Euronews has denied it is spreading Russian propaganda in its coverage of the war in Ukraine.
In a letter addressed to Valentyn Koval, the first deputy chair of the regulator National Council and seen by Broadband TV News, Euronews’ new CEO Guillaume Dubois said “we take these allegations seriously, and upon receiving your letter, we immediately reviewed them, in good faith. We have however not found any sign of Russian state narrative in our stories”.
He went on to say: “Euronews’ coverage of the war in Ukraine includes the positions of all involved parties, based on our fundamental editorial values of objectivity, balance, accuracy and truth that define our factual and responsible journalism. As you recognised yourself, we are known for being a model of quality and unbiased journalism, and we work very hard to ensure that all of our coverage lives up to audiences’ legitimate expectations of impartiality.
In fact, in the first few weeks of the war, we asked the world-renowned media consultancy firm Osservatorio di Pavia to produce an independent assessment of our coverage. It concluded, among other things, that “journalists’ independence and professionalism shaped the news coverage of the war”, “news stories adhered to the commitments of truth and accuracy”, and that there was “similar news coverage and a consistent editorial line across language editions”.
The letter also discusses specific reports on Euronews and concluded by saying: “Since the war broke out, we have consistently and extensively reported on it, helping our global audiences have access to reliable and impartial information, which has led us to be banned in Russia. We have interviewed numerous EU and Ukrainian leaders – it was when answering a Euronews interview that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first expressed her wish to see Ukraine join the European Union. We have sent reporters to Ukraine (including our Ukrainian journalists) to report on the latest developments of the war. We produced a 30-minute documentary on the alleged war crimes in Bucha. We have not deviated from our commitment to reporting the truth.
“That is why we find it unfair that one aspect would be extracted out of the overall rolling coverage to accuse our newsroom of promoting Kremlin narratives. Please be assured that we are all committed to offering the most responsible, factual, objective and respectful coverage of the war.
“As Euronews’ new CEO, I want to express my sympathy and my full solidarity with all Ukrainian people in the dramatic times you have been facing since the invasion of your country by Russia”.
Broadband TV News notes that the letter was a response to accusations made by National Council earlier this month.
