Ukrainian TV companies unite and write open letter to Russian media

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/mar/07/ukraine-russia

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Ukraine's nationwide TV channels are broadcasting under a common logo, the flag of Ukraine, and a slogan in both Ukrainian and Russian: Yedyna Krayina/Yedinaya Strana (United Country).

The initiative was launched five days ago (2 March) by Ukraine's five major media groups - Media Group Ukraine, Inter Media Group, Starlight Media, 1+1 Media and 5th Channel.

It is aimed at expressing their consolidated position on the country's unfolding events as a display of media unity during a "crucial moment in the country's history".

"We have a single country to live in and shared values to unite us," says the press release issued by the media groups' executives. "There is nothing to come between us. There is nothing for us to quarrel over."

The chiefs of each group have also signed an open letter to the director-generals ("colleagues and friends") of three Russian media organisations - JSC Channel One, the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and JSC NTV.

"All of us are madly in love with television," it says. "We believe and know that you also do not want war between two brotherly nations - Russians and Ukrainians." It continues:

"We ask you for open, balanced and objective coverage of events taking place today in Ukraine. We ask you to understand and support the position of all central Ukrainian TV channels and to consider responsibly every word.

"We have no rights to stir up enmity between the fraternal Russian and Ukrainian people, to broadcast unverified information or distort the reality.

We are confident that if the existing confrontation escalates into military action - the will be no winners, everyone will lose. Our populations, bounded with history, faith and blood will both lose.

We believe that today, together we can do everything to prevent this from happening."