An information vacuum in Ukraine
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on Thursday 28th August that attacks on journalists have led to a distinct lack of information in eastern Ukraine. According to Aleksi Matsuka, chief editor of Novosti Donbassa “There are no [independent] Ukrainian journalists left in Donetsk.”
Pro-Russia separatists have allegedly targeted and threatened regional reporters and kidnapping them. Matsuka has even experienced this first hand with his car being torched and receiving numerous death threats.
Ukrainian television and radio in Donetsk has now been replaced by Russian broadcasts that now deny accusations of spreading propaganda and comparing the current government as Nazis. Just a few days ago captured Ukrainian soldiers were paraded in the streets of Donetsk with the streets cleaned afterwards – in similar fashion to captured German soldiers paraded in Moscow after WWII.
These attacks have not been done at random. One of the first steps, according to Matsuka, was to “wipe clean the media.”
Separatists see Ukrainian reporters as a threat and do not give them accreditation required from their own recently created ministries. Foreign correspondents have it easier, however they are still watched closely. The Ukrainian authorities have in turn detained journalists, increasing the difficulties of finding accurate information.
Ukrainian authorities have also struggled to deal with these abductions, and “appear not to have a strategy” to deal with such cases. Furthering the information war, Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky has launched Ukraine Today in a clear attempt to counter the influence of Russia Today in the region.
This channel has a clear Ukrainian editorial slant so it remains to be seen what effect this will have – give clearer information or further the use of propaganda. The Institute of Mass Information and Telekritika are both attempting to monitor the issue of partiality; a problem set only to grow as the situation worsens.
The ultimate victim of these actions, as stated by the CPJ, is the public. News vital for those in the conflict zone may not reach those who need it. This includes agreements on humanitarian corridors for refugees or even knowledge on what is happening in the wider context. Similarly persons outside the conflict zone will continually be receiving mixed information and misinformation from both sides with little chance of knowing what is truly going on and limiting their understanding. This is vital for proper international reactions.
As the future of Ukraine continues to look uncertain we can only guess as to how this will affect the situation on the ground. What is certain is that the problem of misinformation, not limited to Ukraine, is one that requires solving.
Washington Post http://wapo.st/1B11zPM
RFERL http://bit.ly/1pxYRxI
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