Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has warned that there may be attempts to use regional television and radio companies to create advantages for the government in the election campaign.
Iryna Vannykova, the press secretary of the Ukrainian president said this at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
“The Ukrainian president is anxious about the attempts to artificially centralize frequency resources and the broadcasting times of regional state television and radio companies, as this could lead to the monopolization of the information space and the creation of a subject of campaigning that is not foreseen by the law,” the press secretary said.
Vannykova said that regional state television and radio companies are being forced to broadcast programs that were prepared by a previously unknown company that is linked to the government leadership and the BYT.
According to Vannykova, the president calls on political forces and journalists in particular to protect the rights of citizens more actively “as [the public’s] silence and indifference are necessary conditions for the establishment of a dictatorship.”
