Readying the Mass-Media for... Fall 1999? 

This is the topic of numerous round tables and other discussions about the role of the press, television, and radio in the development of the contemporary political situation. Just look at the recent unprecedented public discussion between Zinovy Kulyk and Ivan Chyzh regarding the establishment of Ukrteleradio.

However, everyone has his own interest here. On the one hand, the media outlets (especially opposition ones), political scientists, and sociologists are afraid of stronger pressure on the press from financial-political groups. At the same time, the reflexes of behavior of those in power in the information market leave no doubt as to what their true interests are.

Last Friday, a round table called The Influence of the Mass Media on the Development of the Current Political Situation in Ukraine organized by the capital's sociologists and political scientists took place at the Writers' Union in Kyiv. Do the media influence the authorities or political "holding companies" (connected with the power authorities - Author)? Do the television, press, or radio influence the political situation or, vice versa, politics, especially shadow politics, influence them? Apart from these issues the participants talked about mass media responsibility for political stability in the country. Thus, one of the political scientists launched an interesting version of why the relations between the President and the National Bank Head had become tense. This was allegedly provoked by a title of the recent Yushchenko's interview with The Day  (see page Budget/Finance).However, it did not come to blaming the press in general and The Day in particular for the current financial crisis.