Media Movement calls on the authorities to prosecute those complicit in the pressure on "Detector Media"
Ukrainian journalists and media organizations, members of the Media Movement, call on the authorities to identify those complicit in the media attack on "Media Detector" and bring them to justice, says the Media Movement association in their statement.
"The media attack on our colleagues began a few days ago as allegations that they paid a Russian subject for services to study Telegram channels. In reality, the Telegram channel research service TgStat.com has a free version that was used by the Institute of Mass Information to study Russian disinformation and fake news on Telegram. No money was paid to Russia-based subjects. The study by the IMI was subsequently reprinted by "Detector Media" in the Digest section," the statement reads.
The Media Movement says that they consider the widespread smear campaign involving many Telegram channels – such as "Monaco Battalion", "Good evening, we're from Ukraine", "Joker", "Trukha" and its regional network of channels – to be an act of revenge on "Detector Media" and the IMI for their criticism of anonymous Telegram channels with questionable content.
"The baseless accusations against the Ukrainian NGO and online media outlet of cooperating with the aggressor not only damage their reputation, but may also endanger the physical safety of the journalists working for "Detector Media" and the IMI, seeing as the anonymous Telegram channels are essentially egging their audience on to harrass them. For example, the "Monaco Battalion" published a "poll" offering the audience to choose a way to take revenge on the DM and the IMI, and some anonymous commentators suggest liquidating these organizations, burning down their offices, etc. Still, other commentators sided with the two organizations and accused the Telegram channel of slander," the statement reads.
The Media Movement calls on the police to take into account the gravity of the situation and respond to it. In particular, to identify the persons behind the spread of the listed disinformation in the specified Telegram channels and hold them accountable for interfering in the activities of "Detector Media" and the IMI. The data on the persons representing these Telegram channels, in particular "Trukha", has already been made public.
As the IMI reported, in October 2023, political consultant Volodymyr Petrov threatened Natalia Lyhachova, the "Detector Media" chief editor, with "punishment" which he will decide on himself.
The Media Movement is a community that has united journalists from leading Ukrainian media, investigative journalists and experts from independent media organizations. Media movement was launched on February 5, 2019. The first signatories of the Mediaruh memorandum were Suspilne, Ukrainian Radio, Hromadske Radio, Ukrinform, Interfax-Ukraine, Liga.net, ZN.ua, NV, Censor.net, Ukrayinska Pravda, and many others leading Ukrainian media. The movement also includes leading Ukrainian media NGOs, such as the IMI, Detector Media, Independent Media Council, Internews Ukraine, National Media Association, Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law, Suspilnist Foundation, Donetsk Institute of Information, Pylyp Orlyk Institute of Democracy, Zmina Center for Human Rights. Other organizations and journalsits joined later – over 70 members in total.
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