United News telethon.Photo: ichnya.crl.net.ua
For the first time, the European Commission (EC) has publicly expressed its criticism of the national telethon “United News”. In particular, the document emphasises the need to restore a pluralistic media landscape in Ukraine. According to TimeUkraineiIsrael , citing zn.ua, European experts expressed concern about the objectivity of the telethon format and its funding from the state budget.
“In 2023, the Ukrainian government invested public funds in a TV marathon project. It is worth reassessing whether this is the best platform for free discussion,” the report says. Criticism also applies to the activities of the Rada TV channel, which, according to EU representatives, is supposed to provide coverage of the work of the parliament, including the activities of opposition factions. It is noted that the channel receives negative feedback due to the low level of opposition representation, as well as the fact that broadcasts of Verkhovna Rada sessions have not been resumed since 2022.
The document containing these remarks is part of the annual report on all EU candidate states, which analyses compliance with the EU’s fundamental values, including respect for freedom of expression. The European Commission calls on Kyiv to “gradually restore a transparent, pluralistic and independent media environment”, stressing that the lifting of restrictions should not be contingent on the end of martial law.
In response to Western partners’ concerns about possible restrictions on freedom of speech at the telethon, Ukraine’s Minister of Culture Mykola Tochytskyi assured that the programme would run until the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war and said he did not know what kind of censorship was involved.
Earlier this year, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak of the Voice faction said that the state budget had allocated UAH 1.5 billion to support the telethon and almost UAH 80 million for the Rada TV channel.
The EU’s criticism underscores the importance of restoring pluralism in the Ukrainian media, which is an important step towards European integration and adherence to fundamental democratic principles.
