Thursday, November 25, 2004

I haven't been writing about journalists and the coverage of the events here at all.

Before today, there were only two channels worth watching - Channel 5 and Era (the latter broadcasts late at night, only several hours daily). The rest were following orders from Medvedchuk, chief of Kuchma's Administration, and other Yanukovych people. Until today. Today, Oleksandr Rodnyansky gathered all 1+1 Channel journalists (except one, who's not a journalist anymore but a slut, Vyacheslav Pikhovshek) and announced that they are with the people and are not going to lie to us.

On Channel 1 (UT-1), the main state channel, 237 journalists are on strike now. Today, during the 11 am newscast with live translation into the Sign Language, the translator, Natalya Dmytruk, did not translate what the host was saying about the election results, but said (in Sign Language) the following (quote via Ukrainska Pravda):

The results from the Central Election Commission have been falsified. Do not believe them. Our President is Yushchenko. I am very disgusted that I was forced to translate the lies until now. I'm not going to do it anymore. I'm not sure if I'll see you again.


The program Dmytruk was translating into Sign Language for is the only news program in Ukraine adapted for people with hearing impairments. The audience is about 100,000 people. Dmytruk has now joined her 237 striking colleagues.

6 comments:

  1. This is great "News"! Sorry, couldn't resist :)

    Who else is left to convince? You have the military. The Supreme Court has nullified the the election committee's declaration. The Minister of Economics resigned. The diplomats at the Ukraine embassy here in Washington DC are practically standing outside with the American protesters shaking their fists at the empty building. I saw them on C-SPAN last night with the ambassadors and representatitives from Czech Republic, EU, and the US all declaring unanamous support.

    Who else is left to convince?

    Be safe friend. It is Thanksgiving Day here in the US. We remember the early days of our country. The memories are more sweet seeing the birth of your country. Congratulations. It's a democracy!

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  2. Best wishes from France and Switzerland for you and all your people. Stay safe and keep hopes alive.

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  3. Love you all!!!

    Neeka, I used to live in Kiev, now in US. Watching the events in Kiev all the time. So proud and happy for you. Don't give up!!! Love you all!!!

    Igor, West Hartford, USA

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  4. This is so wonderful to hear! I found your commentary on the NYT web site and am delighted to find a blog coming out of Kiev. I lived briefly in Krasnodar in southern Russia at the end of the Soyuz and word of spreading democracy does my heart good. I have online friends in eastern Ukraine who impress me as foolish and cut off from reality, repeating some foolishness about students being bribed with vodka to demonstrate. Please keep posting as much as you can. Today I am giving thanks for courageous people like you! :-)

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  5. Would that the citizens of these United States of America had such courage these days.

    Bless you all

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  6. Lots of positive energy from Spain. We are all Ukrainians these days. All the best, Twan

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