LGBT is one of the five main objects of hate speech in mass-media, according to the research

No Borders project of NGO Social Action Centre presented results of the hate speech in Ukrainian mass-media in 2014 monitoring.

Hate speech or language of hatred includes improper remarks about ethnic, religious, social groups and communities and also about certain individuals representing these communities.

The experts of the project were monitoring news in 4 online media (Interfax-Ukraine, Radio Svoboda, Ukrayinska Pravda, Korrespondent), 15 printed media (Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, Fokus, Fakty, Segodnia, Vesti, Den, Komsomolskaia Pravda v Ukraine etc.) and also in evening news on 7 Ukrainian TV-channels (1+1, Inter, Novy, ICTV, TVi, Ukrayina, STB).

The experts documented 424 cases of hate speech use over the monitoring period (173 in printed media, 135 in online media, 116 on TV).

Hate speech use in all three types of media reached its peak in March-April 2014, after the occupation of Crimea.

Quoting of frankly xenophobic utterances prevailed among the kinds of hate speech with 64% of the cases, mentioning a certain group in the context of humiliation or insult happened in 18% of the cases, creating negative image of a group – in 8%, claim of inferiority of a group as it is – in 7%.

Hate speech was mostly documented towards Ukrainians, Russians, Chechens, people of Caucasian descent and LGBT people.  It is notable that journalists rather use their own words then quotes in conveying prejudice against the LGBT.

The research authors also mark that people of colour and LGBT were attacked more in the second half of the year.

Автор: Kolya Camouflage