YouTube, Telegram channels will not be admitted to the VRU unless registered as media outlets, says Yurchyshyn

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn. Photo by Yaroslav Yurchyshyn on Facebook

YouTube and Telegram channels will not be allowed to attend Verkhovna Rada meetings unless registered as media outlets according to the Law "On Media", said Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, on Kyiv24, reports Detector Media.

"We have an agreement with media representatives that in wartime, priority will be given to those covering the work of the parliament, as they do in the European Parliament, the US Congress, etc. That is, it is important for us that access is given not just to anyone, but to someone who will be covering the parliament's work specifically," Yurchyshyn said.

Still, he added, the parliament is interested in ensuring that the news channels with the largest outreach and audience are represented in the lobby. According to Yurchyshyn, the access procedure itself is still being negotiated.

Previously

Journalists' access to the Verkhovna Rada building was closed following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On May 1, 2024, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus, Vyacheslav Shtuchny, said that the VRU plans to start admitting journalists into its lobby in the near future, but in small groups and in the same format as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first meeting between the media and the VRU Apparatus executives is scheduled for after Easter. The attending journalists will receive explanations regarding the updated safety regulations in the Verkhovna Rada building.

The Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk said that they "need to create a pool of journalists who set high reputation requirements for themselves."

In February 2024, human rights NGOs, media and journalists called on the Verkhovna Rada to allow journalists to attend meetings and be present in the parliament lobby.

The IMI has written about a dilemma related to admitting journalists to the Verkhovna Rada.