Rivne website posts mudslinging content about Chetverta Vlada investigators
A prominent Rivne oblast website Rivnenski Novyny shared mudslinging content about the Chetverta Vlada Agency of Investigative Journalism editors, Volodymyr and Antonina Torbich.
This was reported by Hanna Kalaur, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Rivne oblast, who was investigating to identify the persons behind the smear campaign.
In the two articles, the anonymous author writes about the couple's divorce hearing in a manipulative manner and reports on a likely paid-for "rally" in front of the Rivne City Court, with people holding up provocative posters about Volodymyr Torbich.
As the IMI representative notes, Rivnenski Novyny's alleged chief editor Andriy Androschuk did not comment on the articles posted on his website and pretended to be someone else while talking to her.
Rivnenski Novyny posting smear content targeting Chetverta Vlada is a continuation of the negative campaigning that the media outlet faced in November.
Mudslinging and courthouse rally
The first Rivnenski Novyny article, titled "Rivne's well-known mud slinger divorces his journalist wife" and posted on December 3, reports on a court hearing regarding the Torbichs’ divorce. In the article, the anonymous author resorts to insulting Volodymyr Torbich, calling him a "mud slinger" and a yellow journalist. They cite rumors and comments from unnamed people on social media and speculate on the reasons for the divorce.
The first Rivnenski Novyny article about Chetverta Vlada concerns the editors' private family relationships, which are not a topic of public interest. Screenshot from Rivnenski Novyny by the IMI
The second article was published on December 4 under the headline “Rivne's well-known mudslinger did not appear at the court hearing on his divorce.” It covered a "rally" next to the Rivne City Court, where several people held up posters condemning Volodymyr Torbich.
Screenshot of the second Rivnenski Novyny article by the IMI
The anonymous author explains the people with posters as follows: "Next to the courthouse, Volodymyr Torbich was greeted by grateful readers of his website and Rivne's concerned citizens who wanted to personally ask him why he was doing that to his own wife."
Posters read (left to right): "Christians don't do that. Volodya, repent", "Love is over. Volodya and Antonina are getting divorced", "Volodya, you could have saved the family, but you didn't want to...", "Volodya, leave the garage to Antonina". Most of the "ralliers" holding the provocative posters tried to cover up their faces, which suggests that the rally was staged and possibly paid for. Screenshot of the mudslinging on Rivnenski Novyny by the IMI
Furthermore, the artice resorts to insults, manipulations, and spreading rumors about the couple. The two articles feature no comments from either Antonina or Volodymyr Torbich.
Who is negative campaigning against Chetverta Vlada
Rivnenski Novyny was founded by Andriy Androshchuk, the former Rivne Oblast Administration chair's advisor, who is also a co-founder of the NGO Rivnenski Novyny, according to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs, and Public Organizations (USR).
In 2017, Chetverta Vlada initiated a signature collection among Rivne journalists and activists demanding political accountability for Andriy Androshchuk and his dismissal from office due to his attempt to harass journalist Inna Biletska, who worked consistently to expose corruption and abuse of power in Rivne oblast. In 2021, Chetverta Vlada reported that Androshchuk had caused a traffic accident while intoxicated.
In 2017, Andriy Androshchuk resigned from the position of the Rivne Oblast Administration chair's advisor following a demand by the journalist community. Screenshot from Chetverta Vlada by the IMI
The IMI representative points out that Rivnenski Novyny was on this year's list of the most popular online news media in Rivne, in particular, due to actively sharing content in the large Ridne Rivne community on Viber.
Articles about Chetverta Vlada were shared both on the Rivnenski Novyny website and in his Viber community Ridne Rivne. Screenshot by the IMI
The Rivne News website contains no information about its employees and editors. However, Andriy Androshchuk claimed to be the Rivnenski Novyny chief editor as recently as 2019.
The IMI representative asked Andriy Androshchuk for a comment on the articles about the Torbichs. Hanna Kalaur called his personal number listed in the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs as the individual entrepreneur number of Andriy Androshchuk. However, when the IMI representative asked if she was talking to Andriy Vasylyovych, the Rivnenski Novyny editor, he replied: "No, this is Stepan Ivanovich, you are mistaken."
Hanna Kalaur found out that users in several phone number identifying apps have the number she used to contact Andriy Androshchuk listed as “Andriy Androshchuk,” “Rivne News,” “Ridne Rivne,” etc.
In addition, the IMI representative addressed Androshchuk in writing, texting him on Telegram to ask about the purpose of posting such content about the Torbichs. He read the message, but did not respond. The IMI is ready to report on his position when he replies.
Andriy Androshchuk did not reply to the questions about the negative campaigning on the Rivnenski Novyny website. Screenshot of the IMI representative's Telegram chat with Andriy Androshchuk
Chetverta Vlada's position
As reported earlier, there were two instances of negative campaigning targeting Chetverta Vlada on three different websites in November. The team believes the previous materials had to do with the release of an article criticizing the Rivne City Council chief of communications, Yana Yevtushok. According to the investigators, members of the party/NGO Rivne Razom, founded by the current acting mayor of Rivne, Victor Shakyrzyan, are involved in the negative campaigning. The team also suggests that Viktor Shakyrzyan’s business partner and the godfather of his child, Roman Kurys, is involved in both the previous and later cases of mudslinging targeting the media outlet.
Screenshot of a smear article targeting the journalists on the website News 24 by the IMI
In his comment to the IMI representative, Chetverta Vlada chief editor Volodymyr Torbich said that the team was collecting all the information about the organized mudslinging campaign and about the people involved in it.
“I see this campaign as persecution of an independent media outlet that consistently exposes the abuses by the group of officials and businessmen that currently holds power in the Rivne community. We are consulting with lawyers regarding a proper legal response. The mudslingers are not accountable for their words, so they spread false and manipulative information on various anonymous websites and Telegram channels, dumpster media. And now they have also resorted to bribing elderly people who hid their faces behind posters that they were given to hold near the courthouse,” Torbich said.
According to Volodymyr, the organizers of the negative campaigning purposefully interfere in the private lives of the team and harass Volodymyr and Antonina's children.
“The real estate developer Roman Kurys has already repeatedly lied about my sons in conversations with our journalists, calling my son gay among other things. Then these rumors spread on social media with links to the smear content about the team. This slander and mudslinging also reaches my sick mother when her friends show it to her. It reminded me of the Poroshenko era harrassment targeting the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, Vitaliy Shabunin. He was targeted with smear content and his relatives were pressured. Well, we see where those who did this or allowed it to happen are now, and that Shabunin continues to expose corrupt officials today. This is the diagnosis for this group of officials and businessmen, and the same fate will befall them. For now, we keep working and exposing this gang," Volodymyr Torbich commented.
The IMI asked Roman Kurys to comment on the situation, as the team associates the negative campaigning with his influence.
“If there is a situation, there are law enforcement agencies. Please, let these people contact them. They will probably figure it out. I have nothing to do with this situation,” Roman Kurys replied when asked whether he had anything to do with the smear content about the editors’ family.
Following the previous cases of mudslinging targeting Chetverta Vlada, the IMI contacted the NGO Rivne Razom and Rivne City Council chief of communications, Yana Yevtushok. However, both refused to comment.
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