Скачать или смотреть Ukrainian journalists protest censorship during President's speech

(3 Sep 2012) A group of leading Ukrainian journalists interrupted President Viktor Yanukovych's speech at a newspaper conference Monday to
protest against government censorship, amid concerns of waning press freedoms in the ex-Soviet nation.
About a dozen reporters rose from their seats and held up posters reading "Stop Censorship" and "Media Oligarchs Serve the Authorities," upsetting Yanukovych's opening statement at the annual World Newspaper Congress.
Yanukovych did not react to the protest, but his security guards surrounded the protesters, ripping posters out some of their hands.
There was no immediate comment from the president on the protest or the treatment of the journalists.
In his speech, Yanukovych vowed to uphold democratic principles and media freedoms.
However, later in his speech Yanukovych called on journalists to maintain "bias," when he apparently meant "unbias" - a slip of the tongue that critics said demonstrated his stated commitment to freedom and democracy is merely lip service.
"I call on journalists to maintain a high level of ethical standards and uphold the principles of being objective and politically biased," Yanukovych said.
Mustafa Nayem, a top investigative reporter who took part in the protest, called Yanukovych's words on media freedom cynical lies.
"It is not a secret to anyone that the (media) atmosphere under President Yanukovych has worsened drastically," Nayem told The Associated Press. "
Media watchdogs say press freedoms have waned since Yanukovych came to power in 2010, with the majority of television channels controlled by magnates loyal to the government, reporters complaining of being denied access to crucial information, and a rising number of attacks on journalists left unpunished.
Opening the congress, Jacob Mathew, president of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), urged Ukrainian authorities to "regain freedoms that sustain democracy and human dignity."

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