Interviewed by Valentin PUSTOVOIT, Oleksa PIDLUTSKY, The
Day
Ken Moskowitz, USIA information officer, arrived in Kiev in July 1997.
Born in Newark, NJ, he holds a BA in History and English Literature from
Swarthmore College (1976) and an MA in Philosophy from Brown University
(1982). He was a reporter-editor for Housing Affairs (1983-85), and entered
the Foreign Service in June 1985. His other postings have been in Budapest,
where he was assistant public relations officer and press attachО (1986-89)
and Tokyo (assistant public information officer, 1990-95). He subsequently
served as a desk officer at USIA for the ASEAN countries, 1995-96), and
completed 44 weeks of Ukrainian at the Foreign Service Institute in June
1997. He also speaks French, Hungarian, Japanese, and German.
Mr. Moskowitz will spend year as a Congressional Fellow in Washington
beginning in September, a position supported by the American Political
Science Association. He is slated to be the director of the American Center
in Tokyo in 2001.
Before Ukraine you worked in Japan. In your opinion, how does the
American, Japanese, and Ukrainian press differ in selecting, preparing
and laying out information?
This is almost an impossibly broad and difficult question. Japanese
newspapers editors pretty much adhere to Western principles, so consequently
my work there was very focused on what we called correcting distortions
or misperceptions in the media. In Ukraine, there is more obviously an
agenda or political slant in the news coverage. Just to mention one aspect
of this: Ukrainian newspapers in general have no created clearly marked
opinion or editorial pages, so that news and opinion tend to merge, and
the facts can get lost.
How comprehensive is the coverage by the American media of public
opinion concerning NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia both in the United
States and abroad?
I have seen media reports of US and foreign public opinion polling on
the Kosovo crisis at least once a week. Many of these reports have also
been picked up by the Ukrainian press. I heard the latest Ukrainian report
on US polling last week on UT-1 TV.
Some ten years ago absolutely all press in Ukraine was controlled
by the government. To what extent does today's non-governmental (independent)
media in Ukraine correspond to your idea about free press?
It is helpful to remember that "free press" is an ideal that all democratic
countries continue to strive toward. Removing governmental control and
legal censorship is a big step in this process. In my view, Ukraine's largest
impediments to press freedom today are, first, its communist- or authoritarian-influenced
libel law, which allows government officials or politicians to impose huge
fines on newspapers for supposed insults to their dignity or honor. Secondly,
there has been a pattern of selective enforcement of vague and burdensome
commercial and tax laws targeted at some independent media. Since an informed
electorate is an essential element in a democracy, especially during a
national election campaign, voices from across the political spectrum must
be heard.
Which Ukrainian publications does the US Embassy subscribe to, and
which do you read personally?
It is our job to be familiar with the range of political opinion in
Ukraine, so we subscribe to a very wide variety of national and regional
newspapers. I admit that I personally read Den in Ukrainian, and read articles
on US-Ukrainian relations in English translation from the other major outlets,
including Interfax, Fakty, and Zerkalo nedeli.
In many US Embassies the press attachО simultaneously heads the local
office of the United States Information Agency. As far as we know, you
also combine those two positions. What are the benefits of such a combination
compared to the traditional setup of a press service?
Actually, the head of the US Information Agency is called the Public
Affairs Officer, who has responsibility for what we call public diplomacy.
The press attachО is responsible for providing official US government information
to the working press. Public affairs officers convey information about
US society as well as policy to the general public through a wide range
of programs, including libraries, publications, and speaker programs. The
cultural attachО, who also handles academic and professional exchanges,
has a large role in these activities.
How adequate and comprehensive an impression about life in the United
States can one get by publications in the Ukrainian media? And from American
publications about Ukraine?
I find that the chief problem in Ukrainian reporting about the US is
the lack of Ukrainian correspondents there. Consequently, the Ukrainian
public gets spotty and second-hand information. Some of this of late has
been unreliable or unconfirmed information from the Internet. I have found
that some of the best reporting about the US has been by visitors upon
their return to Ukraine.
There is also a shortage of information about Ukraine in the US press,
which is also a result of the dearth of American correspondents here, although
the major wire services do have representatives in Kyiv. The reluctance
of other major media to base reporters here reflects tight budgets for
foreign news coverage, as well as the view that perhaps Ukraine is too
quiet a place to justify correspondents. This could in turn be interpreted
as meaning that US editors believe that violent protests are not imminent,
or that economic reform and democratic developments are proceeding too
slowly to be of news interest.
What image of Ukraine did you have when you came here, and what image
do you have now?
My first image of Ukraine was shaped to some degree by the Ukrainian
Diaspora, who differ somewhat in their thinking from Ukrainian nationals.
As a result of living here for two years, I have a much more nuanced picture
of Ukrainian life, one that is more complicated and harder to characterize.
What have you liked most and what have you disliked most in our country?
My greatest pleasures in Ukraine have been in the friends I have made,
and in particular in their home hospitality. I also wish Ukraine would
package and export more food products: I remember my delight at tasting
how delicious your pickled vegetables are! My "dislike," although that
is not quite the right word, has been my occasional experience dealing
with dour shop clerks. I know that foreigners often say that Americans
smile too much, especially in public, but it doesn't hurt to smile. I realize,
of course, that better attitudes to work must await better pay and benefits,
which will come with the flowering of the new market economy.
What are the similarities and differences between Ukrainians and
Americans?
Ukrainians have the strengths of the traditional society in working
well in groups and supporting each other, especially through difficulties.
Americans have the strengths of individualism, such as creativity and self-reliance.
Ukrainians and Americans share a pride and pleasure in their families.
What is your impression: how has the socioeconomic and political
situation in Ukraine changed in a year and a half of your stay here?
I've been here for two years. My impression is that political and economic
conditions have not changed enough. I see lots of new restaurants and boutiques,
and these provide badly needed jobs, but they are not sustainable without
broader economic growth, including small and medium enterprises and the
development of sectors where Ukraine has special advantages, such as in
aerospace and agriculture.
This year Ukrainians will be electing a new President, and next year
there will be presidential elections in the United States. Can any parallels
be drawn regarding the organization of electoral campaigns in our countries?
It's too early to draw any conclusions about the presidential campaigns
in either country, but I would urge Ukrainian citizens to exercise their
rights in a democracy and get active! Study the candidates' positions,
express your views, join a political party, and don't forget to vote.






