Background
The Commission on Journalistic Ethics received a complaint from Olena Harahuts regarding publications by Nashe Misto and Dnepr Vecherniy published under identical headings “Pseudo-Activist Who Accused Filatov of Buying a Porsche Gets Scared of Court and Removes Publication” (both materials published on June 2, 2023).
The complainant believes that the publications covered the situation using “hate speech” and bullying the activist. In particular, the complainant considers the following quotes to be relevant in this regard:
- “about the false publication of a well-known ‘activist,’”
- “Denys Selin’s ‘fantasies’ have already been shared on social media by his ‘peers,’”
- “dirty chitchat,”
- “his delusions of a madman,”
- “let down not only himself, but a whole bunch of those whom Borys Filatov aptly calls ‘city idlers,’”
- “his sycophants,”
- “so that various ‘activists’ would think with their heads, not their pockets, before writing something.”
The Commission on Journalistic Ethics approached Nashe Misto and Dnepr Vecherniy asking for commentary. At the time of this publication, no response has been received from the outlets.
Relevant ethical standards and compliance
The disputed material is published under identical headings in Nashe Misto (author Valeriia Dobrota) and Dnepr Vecherniy. The publication in the second outlet is republished from Nashe Misto. The texts of both materials are identical and published in the same vertical, News of Dnipro.
The publication refers to the scandal connected with accusations against Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov, published on Facebook by activist Denys Selin. After the mayor responded, the activist removed his publication due to “mistakes and inaccuracies, as well as a subjective understanding of a certain information source.”
The material is posted in the news section, and the Commission on Journalistic Ethics considered its compliance with ethical norms the observance of which is mandatory for informational materials.
The author of the material Valeriia Dobrota uses emotionally charged vocabulary, gives a direct assessment of Denys Selin’s actions, calling him a “pseudo-activist,” his accusations “fantasies,” “baseless accusations,” and “delusions of a madman,” and his colleagues “a whole bunch of those whom Borys Filatov aptly calls ‘city idlers.”
Since facts and judgments in the material are not separated, this indicates that it violates clause 9 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist: “Facts, judgments and assumptions must be clearly separated from one another. The dissemination of information containing bias or unfounded accusations is unacceptable.”
The material is illustrated with screenshots of publications by the social activist and the mayor, including a screenshot of a now-removed publication about the mayor buying an expensive vehicle. The mayor’s post contains direct insults aimed at the activist and Filatov’s other critics:
“Just a bunch of urban madmen, worthless, insecure, failed individuals living off life and emptiness are freaking out on social media.”
“I rarely go down to the level of city sh*t-eaters.”
“One awl-shaved city scum shared ‘breaking news’ with the world.”
“After that, the city scum who constantly sh*t on me and the city hall will just look stupid.”
The mayor’s statements are not only insulting, they also neglect the role of civil society and leave no room for constructive discussions. Both publications, Nashe Misto and Dnepr Vecherniy, quote the mayor’s statements with obscenities, though there are only two facts that are of public importance: that Filatov denied having bought the car and promised to sue the activist.
Spreading insults against a group of people holding specific views violates clause 15 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist, “No one shall be discriminated against on the grounds of sex, language, race, religion, national, regional or social origin or political opinion. Relevant features of a person (group of people) should be indicated only in cases where this information is an essential part of the material. It is necessary to refrain from hints or comments concerning physical defects or diseases of the person, to avoid use of offensive expressions, profanity.”
The material refers to the activist removing the publication with accusations and apologizing, so the need to share the mayor’s publication with insults and curses against the opponent is questionable. Although Denys Selin’s perspective is formally represented by a screenshot from his Facebook post, the material does not look balanced. The journalist clearly takes the mayor’s side and attacks the activist.
The material thus violates clause 2 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist: “Serving the interests of the authorities or the founders rather than society is a violation of journalistic ethics.”
Findings and recommendations
Having considered the complaint against the material “Pseudo-Activist Who Accused Filatov of Buying a Porsche Gets Scared of Court and Removes Publication” in Nashe Misto and Dnepr Vecherniy media outlets, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics established violations of clauses 2, 9 and 15 of the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist and thus publicly denounces Nashe Misto and journalist Valeriia Dobrota, as well as Dnepr Vecherniy.
When covering contentious subjects, the Commission recommends that journalists and newsrooms:
- Be impartial. Avoid favoring one hypothesis or reasoning in favor of one version.
- Keep in mind that public figures, such as politicians and public officials, face broader criticism than private individuals.
- Present the point of view of the criticized individuals in the material. Do not share insults targeting a specific individual or a group of people — it is, however, admissible to say that one of the opponents resorted to cursing.
- Provide the context to describe the conflict, rather than just directly quote the opponents. Exchanging accusations is not about balance.