(NationalUSNews.com) — According to reporters associated with various journalistic organizations and publications like the New York Times, the Ukrainian government has limited free speech ever since the Ukraine-Russia war began.
Reporters also claim that Ukraine has used its spy agencies to monitor journalists and political opposition as an ongoing effort to influence how media outlets and officials portray the war to Ukrainian citizens and international audiences. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that Ukraine’s government hasn’t spied on journalists with his knowledge and publicly condemned the practice.
The most damning allegation from reporters relates to TV Marathon, a media organization established by Ukraine’s government following Russia’s initial invasion of the country. TV Marathon serves as a state-controlled media production organization under which all affiliated journalists in Ukraine produce content. TV Marathon only consolidated media organizations that provided positive coverage to Ukraine’s government and Zelensky and quickly prevented Zelenksy’s critics and opposition from publishing content for Ukrainian citizens.
TV Marathon now runs 24/7 in Ukraine, with most of its content providing a favorable view of Zelenskyy and how his administration has handled its ongoing war with Russia. The United States State Department has also cited TV Marathon as a state-operated media organization and admitted that Zelenskyy’s administration used the media organization to blacklist journalists and media outlets that didn’t provide favorable coverage to Ukraine’s current government. The State Department’s report indicates that Ukraine’s government blocked journalists who presented a threat to Ukraine’s national security, despite some of the blocked journalists focusing primarily on Zelenskyy and his leadership during the war.
Detector Media, a journalistic organization investigating biased reporting or censorship, has made similar allegations to those of the State Department regarding Zelenskyy’s administration. According to a report from Detector Media, Ukraine’s government used TV Marathon to promote positive messages about the country’s elected officials and Zelenskyy. Detector Media has also accused Ukraine’s government of intentionally silencing Zelenskyy’s political opposition, as the state-operated television program hasn’t had any opposing political party members for months at a time. Despite the allegations of censorship and state interference, Zelenskyy maintains that he wasn’t aware of any state-enforced censorship and that such a practice is against Ukrainian principles.
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