“I don’t know a journalist able to say ‘thanks’ to a former journalist currently resigning from his ministerial position” – Sergiy Tomilenko

The President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Sergiy Tomilenko, comments on the resignation of the Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Oleksandr Tkachenko:

“The Union of Journalists, like many representatives of the media community, perceives the President’s call to the government to release Minister Tkachenko rather encouragingly than alarmingly. Information policy in the state should be based on a constructive dialogue with journalists and the media. Oleksandr Tkachenko, a former journalist by education and work experience, disagreed with that.”

The discussion of the draft law On Media took place in a conflictual manner – ignoring the proposals of real media and complete indifference (and misunderstanding) to the media’s requests from the regions.

For the Minister, there is no print media industry in Ukraine. Meetings with the participation of hundreds of editors, held and held by NUJU, calls to respond to the critical situation of Ukrainians not having access to postal delivery of newspapers (due to the mass closure of Ukrposhta branches and layoffs of mail carriers), industry proposals for state information policy – all this becomes “white noise” for a government official who wants to manage the media, but not help them.

During the war, the Ministry focused only on supporting the national telethon and state broadcasting without properly lobbying for international programs to support the Ukrainian media industry. It is essential to take care of the stability of not only national broadcasting but also all-Ukrainian online media, regional and local mass media – but here, the industry is left to its own devices. The idea of establishing a Ukrainian media support fund (according to the principle of the Ukrainian cultural fund), developed during the epidemic and in demand in the current wartime, is not being implemented.

Obviously, in the current gigantic Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the lion’s share of attention goes to the field of culture. And information policy is understood only as control and regulation, not dialogue, support, or development.

“Therefore, I personally do not know journalists or editors able to say “thanks” to a former journalist who is now leaving the ministerial position.”

NUJU Information Service