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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Meritorious or Independent?

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

On occasion of Press Day President Leonid Kuchma awarded state prizes and the title of Meritorious Journalist of Ukraine to members of the press guild. According to one of the leading Ukrainian journalists, who attended the ceremony at the Mariyinsky Palace, all this resembled fragments from a stagnation [Brezhnev] era newsreel. One could go like this: “Ukraine celebrates Press Day with glorious labor achievements: so-and-so newspapers have been closed, and more are nearing ruination, stifled by exorbitant fines. So-and-so TV and radio programs have been exposed to censorship and crossed out off broadcast schedules.” And so on, and so forth. In fact, was it the journalists’ holiday the Starokyivsky District Court of Kyiv hastened to make its contribution to, by awarding the injured honor and dignity of Minister of the Interior Yuri Kravchenko about Hr 5 million? The amount is to be exacted from the Kievskie Vedomosti newspaper and the authors of the publications in question. The situation looks a little strange, since Mr. Kravchenko could say nothing about the murders of such journalists as Derevyanko, Shevchenko, and Kotsiuk (incidentally, of The Day).

Some Ukrainian journalists have shared with The Day their impressions of the President’s rewarding the representatives of the Kyiv journalistic community.

Volodymyr Skachko, Russky Telegraf:

Our beloved President confuses serving one’s country and being on duty at his personal beck and call. The people who succeeded in the latter, like Volodymyr Kuleba and Oleksandr Shvets, can hardly rank among my colleagues. When speaking of someone’s distorting the reality, the President means those who tell the truth. And those saying the President is the best, become Meritorious Journalists and are decorated with orders. We already experienced this under Brezhnev. There is nothing left for us but, as The Day has suggested, to build Kuchma’s bust in his native village and lay flowers at his photograph.

Oleksandr Yurchuk, Journalistic Studies Center:

The rewarding of especially loyal journalists is in line with the tradition of our rulers: the courtiers who take pains to please the monarch should be encouraged. And one of the forms to do so is to grant them decorations, titles, etc. The merit list contains courtiers and very loyal editors, rather than influential journalists. And the President’s most recent attacks of the mass media can be identified as his agony. Kuchma’s irritation with the mass media has lasted over a year and is now reaching its height. And more hideous forms can be expected.

Olha Dmytrychyova, Kievskie Vedomosti:

After the court session held before the awards ceremony and the Hr 5 million fine to be paid by Kievskie Vedomosti to Minister of the Interior Kravchenko, this event looks very nice. But it only reveals our poor journalistic spirit of corporation. I do not mean that the laureates should reject their awards. They served loyally and long enough to be awarded. However, the journalists and perhaps even politicians feel upset.

Maryna Soroka, Inter [TV Channel]:

I would be glad if there were better-known journalists on the merit list. And I wish they were not representatives of the presidential mass media.

Volodymyr Katsman, Stolichnie Vedomosti:

Even the awarded newspapers allow the publications, occasionally, of very critical materials pointed at the executive. So I wouldn’t say the President is showing the carrot to ones and the stick to others. Well, there is always something offensive for others who were not awarded in any awards ceremony. I think this is a personal award and not the merit of a whole team. I feel great respect to Shvets, Kuleba, and all the awarded journalists. I agree that such an award is granted not only for achievements in journalism, but for one’s political stance as well. In case with the Fakty daily, this is an award for achievements in journalism, because this paper picked up the speed starting virtually from zero. As far as Nezavisimost’ (Independence) is concerned — maybe the newspaper has already seen its best times. However, it is still necessary, for the sake of pluralism.

Olha Burda (Independent journalist):

The professional qualities of the laureates have been appreciated. They know whom, how, and when to criticize. It is widely known that both Nezavisimost’ and Fakty are rather loyal to the President. As the Russian saying goes, the cuckoo praises the rooster because the rooster praises the cuckoo. And you can see for yourself what happened to Nezavisimost’. Obviously, the President thinks those are the most important newspapers. Regarding other mass media, since last winter the President has been prone to occasional invectives. I don’t think it becoming in his position.

Georgy Gongadze (unemployed journalist):

The very title Meritorious Journalist is humiliating, and, I think, should not be accepted by journalists. A priori, the press should not try to merit someone’s reward. Rather, it should be like a cat which walks around by itself. In our case, no sooner had Kuleba received one order, they give him another one. This resembles the Brezhnev era. The gap between reality and the world they live in has been widening with each year. The problem is that there are experts (top-notch journalists) recognized by the people and the list submitted to the President for his signature. Kuleba and Shvets create yellow papers: one is politically yellow, the other one just yellow. This is very symptomatic. Should the President act like this in setting other priorities, he will have no future. He said we are corrupt. But it is they who made us that way. What is the television making of Dolhanov? Is it not an example of corruptibility and irresponsibility? Or the notorious Kuleba. Is there anything different between Nezavisimost’ and Pravda Ukrayiny (Truth of Ukraine)? Only the direction of the attack. And I remember only too well how Kuleba served former President Kravchuk.

Oleksandr Shvets (Editor-in-Chief, Fakty):

It is the highest award for me — this is what I have achieved in journalism. To my mind, what I achieved is so significant, that only a wicked person can take this award as advances. I created such newspapers as Kievskie Vedomosti, Vseukrainskie Vedomosti (All-Ukrainian News), Vedomosti DAILY - Kopeika, and Fakty. To be honest, this award has neither added to, nor lessened what I have done as a professional in journalism.

 

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