Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) have conducted a research and advocacy project in Ukraine, titled “The Media Ownership Monitor” (MOM), over the past three months. According to its findings, oligarchic ownership still poses a strong threat to media freedom and freedom of speech within the country. MOM reports that Ukrainian mass media outlets are mostly driven by their owners’ individual interests and thus serve as instruments to securing political and economic power. Corruption and lack of financial transparency further inhibit the healthiness of the country’s media landscape.

"The Media Ownership Monitor has allowed us to reveal the intricate links between politics and business and how both sustain each other,” said Nafisa Hasanova, RSF’s MOM Ukraine project manager. As a result, political influence over the media in Ukrainer remains extremely high: Ten out of the twelve most important TV channels selected for the study are linked directly or indirectly to political personalities. The radio market is equally marked by ownership structures too close to the ruling classes.

The detailed results of the three-month study are now available to the public on the MOM website at http://ukraine.mom-rsf.org in English and Ukrainian.