28 of December 2015, the composition of the Independent Media Council was formed and consists of 14 representatives of the media community and specialists of civil organizations that have profound experience and reputation in the media sector.
5 organizations have delegated the representatives to the Independent Media Council. These organizations have signed the Memorandum on 15 December 2015 declaring the formation of this body. The founding fathers of the Council are Media Law Institute, Institute of Mass Information, Ukraine| Internews, and NGO “Telekritika” and Foundation “Souspilnist”.
The Independent Media Council shall work as a permanent monitoring and advisory body, its mission being to secure that Ukrainian journalists abide by high ethical and professional standards. As the founding organisations expect, the Council shall settle disputes related to mass media, and shall consider non-compliance with the media law, international standards of media coverage and violations of the journalist ethics. In addition to rendering expert opinions to resolve disputable cases, the Independent Media Council intends to provide its recommendations to the public bodies and other stakeholders in order to improve their regulatory approaches in the area of media policy.
“The need for an independent and authoritative arbitrator is usually mentioned in media sector directly when a conflicting situation appears. Therefore, we have decided to initiate the creation of such an institution and addressed the colleagues with a proposition to unite the efforts and make it maximumly independent. The Independent Council of Experts responsible for mass media activity during elections was used as the prototype that worked extremely effective during the parliamentary election in 2006 and 2007 years in Ukraine,” – commented on the formation of the Council the director of Media Law Institute Taras Shevchenko.
The work of the Council will be based on complaints but also its own initiative, considering the value of a solution to the society. All decisions of the Council will be published on the website of the founding organizations, in media and on the website of the institution itself. The framework of common conclusions regarding the most typical violations and abuses made in the course of information activities will be formed.
“The core of the Independent Media Council is a constant self-regulated monitoring of situations in media space and operational regulation of all conflicting situations, violations of journalistic standards, ethics, cases of censorship from the side of owners or politicians. We do not have to wait until someone will take initiative and appeal to us with a complaint. We have to demonstrate an active stimulation of the media sector, their owners, top managers and journalists to understand their own obligations to the society,” – says the director of “Telekritika” Natalia Lygachova.
The Independent Media Council will consist of 15 members (currently there are 14). Each of the five organizations that signed the Memorandum on the formation of the institution, delegates three representatives, one of whom is not a member of their organization that delegates him/her. In doing so, the Independent Media Council is constituted of reputable media leaders from ten organizations who have solid experience in the media sector.
The Independent Media Council consists of:
- Alasania Zubari – National Television Company of Ukraine;
- Burmagin Oleksandr – the Regional Press Development Institute, Ukraine;
- Holovenko Roman – Institute of Mass Information;
- Holub Olena – Institute of Mass Media;
- Humeniuk Natalia – Hromadske TV;
- Dovzhenko Otar – School of Journalisms UKU;
- Dutsyk Diana – NGO “Telekritika”;
- Kvurt Konstiantyn – Ukraine| Internews;
- Lugachova Natalia – NGO “Telekritika”;
- Mosiev Pavlo – Ukraine| Internews;
- Pertiv Taras – Foundation “Souspilnist”;
- Rozkladay Igor – Media Law Institute;
- Cherevko Antonina – an Independent expert in media development;
- Shevchenko Taras – Media Law Institute
- To be determined