Considering the public resonance caused by the unethical statements of professor Mykyta Vasylenko regarding the probable attitude of certain Ukrainian women to foreign military servants of the hypothetical peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, the Commission on Journalistic Ethics considers it necessary to state the following:
- The education of future journalists and their training on professional standards should be entrusted to people who, even if they are not active authors or journalists in the media, adhere to the Ethics Code of the Ukrainian Journalist. They must instill an understanding of the importance of ethical journalism in future colleagues, as it is a uniting factor in a society threatened by an enemy aggression.
- Ethical journalism requires that any assumptions made be informed and prohibits the use of stereotypes or stigmatization of certain groups of people on the basis of gender, age, race, skin color, political, religious, or other beliefs, disability status, ethnic and social origin, family and financial status, or other characteristics, whether real or perceived.
- By assuming that Ukrainian women, particularly those “whose husbands died at war or became disabled,” will be involved in resolving the demographic problems, professor Mykyta Vasylenko tied this assumption to the alleged better financial status of foreign peacekeepers and their physical attractiveness due to “quality European food.” Thus, he reduced the actions of these women to base instincts and the pursuit of material gain, disregarding their dignity and humanity.
- The Commission on Journalistic Ethics emphasizes that, while teaching future journalists, it is essential to emphasize the meaning of diversity in our society. This includes recognizing the diversity of people’s motives and actions in response to particular circumstances and explaining the importance of making only reasonable assumptions regarding existing or potential actions. A departure from this approach is detrimental to the establishment and development of professional standards of journalism.
- The Commission on Journalistic Ethics considers it a positive signal that the issue of professor Mykyta Vasylenko’s fitness for the position of a professor has been raised by the student community. This indicates that most professors do make an effort to teach future journalists about the principles of ethical journalism.
- The Commission on Journalistic Ethics supports the decision by the management of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University to terminate their contract with professor Mykyta Vasylenko due to his unethical statements, which reflect and disseminate stereotypical ideas about women in Ukrainian society.
- The Commission highly values its cooperation with higher educational establishments that train future journalists in Ukraine and is ready to continue supporting them. We are open to sharing experiences and jointly resolving controversial issues that may arise both in the process of training and during journalists’ professional activities.
At the same time, the Commission emphasizes the important role of the media in its work with experts and in sharing their thoughts and narratives. Therefore, the Commission recommends that the media use the following recommendations while covering sensitive issues:
- While planning topics to be covered, prevent any possibility of offensive statements by experts, particularly live on air;
- Refrain from tolerating an expert’s offensive language, instead highlighting that he/she has violated the principles of tolerance and should stop speaking in an offensive manner;
- If the expert did express their offensive opinion, share your own explanation, indicating that the media outlet does not share the expert’s thoughts, and apologize to the audience for the statement made on your platform. Clearly separate the editorial position from the expert’s.
- Approve/Revise the Editorial Code of the newsroom so that it would focus the team’s work in a way that would render it impossible or at least very difficult for experts or show participants to express offensive statements on air.
This statement was developed within the project by the Commission on Journalistic Ethics with the support of UNESCO and the people of Japan. The authors bear the sole responsibility for the selection and presentation of facts contained herein and for the opinions expressed herein, which do not necessarily belong to UNESCO and do not impose any obligations on the Organization.