TVi and Channel 5 are two Ukrainian channels which recently had their broadcasting frequencies pulled. The journalists blame Valery Khoroskhovsky, the media magnate who owns Inter Media Group, the country’s largest television holding, and who doubles up as the head of Ukraine’s security service. Mr Khoroskhovsky, they say, exerted influence on the regulator that allocates frequencies, acting in a clear conflict of interest, an allegation Mr Khoroskhovsky strongly denies.
Ukrainian media was pluralistic even if it was not independent. Losing it would be a serious step back for democracy. The government’s assertion of control over television cannot be justified by the failures of journalists. But those failures make pressure easier to apply.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2010/06/ukrainian_television
American ambassador to Ukraine, John Tefft, has publicly criticised both the authorities for putting pressure on the media, and journalists for practising self-censorship:
http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/amb-iwp.html
