National Council to check ZIK and "112 Ukraine" for inciting to animosity

Photo credit: Ukrinform

The National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting has ordered an unscheduled outgoing inspections of Z ZIK ("New Communications" TV and radio company, Lviv) and "112 Ukraina" (LLC "112-TV", Kyiv) to verify the facts of inciting to animosity by these TV channels. Such a decision was approved by the National Council on January 9 at a meeting, according to the regulator's website.

Thus, the National Council’s monitoring identified some violations of the media legislation by the program "Each of us is the President", which was broadcast on November 26, 2019 by Z ZIK channel (with repetition on November 27, 2019).

The expert guests at the studio were the MP of the 8th legislature Nadiya Savchenko, the MP of the 9th legislature Renat Kuzmin, as well as Mykhaylo Dobkin, who joined the discussion online. The monitoring of the National Council noted they voiced some assertions which violated the third, fourth and thirteenth parts of the second section of the Article 6 and paragraphs “a” and “c” of the first section of the Article 59 of the Law of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting, and also part one of the Article 28 of the Law of Ukraine “On Information”.

The reason for an unscheduled inspection of the satellite TV channel "112 Ukraina" was the results of the broadcasts in August-December 2019. In particular, the broadcasts of "Big Interview", "LIVE", "LIVE NEWS", "Voice of the People", "Pulse: The Main Political Show of the Country", "This is Important", "Dialogue with the Country" had assertions of V. Medvedchuk, P. Symonenko, V. Rabinovich, G. Herman, I. Kyva, N. Korolevska, O. Voloshin, O. Lyashko, M. Dulsky and R. Kuzmin, who had signs of violation of current legislation.

Namely:

• paragraphs 4 and 9 of the second article of the Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine "On Television and Radio Broadcasting", which stipulates that it should be banned to use broadcasting companies for calls to unleash an aggressive war or its propaganda and / or incite national, racial or religious hatred and animosity, to broadcast TV programs made after 1 August 1991, which contained the promotion or propaganda of the authorities of the aggressor State and its activity justifying or recognizing the legitimate occupation of the territory of Ukraine;

• points “a” and “c” of part one of the Article 59 of the Law of Ukraine “On Television and Radio Broadcasting”, since the broadcasting organization is obliged to comply with the legislation of Ukraine and the license requirements, to disseminate objective information;

• of part one of the Article 28 of the Law of Ukraine "On Information", according to which information cannot be used to call for the overthrow of the constitutional order, violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, propaganda of war, violence, cruelty, incitement of interethnic, racial, religious hatred, acts of terrorism, acts of terrorism encroachment on human rights and freedoms.

As a result of the inspections, the National Council is going to make appropriate decisions regarding the licensees.

As IMI reported, on January 9 the National Council of Ukraine of Television and Radio Broadcasting ordered an unscheduled on-site inspection of the TV channel "Pryamyy".