Activity Details (ID# 6917)

Activity Synopsis

The objective of the seminar was to provide journalists from the Dniepropetrovsk region with practical training concerning the coverage of elections in accordance with 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 Dniepropetrovsk region. Two participants were television journalists (channel 51) and two were from local radio.
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 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forces (for example, if they write an article with critical content towards the incumbent candidates, the article may not be published),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 certain local newspapers which are critical of 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 those political parties or candidates who have the money to do it. This situation does not create an objective image.

During the discussion, it appeared that some journalists accepted this situation and tried to profit from it, as they accept money for writing biased articles about candidates. One of the participants qualified the election campaign as “a gold mine”.

 

The general conclusion was that the situation is very difficult, but it seems that the journalists from the Dniepropetrovsk region do not have the will to change this situation. They expect the solution to come from the Council of Europe and the European Union.

 

Journalists from the district of Dniepropetrovsk

 

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

 

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