On September 26, 2024, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics received a complaint from Valeriia Sarancha against a material by the online media TSN written by journalist Vira Khmelnytska “5 Characteristics of a ‘Cheap’ Woman: This Behavior Puts Off Men,” published on September 25, 2024, at https://tsn.ua/other/yaki-5-oznak-deshevoyi-zhinki-taka-povedinka-vidshtovhuye-cholovikiv-2667039.html.
The complainant said that the material published on the outlet’s website Tsn.ua may be offensive to women, and that this article is misogynistic and reinforces stereotypes and contempt.
In order to ensure balanced consideration, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics as a self-regulation agency for journalists and newsrooms, approached the newsroom on October 24, 2024, with a request to provide its own reasoning regarding whether the publication met the requirements of clause 9 (“Facts, judgments and assumptions must be clearly separated from one another”) and 15 (“Nobody can be discriminated on the grounds of their gender”) of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist, and regarding the argumentation provided in the complaint.
On the same day, the publication was removed by TSN and is no longer available online.
The Commission on Journalistic Ethics welcomes the removal of sexist content by TSN, as it may protect the audience from harmful stereotypes and discriminatory statements. This demonstrates that the media outlet is prepared to respond to remarks about their ethics and to revise their mistakes.
However, the Commission has to point out that removal of the material without an explanation can mislead the audience regarding why it was removed, which may in turn create a sense of distrust. Without a public dialogue, what is lost is an opportunity to teach the audience to identify problematic content and to help it understand the harm of sexism. It is important that the media should not only respond to criticism but also inform their audience about the reasons for their decisions, which promotes greater awareness and media literacy.
Numerous Western media maintain a policy that requires them to ensure transparency of the decision-making process rather than simply remove controversial content. If a certain publication was removed due to a violation of ethics standards, including sexism, racism, or disinformation, the media usually publish statements or clarifications for the audience. These explanations clarify what exactly went wrong and why the decision on removal was made, thus contributing to media literacy and rebuilding trust.
In addition, some prefer amending problematic content rather than removing it altogether. This may involve marking an article as “corrected,” adding a note by the editor, or explaining the changes made to the publication. Thus, the audience still has access to the updated version, and the media outlet demonstrates its accountability to readers.
The Commission on Journalistic Ethics points out that the material “5 Characteristics of a ‘Cheap’ Woman: This Behavior Puts Off Men,” published by TSN, contains misogyny and sexism, which is prohibited by the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist, particularly article 15, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex and the use of degrading or offensive statements about women.
The material is rooted in the idea that a woman’s main goal is to be attractive for men. It reduces a woman to an object that has to meet certain expectations, rather than an individual with her own rights and needs. This violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
In addition, the author of the material humiliates women, defining them through stereotypical categories and negative generalizations. Using the term “cheap” to refer to women is an insult to their dignity and reduces them to behavioral characteristics which the author believes make them ineligible for men’s attention or respect.
The material claims that certain characteristics (such as an obsession with brands, publication of revealing pictures, a limited worldview) automatically make a woman “cheap” and “off-putting for men.” This claim devalues women’s individual choices and presumes they have to meet standards that men deem acceptable. This approach is sexist, as it reduces women’s value to men’s approval.
In the text of the material, the author does not separate facts from her subjective judgments. For example, in statements like “A woman with an unstable self-esteem will spend her entire income on expensive items,” the author presents her personal generalized opinions as facts. This is not supported by any scientific research or evidence. This indicates a violation of clause 9 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist, “Facts, judgments and assumptions must be clearly separated from one another.”
The publication also contains a number of assumptions about women’s intentions and behavior, but they are not clearly indicated as such. For example, “Using expensive stuff, such people try to boost their self-importance” is an assumption about people’s inner motives, which does not have any rationale or confirmation behind it but is written as a fact. “A smart man will avoid such a woman” is also an assumption about men’s reactions that is not based on any facts.
The Commission calls on the media to be more careful in choosing the topics of their materials, to avoid gender stereotypes and discrimination, to use scientifically based sources in matters of psychology and behavior, and to separate opinions from facts clearly and correctly.
A helpful tool to achieve this may be introducing the Gender Equality Policy in Media Content proposed by the Commission on Journalistic Ethics together with Women in Media NGO. This policy can be adopted by any media regardless of the type as a separate document or as part of existing policies.