Famous journalist Vakhtang Kipiani and director of the International Institute of Democracies Serhiy Taran at the Uzhhorod Press Club announced their intention to help establish freedom of speech in Ukraine by participating in legislative activity: this year they are running for parliament on the lists of the "Pora-PRP" bloc. They propose improving the situation in media-government relations by reforming legislation, through the creation of editorial agreements, public broadcasting, and thanks to a journalistic lobby that should form in the future parliament.
In their conviction, a considerable number of journalists who are on the lists of various political blocs and parties will contribute to this. The "Pora" members expressed confidence that party affiliation will not hinder professional solidarity and together journalists will be able to do a lot of useful things.
"We are going under the slogan '7+3,'" noted Serhiy Taran, "revealing seven important problems and proposing three ways to solve them. First: in Ukraine there is no transparency of media owners; second: the government is not sufficiently transparent for the mass media. Only recently, for the first time in Ukraine's history, an official who failed to provide information to a journalist was punished. Third: none of the high-profile cases (Gongadze, Aleksandrov) has been solved and, although it was promised, public broadcasting has still not been created." Serhiy Taran named another problem as the situation with communal media, as well as the fact that the Ukrainian government still does not react to criticism voiced in the mass media, although freedom of speech seemingly exists and journalists can write whatever they want.
Serhiy Taran also commented on the situation with the protection of journalists' rights in Ukraine and noted that over the past year the number of lawsuits (by 5-6 times) and attacks (by half) against journalists has significantly decreased.