Former head of the state information agency «Ukrinform» Oleksiy Matsuka personally delivered «temniki» with undesirable speakers to the editorial offices in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. In addition, his team put pressure on some employees to resign from their positions.
Conflicts Over «Temniki»
According to sources from Ukrinform, conflicts between the new managers and the staff arose immediately after their appointment. Matsuka distributed topics in the editorial chats on a daily basis, instructing on what should be covered and how to explain political, military, and international events. In essence, these were «temniki». Creative editorial teams also received lists of experts to contact when preparing news and analytical materials.
One of the editors in the Ivano-Frankivsk region mentioned, «Yes, we received ‘temniki’ after Matsuka’s appointment. But we refused to follow them and made it clear to the ‘young team’. We worked in the usual mode, adhering to all journalism standards, as they had previously put Ukrinform on the white list according to IMI’s version. For us, this was a valuable team achievement. That’s why we didn’t follow the ‘temniki’.»
After this, the heads of the editorial offices felt certain pressure. Regarding the Prykarpattia region, only one interview with Svitlana Onyshchuk in 2 years was published, which was far from complimentary. Irina Druzhuk mentioned that after the dismissal of Marina Sinqayivska (deputy general director — curator of almost all creative editorial teams), more people were fired in two weeks than in two years.
Representatives of the media team of the President’s Office denied any involvement in the appearance of «temniki» in Ukrinform. Matsuka refused to answer where they came from.
End of Oleksiy Matsuka’s Tenure
On May 24, it became known that Oleksiy Matsuka was finishing his work at the agency.
