Political coverage must not be perceived as entertainment – acting minister

The official addressed the issue during the International Conference on Media Literacy and Self-Regulation, which is being held in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Today, we observe that some treat political coverage as some kind of a show, a TV series. But why? Why should this information be entertaining? After all, we remain critical to economic content. When we buy something, we look for the cheapest, highest-quality product on various sites, in various stores. Why are we not looking for more truthful and reliable information in the political field? That’s because people have no feeling that this information is vital," Karandeiev said.

Developing this understanding is critical, the minister believes. "Just like spelling, media literacy should become a standard for people nowadays. Where and when do people acquire literacy today? At school, in their childhood years. This standard should be realized by the governments and implemented in our modern life activities. Along with general literacy, media literacy should also be in place," said Karandeiev.

He also pointed out the need to develop critical thinking: "Russia has been at war with us for more than two years now, and our citizens still often receive information from anonymous sources and treat it without questioning."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on April 22, Detector Media presented the annual study entitled "Index of Media Literacy of the Ukrainian Audience". According to the research, 3% of Ukrainians is low demonstrate low media literacy, 21% - below average, 62% - higher than average, and only 14% - high.