Regulatory authorities
The principal authority involved in TV and radio regulation is Natsionalna rada z pytan telebachennia ta radiomovlennia Ukrayiny (National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine - NCTRBU). It is a standing constitutional collective body whose function is to supervise the observance of laws in the area, elaborate state policies regarding TV and radio broadcasting as well as to carry out regulatory functions provided for by these laws. Apart from that, there is also Derzhavniy komitet telebachennia I radiomovlennia Ukrayiny (State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting - SCTRB), an executive body responsible for the elaboration of state information policy (including language policy, publishing industry and public morals protection).
Looking beyond the state sector, there is the Independent Media Council. Established in 2015 by 15 members of media community and professional NGOs, it acts as a standing monitoring and advisory body, promoting high professional standards of journalism. The council looks into disputes (both upon request and on its own initiative) relating to compliance with media legislature, international standards of information coverage as well as to breaches of rules of journalistic ethics.
Speaking of the latter, there are two more organisations deeply involved in this area. These are the Commission on Journalism Ethics and the Stop tsenzuri movement. The former was originally established in 2001 to deal with censorship and self-censorship in mass media but gradually took on the role of an arbitrator in disputes relating to media sector, too. The latter was established in 2010 primarily with a view to countering pressure exerted on media by the state as well as outlets’ owners. The Stop Censorship movement ceased to exist after 2014 when mass protests in the streets of Kyiv forced former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to flee Ukraine to Russia.