/ Mass Media Program
Progress Report / INTERNATIONAL
RENAISSANCE
FOUNDATION
Program Director:
Program Coordinator: /

Vitaliy Zamnius

Liliya Baran

Implementation year: / 2008

1. Program activities since the Program strategy was approved

The IRF Mass Media Program (hereinafter referred to as the Program) strategy was approved in the fall of 2007. According to this strategy, the purpose of the Program is to promote freedom of speech and information as one of the basic components of an open democratic society; to support the formation of a pluralistic media environment through the development of independent and professional mass media in Ukraine; and to ensure balanced coverage of the issues important for society.

The strategy has the following priorities, which will not change significantly in 2009:

·  Promotion of social responsibility among journalists;

·  Promotion of journalistic investigations to increase transparency of Ukrainian authorities;

·  Reform of state and communal media;

·  Monitoring of implementation of media legislation.

We had refocused our priorities according to the context (see below). Also, after a year of implementation, the Public Monitoring and Advocacy of Ukraine’s Transition to Digital Broadcasting Program component was determined to be inexpedient by the IRF for 2009.

The basic problem preventing implementation of the Program priority – reform of state and communal media – is the absence of political will to establish a public broadcasting system in Ukraine and denationalize mass media. The reason is obvious – the unwillingness of authorities at all levels to lose control over the already illusive media resources which are the state and municipal television and radio companies and printed media.

At the same time, the main problem is a noticeable slump in the activity of professional journalists and the lack of perception of the social mission of their profession by the majority of journalists. This factor produced the problem of biased journalism that became exceptionally acute during the last year or two.

In response to the first problem, the Program plans to focus implementation of the priority of reforming state and communal media exclusively on the support of the broad public information campaign and formation of the public opinion about the need to establish public broadcasting and denationalize mass media.

As for the second problem, the Program is trying to overcome it by supporting professional training courses and educational events and also through support of the projects aimed at the investigation and combating biased journalism.

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