The report raises concern about the state-funded Rada TV channel and urges restoration of independent broadcasting.
According to the updated report of the Commission on the progress of EU candidate countries released on 30th October 2024, the European Commission has criticised Ukraine’s United News Telethon and urged the country to restore a “pluralistic” media landscape.
The United News Telemarathon was launched in anticipation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Zelenskyy government created the United News Telemarathon as a platform for strategic communications, with a goal of providing daily updates on security and state activities. In practice, the content is produced by a small group of progovernment channels and broadcast across all broadcast channels.
The document of the Commission reveals that the report specifically questions state budget funding for the telethon, and raises concerns about its objectivity.
Brussels expressed concern about the Parliament’s “Rada” media channel, noting that it should have its primary mission be “sharing information regarding parliamentary business including the work by representatives of the parliamentary oppostion.” The Commission also noted that the broadcasts of parliamentary sessions, suspended in 2022 and not resumed, had not been resumed.
Rada broadcasts the same telethon that other channels do.
The document states that Ukraine’s independent broadcaster Suspilne – UA:PBC operates on a neutral political basis, with a board of independent supervisors consisting of civil society representatives and media specialists. In May 2024 the United News TV Marathon was partially modified to give Suspilne more autonomy and allow it to launch 24-hour broadcasting on First TV.
The criticism appears in a report by the Commission that analyzes all EU candidate countries compliance with fundamental European Union Principles, including respect for free expression and speech.
Previous criticism
Public figures have criticised the United News telethon, claiming that it presents an overly optimistic perspective and often ignores issues with serious implications for military and wider situation.
RFE/RL reported in May that Stanislav Aseiev, a journalist and serviceman, wrote on Facebook that he had suffered a concussion while at the frontline: “The only recommendation I can make is to turn off telethon.” Later, he explained to RFE/RL how the coverage of events on the frontline doesn’t reflect the reality, stating that “a television image of positivity and victory is being formed, without real discussion about the army problems, which some threaten
According to RFE/RL Oleksiy Haran is a professor at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He acknowledged that although the marathon was initially justified but trust in it has declined.
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