New version of Media bill is being prepared in Ukraine. According to official release it is strived to streamline media-environment. The main innovation means that document touches online-media. According to the project, each distributor of text, audio video or photo information becomes subject of law.
Nevertheless journalists and critics consider that government tries to take media under control to have possibility to both influence and liquidate it .
Journalist Andrey Pavlovsky considers that National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting which is called to control media-environment, became a tool of pressing media done by authorities.
“National Council doesn’t have trust of ukrainian medias. Its influence is overstated and it is not always clear. Nowadays media try to urge government that such a law must be developed only in cooperation with media market. It is nonsense to do this with group of lawyers who do not have any media-experience but strive to set some limits”, - he says.
Ruslan Kotsaba, journalist and TV-host thinks that if the media-bill is adopted Ukraine would get total control of media released by authorities.
“It would be beginning of the end. It would be the end of speech freedom, criticism of authorities and free journalism. It is obvious that government strive to control not only traditional media but also online-medias and bloggers”, - he retells.
Journalist Dmytro Vasilets agrees with his colleague and accents that the bill was developed for getting mechanism to destroy unwanted medias.
“Such a law is a strengthening of powers of National Council or TV and Radio Broadcasting. It demonstrates with of authority to shut medias’ mouths. Especially it touches both online-media and bloggers. Everything is being done to get possibility to block domains depriving ukrainian users ability to consume content free”, - he says.
Media bill is still not considered by Verkhovna Rada. It may be adopted in November when local elections would pass.
