The Commission on Journalism Ethics expresses its concern about the subject of the discussion on the possibility of dissolving the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech. Taking into account the published information that the information about the liquidation of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech is not true, the Commission on Journalism Ethics welcomes this and would like to take this moment to draw attention to the need to strengthen the Committee by increasing the number of its members and restoring its previously lost powers.
The day before, the media reported that such an initiative was being discussed, which was confirmed by the Committee’s chairman, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn. The Public Council of the Committee on Freedom of Speech opposed the dissolution. Later, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, denied the information about the liquidation of the Committee. Yaroslav Yuryshyn, the Committee’s chairman, assured that the Committee would continue to defend the rights of journalists.
In the time of full-scale Russian aggression (which, in particular, includes a significant information component), Ukrainian media face huge threats and challenges, including freedom of speech, which is one of the fundamental democratic freedoms. A fully-fledged specialised committee in the Verkhovna Rada is an important platform for the media community to protect its rights, promote important initiatives, resolve conflicts and build a healthy dialogue with the state. The existence of such a platform is especially important in the context of wartime prohibitions and restrictions, when media professionals have few other ways to publicly defend their rights.
In turn, the parliament of a country that is moving towards EU membership should pay due attention to the protection of freedom of speech and the media environment. It is unacceptable to relegate the problems of freedom of speech and the situation of the media to the rank of secondary issues on the agenda of other specialised committees.
Therefore, the Commission on Journalism Ethics calls on the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to strengthen the Committee on Freedom of Speech.
In addition to preserving the committee, steps are needed to strengthen its subjectivity and allow it to perform its functions more effectively. We call on the Verkhovna Rada to:
- Increase the number of members of the Committee on Freedom of Speech to seven, including by ensuring greater representation of the democratic opposition in line with Ukrainian (and other) parliamentary traditions.
- Restore to the Committee on Freedom of Speech the powers lost during the reformatting of the Verkhovna Rada committees. It is important that the committee retains the function of effective control over information policy and information security, as rules and restrictions in this area directly affect freedom of speech and media work.
- To schedule and hold parliamentary hearings on the state of freedom of speech and its restrictions in times of war, as well as the threats of hostile information influences and ways to neutralise them.
The work of the United News TV marathon deserves special attention, which, according to many experts, should at least be modernised.
- Establish a temporary investigative commission to investigate high-profile violations of media and journalists’ rights, whose report should be presented at parliamentary hearings.
- Ensure that the renewed Committee on Freedom of Speech is involved in discussions and solutions to key problems of the Ukrainian media environment and information sphere together with the executive authorities, regulatory bodies, civil society and the media community.
Preserving and strengthening independent control and representation of the media environment in the legislature will send a positive signal to Ukrainian society and the international community that Ukraine is committed to democratic values, including freedom of speech.
This material was prepared by the Commission on Journalistic Ethics with the support of the European Federation of Journalists within the framework of the “Media in Emergency Situations” project.
The project is funded by the European Union. Any views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.