02 December 2009, 16:25
during the Elections but not the Party Meeting
Opening the Parliamentary Hearings "On Freedom of Speech in the Regional Mass Media", Mykola Tomenko, the Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that the problems regarding the mass media development had always been under the constant supervision of the legislative body.
In his speech Mykola Tomenko reminded that the topic for the present discussion was regional mass media.
Mykola Tomenko informed that during the discussion of the state communal mass media one should not forget about commercial ones that also are obliged to observe the national laws, standards of the professional journalistic and ethics.
Speaking on the work of the mass media during the present presidential elections, the Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared that "game rules are not being changed actually" and that means that the old revision of the law is efficient.
At the same time, M. Tomenko informed that a lot of work is done to provide the mass media work without obstacles during the pre-election period 2009."
Speaking about principal problems of mass media qualitative work, Mykola Tomenko stressed its invariability. "First of all, it is illegal interference with the edition policy by the mass media founders, and it is first of all peculiar for the regional newspapers. The second problem is the making mass media not that dependent on the state as their budget financing leads to the ruin of competent environment. One more problem is essential problem is provision of the safe life conditions for the journalists as numerous attacks on them remains upset practice."
Concluding his report, the Vice-Chairman emphasized that the parliamentary hearings should be Mean of Mass Media Protection during the Elections but not the Party Meeting.