Journalists seek freedom on the Net By

As foreign and domestic media observers continue to bemoan Ukraine’s miserable press-freedom record, a group of Ukrainian journalists has launched a new publication in a place they hope is beyond the reach of outside influence – the Internet. The new online publication, Ukrainska Pravda, or Ukrainian Truth, launched in mid-April, became the first to offer a haven to journalists dissatisfied with Ukrainian media’s dependence on state authorities or their owners. "This Web site is a new attempt to fight our way through the layers of dirt to the light. To follow your vocation, to write about what you see, hear, feel," read the introductory article on the publication’s Web site www.pravda.com.ua. "However ridiculous it may sound, in modern and ’democratic’ Ukraine it is next to impossible to do so." Ukrainska Pravda offers free daily news reports on economic and political developments in Ukraine as well as their analysis. The harsh criticism and irony of its articles differs from the mildly critical approach taken by most other print and electronic media when their reports concern the country’s leadership. "It’s a big problem that today there is practically no objective information available about Ukraine," said journalist Georgiy Gongadze, who launched Ukrainska Pravda. International media organizations have described government restrictions on freedom of the press in Ukraine as one of the world’s most severe. Their assessments became even harsher after the presidential elections last fall when many opposition media outlets complained of harassment by authorities and subsequently became supportive of the government. Gongadze said he was prompted to move to the Web after one of the few staunchly opposition-minded newspapers, Den, had abruptly changed its editorial line to mild criticism of the authorities following the presidential election. The change coincided with the appointment of Yevhen Marchuk, the then-opposition politician that Den newspaper heavily favored, to head the National Security Council. "It was the last straw. After it happened, there was no good newspaper left to read," Gongadze said. The overall lack of reports about Ukraine in the international media world was another reason for starting Ukrainska Pravda. "When I was in the United States [in the end of last year], it was impossible to find anything about Ukraine, especially on a day-to-day basis," Gongadze said. Although all major Ukrainian news agencies have their own Web sites, few stories can be read for free. The only free online publication about Ukraine, UA Today, is not updated regularly. Gongadze said he was surprised to find during his trip that U.S. government officials dealing with Ukraine knew more about what was going in the country than members of the Ukrainian diaspora, who have genuine, rather than occupational, interest in Ukraine. The authors of another new political Web site, part.org.ua, said they had similar motives for starting up. "There are lots of interesting topics that are not discussed anywhere," said part.org.ua editor Oleksandr Chaly. The site was designed to report and analyze political events in Ukraine, especially those regarding political parties. Part.org.ua, which offers free access to all its sections, is also developing a database that would include various politics-related information, Chaly said. While both Ukrainska Pravda and part.org.ua are oriented at politically active Internet users, Chaly’s site was designed mostly for professionals, namely political journalists, politicians and political scientists both in Ukraine and abroad. Gongadze said Ukrainska Pravda was intended for a general audience, especially for people in the provinces. "Even many of my colleagues who write here in Kyiv don’t know much about what’s really going on, and it’s a lot worse in the regions," Gongadze said. Both new Web sites are non-commercial and supported by sponsorship funds. Part.org.ua is financed by the Agency for Humanitarian Technologies, a think tank that earns its money through commercial and non-commercial research contracts. Gongadze said his project was financed by a group of individuals, who he described as "a group of people who are tired of what’s going on in the country and who have no relation to politics." Editors of both Web sites said that despite financial dependence on sponsors, they enjoyed complete freedom in pursuing their editorial policies. "As the editor, I’ve never received any instructions as to what I should or should not post on the site," Chaly said. "I enjoy full political freedom and I will be ready to publish any article that’s written in an interesting way unless it professes some extremist views."