The State and Media as Accomplices in Suppressing Citizens' Rights: How a New Law Turns Censorship into a Tool for Concealing Crimes
A new law passed by the Verkhovna Rada exempts media from responsibility for negative comments by readers about officials if such comments are deleted within three days after receiving a relevant complaint or directive. At first glance, this appears to be a compromise between freedom of speech and protecting reputations. But does this provision mask an actual collusion between the state, the media, and corrupt officials?
Censorship or Complicity in Crime?
According to the new law, any information that negatively characterizes officials and may be deemed unreliable must be removed by the media upon a request from the National Council or a court ruling. This includes reader comments expressing outrage about corruption or other violations of the law.
Effectively, the media are being forced to act as censors, ensuring silence around issues that could inconvenience officials. This obligation not only suppresses freedom of speech but also makes the media accomplices in concealing offenses.
The Dark Side of the Presumption of Decency
According to Supreme Court practice, any negative information is considered unreliable unless its author can prove otherwise. However, in a system where the judiciary is often politicized and dependent, the chances of proving the truth of allegations against officials are nearly zero. This blocks public oversight and provides officials with a tool to legalize repression against critics.
How Does This Change the Role of the Media?
The new law puts media outlets in an extremely challenging position. They can no longer remain neutral platforms for discussing socially significant issues. Instead, they are forced to actively interfere with content and delete even comments that may have valid grounds for criticism but are not legally proven. As a result, the media not only become silent witnesses but active accomplices in concealing misconduct.
What Does This Mean for Society?
This law does more than restrict freedom of speech. It creates a mechanism by which corruption, abuse of power, and other crimes can remain unpunished, as citizens lose the ability to publicly voice their grievances. Moreover, every instance of comment deletion deepens mistrust in the media and the state, which protects not the rights of citizens but the reputations of officials.
Conclusion: A Path to Authoritarianism?
The new legislative provisions effectively force society into silence, turning citizens and media into powerless entities unable to resist the arbitrariness of authority. This is no longer merely censorship but the de facto legalization of complicity in crime, undermining the foundations of democracy and freedom of speech in Ukraine.