MEDIA FREEDOM IN UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
MEDIA FREEDOM IN UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

Summary/Abstract: RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This paper discusses whether there have been changes to ensure media freedom in Ukraine in the context of constitutional reform. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: This is comparative explanatory research. The author uses a process-tracing method and an observation method to analyze media freedom under the presidential-parliamentary republic during the second term of Kuchma’s presidency and under a parliamentary presidential republic during Yushchenko’s presidency. I summarize descriptive statistics on such indicators of media freedom as political, economic, and legal environment according to the Freedom House data. I also use the analysis of scholars and other non-governmental organizations. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The analysis of the political situation in Ukraine explains the reasons for the constitutional reform and the democratization of the media system. I systematize data from the Freedom House reports on the indicators, present the results in a graphic form, and make conclusions from the comparisons. RESEARCH RESULTS: The study shows that changing the political system to a parliamentary-presidential due to the Orange Revolution intensified reforms guaranteeing media freedom in Ukraine. However, the reforms were not at the level expected by the supporters of the Orange Revolution.

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