Channels are free to show what they want – Zelenskyy about Ukrainian joint 24/7 newscast

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, believes that the joint 24/7 newscast of Ukrainian television does not deprive TV channels of their freedom to show what they want and "provides the truth" among misinformation.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview for The New Yorker

Details: Zelenskyy was asked about a possible conflict between democratic values and the realia of wartime in connection with the fact that the newscast broadcasts the news "in a highly coordinated way".

Zelenskyy noted that "journalists came together because, in the early days of the war, when people feared a total occupation of the country, no one knew what to do" and there was chaos in the country.

Quote by Zelenskyy: "Journalists in Ukraine decided to join forces in order to combat Russian disinformation. I want to make it clear that simply because the news departments of these [six] TV channels have come together it does not mean the channels themselves are destroyed. They exist as they did before. They have kept their own places in the broadcast lineup. They are free to show what they want.

But this telemarathon has become a resource for people who, say, have no electricity or see drones flying overhead. There have been lots of periods when there were all kinds of misinformation going around, and the telemarathon provides the truth. And you’re saying this is a bad thing. O.K., if that’s the case, I’m not insisting."

Background: A survey, conducted by the Democratic Initiatives fund jointly with a sociological service of the Razumkov Centre on 8-15 August, more than a half of Ukrainians agree with the opinion that the national 24/7 newscast has lost its topicality.

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