On the eve of Alaska, the US State Department recalled three opposition channels that were taken off the air

On the eve of the talks in Alaska, the US State Department released a report on human rights compliance for 2024, in particular in Ukraine.

In the section on media freedom, the State Department noted that after the full-scale invasion began, Ukrainian authorities restricted media freedom, in particular by cutting off the Pryamoy, 5 Kanal, and Espresso TV channels from broadcasting and introducing the United News telethon.

“Media broadcasting has consolidated around government programming since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war. In 2022, six television stations (1+1, Ukraine 24, Inter, ICTV, public broadcaster Suspilne, and state TV channel Rada) began producing 24-hour coverage in Ukrainian, called a “telethon.” Each of the TV companies producing content had several hours a day to fill.

“Media observers expressed concern that a single television broadcast could lead to greater government influence over language content. They said there was a mutual agreement among participating media groups to coordinate which politicians appeared on air and to tone down some of the more critical commentators. Opposition-affiliated media outlets, including Channel 5, Pryamoy, and Espresso, did not participate in the single broadcast. State Department

The document also recalled the facts of pressure on investigative journalists, including the editorial board of Bigus.Info, journalists Yuri Nikolov and Mikhail Tkach.

“In October, the European Commission expressed concern about the monopolisation of television by governments, calling for the restoration of a ‘pluralistic media landscape’,” the report notes.