Zelensky increases censorship on news, media in 'democratic' Ukraine

[Right_in_Virginia]

Zelensky increases censorship on news, media in 'democratic' Ukraine
The Post Millennial, Dec 31, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill on Thursday that broadened his government's control over the media, expanding state-sponsored regulation over news disseminated in print and online.

The New York Times reports, "Mr. Zelensky, whose administration has been accused of undermining press freedom in recent years, ordered the drafting of a law increasing media regulation in 2019," three years before Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.

The 279-page bill gives the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting, Ukraine's state-sponsored censorship organization whose members are appointed by the president and Parliament of Ukraine, increased power to regulate news media both online and in print.

During a joint press conference with Zelensky and Joe Biden on December 21, Biden said the US would support Ukraine for "as long as it takes," because "we understand in our bones that Ukraine's fight is part of something much bigger. The American people know that if we stand by in the face of such blatant attacks on liberty and democracy, and the core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the world would surely face worse consequences."

The censorship law went through various drafts since its 2019 introduction, and previous versions "gave the regulator the power to fine news media outlets, revoke their licenses, temporarily block certain online outlets without a court order and request that social media platforms and search giants like Google remove content that violates the law."

In November, Ukraine's Parliament passed the legislation with a number of additional bills. Many of those pieces of legislation were introduced and passed as a measure to bring Ukraine closer to standards set for admission into the European Union. The Times reports that journalists in Ukraine and international groups advocating for freedom of the press said the policies, "went far beyond what the European Union requires" and they're "accusing the government of using the membership obligations as a pretext to seize greater control of the press."

The deputy chair of the Parliament's information policy committee, Yevheniia Kravchuk, said, "Of course, this bill is even broader than the EU directive, because we needed to change and modernize our media legislation, which has not been changed for 16 years.


More:  https://thepostmillennial.com/zelensky-increases-censorship-on-news-media-in-democratic-ukraine?utm_campaign=64483

[Right_in_Virginia]

FREEDOM!! 

[Kamaji]

Geez, you’d think Ukraine was facing an existential crisis, or something!  Oh, wait… it is.

[Hoodat]

The New York Times reports, "Mr. Zelensky, whose administration has been accused of undermining press freedom in recent years, ordered the drafting of a law increasing media regulation in 2019," three years before Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.

I remember getting eviscerated on the Ukraine thread by the anti-Ukraine faction for posting a story that cited NY Times sources.  The hypocrisy never ends.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Geez, you’d think Ukraine was facing an existential crisis, or something!  Oh, wait… it is.

What was the existential crisis in 2019 ..... when the bill was drafted?

[Right_in_Virginia]

I remember getting eviscerated on the Ukraine thread by the anti-Ukraine faction for posting a story that cited NY Times sources

What did the NYT get wrong regarding this report?

[Hoodat]

What did the NYT get wrong regarding this report?

LOL, that is the exact same question I asked.  But that didn't stop you from continuing to condemn it outright because it cited a NY Times investigative reporter.  Like I said, the hypocrisy never ends.

[Hoodat]

btw, I don't have a problem with the NY Times' reporting here.  But I do have a problem with this statement from the Post Millenial:

The US has given approximately $92 billion in aid to Ukraine and Biden has pledged another $45 billion, which Zelensky has said is "not enough."

While it may be true that the US has given out $92 billion, only a small fraction of that made it to Ukraine.

As for the gist of the article, I find it rather silly to see someone rail about freedom of the press in one war-torn country while completely ignoring the lack of press, speech, assembly, and petition freedoms within the borders of the invader and initiator of the conflict.

Like I said, the hypocrisy never ends.

[Timber Rattler]

Countries at war traditionally do that...especially those in Ukraine's unique situation.

The War: Communication: News & Censorship

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-war/communication-news-censorship

And here's why it's necessary...

Congressman Andrew May Caused the Death of 800 Submarine Crewmen During WWII

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/congressman-andrew-may-caused-the-death-of-800-submarine-crewmen-during-wwii.html?chrome=1

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Yeah we did similar although (nowhere as extreme) things in ww1 and ww2, and the civil war. We also interned people based on their ethnicity during ww2. Doesn’t make it right.

Liberty is usually the first casualty in war.

Yeah not a fan.

[Smokin Joe]

After watching Geraldo Rivera draw out a sketch map in the dirt on the air live of what the marines he was embedded with (while in contact) were going to do to flank the enemy position in Iraq, I can see why some censorship may well be necessary.
Reporters are natural born tattle tails, and have absolutely no judgement of when it would be most prudent to not advertise some facts.

Not long after that incident, Geraldo was no longer embedded (and a host of others), and reporters got to question Schwartzkopf at the daily press releases.