Poroshenko's decree was sharply criticized in Germany
It would be much smarter to support independent journalism in Ukraine rather than ban Russian social networks.
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Christian Mir, director of the German branch of the influential international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders, stated this in an interview with DW, assessing the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to block access to Russian social networks.
“For us, this is an unacceptable interference in freedom of opinion and freedom of the press. Access to social networks, which are important for the free operation of the media, is blocked. Because these are not just any social networks, these are the largest social networks in the Russian-speaking space – Odnoklassniki and VKontakte. These are also media, platforms for free expression of opinion. Because people can communicate and exchange information there. This is very important for information freedom. And therefore we condemn the blocking of social networks - this is an attack on the freedom of information and freedom of the press,” Mir said.
“Isn’t this a legitimate measure of the Ukrainian government to limit enemy influence on its territory?” the publication asked.
“You can’t punish the source of the news. We constantly talk about this - the media should not get involved in the information war unilaterally unleashed by Russia. The media are platforms for delivering news and information, and this includes social networks. These platforms cannot be punished entirely for disseminating certain news. Information wars are evil. Free information is important for any society. And it is especially important for conflict resolution. This, of course, does not mean that no one is lying. This doesn't mean there isn't a problem with made-up news. And yet, when a source of information is blocked, we are talking about an attack on freedom of information, and this is unacceptable,” came the answer.
According to Mir, Ukraine could counter Russian propaganda with high-quality journalism, for example, by increasing the budget of Ukrainian foreign broadcasting.
“And to show what independent journalists are capable of, especially against the backdrop of what the Russian media is doing, where one-sided, state-controlled, emasculated journalism reigns. This would be an excellent signal - support for independent journalism, on the one hand, within the framework of foreign broadcasting, and on the other hand, it would be necessary to support journalists in Ukraine itself. To support those who are fighting for the independence of the media - at least by conducting an investigation into the attacks on journalists and murders that continue to occur there,” the representative of Reporters Without Borders emphasized.
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