Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Presidentʼs Office, said that Channel 5, Priamyi, and Espresso, which belong to Petro Poroshenkoʼs pool, were excluded from digital airing because of the "narcissism" of the fifth president of Ukraine. Podoliak said this in an interview with LB Live.
"This is a question of the Security Council, this is a question of a unified information policy of the state during the war," he said.
According to Podoliak, partly these channels broadcast a national telethon, and partly a person who is very much in love with himself. And it is not very clear why during the war all this narcissism and his own narratives (since Poroshenko is the indirect owner of the relevant channels) to sell in a single news broadcast.
"We have a lot of narcissi, I understand, our policy is based on narcissism as such, we often sell narcissi. This is again a question of the quality of the countryʼs information space, "he added.
Podoliak noted that simply selling yourself because you want to monetize at a certain level is one thing. Itʼs unprofessional, but itʼs a small pity.
"Itʼs another matter when you still canʼt come to terms with the fact that you lost. And in order to somehow subconsciously compensate for this, you can resort to any destructive information technology," he said.
The Espresso TV channel reacted to Podoliakʼs statement. It stated that the channel is a separate independent media, and the former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has never been and is not the owner of the channel.
"Espresso wants to remind you that it is a separate independent media. Poroshenko has never been and is not the owner of the Espresso channel or a person connected with our channel in any way." The ownership structure of the Espresso TV channel is transparent, and the editorial policy is devoid of any influence," the statement said.
The channel noted that representatives of the National Security and Defense Council staff at the parliamentary committee on May 13 on this issue officially announced that the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on a common information policy does not say anything about turning off the channels.
"We have repeatedly emphasized that since February 26 we have been broadcasting "United News" in the amount of at least half of our airtime and we continue to do so now. During our own live broadcasts, we involve both government officials and opposition politicians, including the fifth President, as well as interviews with European ambassadors and other dignitaries who can help Ukraine. At the same time, we understand the circumstances of the martial law and do not allow situations that could harm national interests," Espresso said.