Upheaval in Ukraine: The media angles

We examine how the unfolding crisis has led to key media moments in a country with questionable press freedoms.


The day the Yanukovich government fell, a young journalist went on Inter - one of Ukraine’s leading private news channels and a big backer of the president. She accused the network of deceiving its viewers and dividing Ukrainians in its coverage of the protest movement. It was one of those crystallising media moments.

Another one was this week, when after Yanukovich had fled his residence, his entourage reportedly dumped hundreds of classified documents into a neighbouring reservoir - which turned out to be a bad move.

Journalists showed up with scuba divers and turned up an enormous catch. Papers the president tried to submerge are now appearing online even before they dry out, revealing the dealings of a president who has found it hard to relinquish power. Our starting point on this week’s News Divide is Kiev.