In June, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics received a complaint from TOV Ukrprotez regarding the material of Nashi Hroshi online outlet created by journalist Anna Soroka “Company of Yermak’s Ex-Adviser’s Wife Increased the USD Price of Turkish Cabinets for a Children’s Hospital by a Quarter,” which was published on May 21, 2024, and is available at https://nashigroshi.org/2024/05/21/firma-druzhyny-eks-radnyka-yermaka-na-chvert-pidniala-dolarovu-tsinu-turets-kykh-tumbochek-dlia-dytiachoi-likarni.
The company’s representatives complained that the material did not contain the company’s position on the pricing of the goods in question. This resulted in incomplete and distorted information about the applicant, which could lead to negative reputational consequences. TOV Ukrprotez primarily demanded to exercise their right to a response, which Nashi Hroshi did not grant the company following its letters.
As part of considering the complaint, the Commission contacted the media outlet and proposed that it could provide a platform for the complainant’s position in order to resolve the conflict. After several rounds of communication with Nashi Hroshi, the media representatives published the position of TOV Ukrprotez in their material, properly indicating it at the beginning of the material and in the updated title.
Representative of TOV Ukrprotez Andrii Potselov thanked the Commission for its mediation efforts: “Its results in the form of Nashi Hroshi publishing the position of TOV Ukrprotez allows for a more comprehensive and objective coverage of the issue described in the article.”
The Commission’s mission is primarily to upgrade the quality of content in the media by improving communication between complainants, people featured in the materials, and newsrooms, especially in cases where proper discussion was not carried out at the stage of preparation of materials. Mediation is often an additional effective tool for establishing journalistic standards alongside decisions of the Commission as a self-regulatory body that considers complaints from the audience.