THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
At the end of June, participants in an extraordinary meeting of the board of the Zaporizhzhia regional organization of the NUJU considered the issue of obstruction of the journalistic activity of the Municipal Television Network TV channel (MTN) by the city authorities. After studying and discussing in detail the documents provided by the director of the TV channel/NUJU member, Iryna Poliiektova, the board members turned to the Secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, Anatolii Kurtev, with a request to clarify the situation regarding the attitude of the internal policy department to the municipal TV channel. However, recently the pressure has increased even more. The demands reached the level of instructions regarding what to write and what not to write about.
In the address, the Head of the Zaporizhzhia regional organization of the NUJU/Honored Journalist of Ukraine, Nataliya Kuzmenko, draws attention to the fact that an official of the local self-government body/the Head of the Department of Internal Policy, Press and Information of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, Ie. S. Kovalenko is exerting pressure on the management of the TV company aiming to interfere with its work. Although, in accordance with the normative documents (the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine On Media, the Commercial Code of Ukraine, the Charter of the enterprise, the contract of the Head of the enterprise), the Department of Internal Policy, Press and Information of the Zaporizhzhia City Council does not have the right to interfere in the editorial policy of mass media, the production process and economic activity.
“In the very first week of his appointment to the position, Kovalenko visited the MTN municipal company with a request to the manager about the need for personal communication with all officials of the TV channel in his office. On the same day, a meeting of the heads of structural divisions of MTN was held at the invitation of the Head of the department, Kovalenko, and his deputy T. V. Mikhieieva, at which the official was provided with comprehensive information about the company’s work. Also, the production facilities of the TV channel were inspected, and there was an acquaintance with both the heads of divisions and specialists,” the application states.
The official was also told that demanding forced personal meetings in his office is illegal. And he noted that from now on, he will not approve any documentation of MTN.
Two weeks later, the company received a letter from the management canceling the approval of the new structure of the TV company, developed to implement the city council’s decision. Although these changes were approved without comments a month and a half ago by the department’s acting Head, Mikhieieva, and the financial department, they were sent to the city council’s Secretary.
“In addition, in the following letter, the official demanded that the Head of the television company take part in management meetings at 9:15 a.m. every day, starting June 2, 2023. It aimed to determine the main directions of the company’s activities and approve plans and reports on their implementation. The Head of the TV channel explained to the Head of the department that, according to the established procedure, plans and reports on their implementation are submitted to the local self-government body in a timely manner, and no comments were received on the enterprise,” the address reads.
Then, without valid reasons, the official refused in writing to the Head of the municipal enterprise to go on a business trip to the city of Kyiv to receive awards: two projects of the MTN television company became winners of the National Competition Charity Ukraine – 2022. He also sent a letter to the company requesting documentation regarding each employee’s accrued salary for five months of 2023, indicating the full name, position, withheld taxes, and fees.
“Once again, the management of the television company is forced to distract itself from the production process in order to once again remind the Head of the department with legal education and civil service experience about the violation of the current legislation of Ukraine, namely the Law On Access To Public Information. In addition, the management already has information about the company’s staff list, the Provision On Remuneration Of Mtn Staff, and other reporting information that substantiates the procedure for accrual and remuneration of each employee of the television company”, Nataliya Kuzmenko notes in the address from the Zaporizhzhia regional organization of the NUJU.
She called on Anatolii Kurtiev to analyze the activities of the Department of Internal Policy, Press and Information of the Zaporizhzhia City Council under the leadership of Kovalenko and to give a proper assessment of the situation, and to eliminate the official’s illegal interference in the editorial policy and production process of MTN. Nataliya Kuzmenko also proposed to create a commission for an objective and impartial consideration of the issue with the involvement of a representative of the Zaporizhzhia regional organization board of the NUJU.
After all, interference in the editorial policy of the TV channel continues. In particular, during the filming of the story about the readiness of shelters, representatives of the National Police made several considerable remarks. But – after preparing the material for broadcast, the Department of Internal Policy, Press and Information “offered its remarks,” the essence of which is to hide information about the misfortunes of the technical condition of bomb shelters and access to them by city residents…
Members of the Zaporizhzhia regional organization board of the NUJU consider this arbitrary attitude towards the broadcaster unacceptable and demand to stop illegal actions.
On July 6, the Plenum of the NUJU will be held in Kyiv. At the request of the Zaporizhzhia delegation, the issue of interference in the editorial policy of the municipal channel MTN was put on the agenda of the Plenum.
Zaporizhzhia regional organization of NUJU
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