election campaigns and its Explanatory Memorandum and the CoE handbook on Media and elections) were distributed to the participants. All material was available in Ukrainian.

The seminar showed that the situation in Ukraine concerning the coverage of the elections by the media is very difficult and far from being in accordance with European standards:

- journalists are sometimes subject to pressure from local politicians or other forces (for example, if they write an article with critical content concerning the incumbent candidates, the article may not be published),
- all presidential candidates do not enjoy equal treatment in the media during the election campaign,
- journalists have become more prudent because of physical attacks on some of their colleagues,
- some local post offices refuse to distribute some local newspapers which are critical towards incumbent candidates,
- the financial situation of the press does not allow it to carry out opinion polls on candidates; they only publish results from opinion polls ordered by political parties or candidates who have the money to do it. This situation does not create an objective image.

During the discussion unlike the seminar in Dniepropetrovsk, the journalists from the Poltava region were very critical towards the local authorities and some of their colleagues who accept being intimidated and influenced by the authorities. They said that editorial independence does not exist in Ukraine and that the Government is not concerned about public opinion, instead it imposes its opinion on the public.
 

The general conclusion was that the situation is very difficult and that neither the journalists nor the public believe in fair elections. The journalists from the Poltava region are conscious that the solution and changes should firstly come from themselves: international assistance is very important, but not the only solution. The journalists could be divided into two categories: those who accept the situation and those who are trying to do something to change it.


 

Journalists from the district of Poltava 

Mr Denis Peiron, Correspondant for the daily newspaper « La Croix » (France) 

Ms Lejla Dervisagic, Media Division, Directorate General of Human Rights