The “right to utmost truth disease” contradicts open society

The investigation, performed by journalists of the “Slidstvo.Info” program of the Hromadske.TV in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has disclosed an obvious fact of the existence of an off-shore company whose beneficiary is the President of Ukraine. This fact should receive its just appraisal.

Comment by the International Renaissance Foundation

The investigation, performed by journalists of the “Slidstvo.Info” program of the Hromadske.TV in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has disclosed an obvious fact of the existence of an off-shore company whose beneficiary is the President of Ukraine. This fact should receive its just appraisal.

At the same time, the proposed interpretation of the disclosed findings has caused reasoned criticism by experts, recognized journalists, and representatives of leading NGOs, which, like the Hromadske.TV, have had long-standing and productive cooperation with the Foundation in defending the freedom of speech in Ukraine.

The reaction of the “Slidstvo.Info” journalists’ reaction to the reasoned criticism is disappointing. They resorted to the position of uncritical self-justification without any hint of recognition of their violation of journalistic standards, namely the manipulation of the facts. The authors of the investigation do not recognize that the connection between the President’s offshore company and the Ilovaysk tragedy is artificial; they have no evidence of the “Roshen” assets being moved to the offshore area, nor the evidence that offshore company was created precisely to avoid sales taxes.

In relation to this position taken by the “Slidstvo.info” investigative journalists, we have to note that the journalists’ syndrome of “the right to hold the absolute truth” runs not only contrary to the principle of balanced presentation of information.

The reforms, having received the clear direction towards the European values given by Maidan, are complex and sometimes contradictory. Assessing them in two colors alone, “black” or “white” – are destructive for the country’s progress, as they nourish political populism and encourage aggressive incompetence in all spheres of the society.

Building on the interest to the offshore topic, which is important for the society, further “revelations” about the head of state continue through uncritical publications of materials of politically motivated accusations of 2003-2004, inspired by the regime of that time.

In journalism, this undermines the very essence of freedom of speech, replacing it with a space for “compromat” and manipulation. A seemingly honest position of a chief justice, occupied by investigators of hidden corruption, is able to turn into its own opposite, provoking the development of mass distrust of the media’s information mission. 

As representatives of the International Renaissance Foundation, whose mission is to promote an open democratic society, we declare that the sole right to utmost truth contradicts the core value of such a society. No one has that right. Every rational argument should be heard. 

It is our hope that the team and the Board of Trustees of the Hromadske.TV will find the right way to overcome this dangerous syndrome in its own environment. By doing so, it will help prevent its further spread in the public space of the civil society.

 

Yarema Bachynskiy

Yevhen Bystrytsky

Taras Kachka

Nataliya Lygachova-Chernolytska

Inna Pidluska

Igor Semyvolos

Iryna Seniuta

Oleksandr Sushko

Valentyna Telychenko

 

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