Mykola Tomenko appeals to the television with a request to take off "black glasses" from its information programs.
A round-table discussion under the chairmanship of Mykola Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, was held at the Parliament. Leaders of national television channels, representatives of the profile parliamentary Committee, the National Council of Ukraine for Television and Radio Broadcasting, public institutes that deal with mass media issues took part in the discussion. The participants discussed formation of positive information content in the television broadcasting dimension of Ukraine.
The participants drew attention to substantial prevalence of negative content in the information programs, and search of mechanisms for balancing positive and negative information with obligatory adherence to the principles of freedom of speech and mass media independence.
Mykola Tomenko suggested several methods to settle the issue in question. The first option is a tough and unambiguous response of all public authority bodies that should secure implementation of legislation in the said sector and further legal regulation with introduction of more serious responsibility for violation of legislation, including restriction of advertisement on television.
The second option is social and professional persuasion, i.e. informal "compulsion" of the owners and managers of television channels to respect the society.