The Commission on Journalistic Ethics received a complaint from the National Bank of Ukraine regarding a publication made by online media outlet Obozrevatel: NBU Procured a “Program for Business” from a Seller Involved in Bribing Banks: They are Paid Millions Every Year (published on September 1, 2023 by Oleksandr Lytvyn) and Scandalous Procurements by the National Bank: Prices Soared, and Money Went to those Suspected of Conspiracy and Bribery (published on September 6, 2023 by Oleksandr Lytvyn)
The complainant believes that those publications violate the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist. According to the complainant, neither the journalist nor the editorial office “contacted the Communications Department of the National Bank of Ukraine for confirmation, refutation, clarification, or comment on the specified information – neither before nor after the publication.”
“After the publication of the articles containing untrue information, the National Bank sent letters to the online media outlet Obozrevatel. In these letters, the Bank highlighted the inaccuracies and provided explanations regarding the facts mentioned in the publications. The online media did not react to this in any way,” the complaint states.
The Commission on Journalistic Ethics contacted the editors of Obozrevatel and asked them to comment on the content of the complaint.
The editors responded that they never received any letters from the NBU after the article “Scandalous Procurements by the National Bank…” was published. The information in the article was obtained from the Prozorro procurement website. Both the first and second materials given in the complaint are based on the analysis of open data. The editors assured that they are ready to add the NBU’s comments to the article if such comments are received by mail.
While examining the circumstances of the complaint, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics suggested that representatives from both the NBU and the Obozrevatel editorial office resolve the dispute through mediation.
During the meeting organized by the Commission on February 1, 2024, the parties discussed the content of the publications mentioned in the complaint, as well as other online articles mentioning the National Bank of Ukraine.
During the meeting, the parties agreed that:
1. Journalists have the right to address any topics of public importance, guided by editorial policy.
2. Journalists are free to choose their sources, using both official and personal sources of information to prepare their materials.
3. Journalists must verify the facts on which their materials are based. Authors can draw their own conclusions and make assumptions based on verified facts.
4. The editors of Obozrevatel will add the NBU’s position to any materials mentioning the bank or its management after receiving a written comment.
5. In materials based on the analysis of open data, it is important to provide context, such as whether the bank could refuse the agreement with the company. Bank representatives are ready to provide such comments, and the editors are ready to take them into account in the publication.
In the end, both parties agreed that the complaint was resolved through mediation. The parties reached a consensus on the discussed matters and thanked the Commission on Journalistic Ethics for holding the meeting.
“Complaint resolution through mediation is an important part of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics. The fact that the parties to the dispute showed interest in meeting on neutral ground demonstrates their trust in the self-regulatory body,” said Lina Kushch, a member of the CJE and the first secretary of the National Union of Journalists, who moderated the meeting. “Our goal is not to punish journalists but to help them adhere to ethical standards. On the other hand, dialogue between editors and consumers of information is necessary for the audience to better understand the work of journalists. In this case, the dialogue led to mutual understanding, resulting in the resolution of the complaint through mediation.”