The Ukrainian Weekly 1995, No.18

www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Referendum on Crimean autonomy — page 2. • Reaction to ad countering CBS allegations — page 3. • Chornobyl vigil in Toronto — page 10. THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIII No. 18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 1995 75cents/$2 in Ukraine Citing '60 Minutes' report, Rhode Island man Chornobyl nine years later: seeks to block CBS acquisition of local license the number of victims grows by Roman Woronowycz ment application, which was filed with the by Marta Kolomayets recently released report on the "Social and commission on March 15 by WPRI-TV Kyyiv Press Bureau Psychological Remnants of Chornobyl." JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A second owner Narragansett Television. "It was Chornobyl that demonstrated petition has been filed by a Ukrainian IVANKIV, Ukraine - Although one of The Providence petition, like the other the huge impact of a nuclear power cata American with the Federal Communica the reactors at the Chornobyl nuclear actions, cites one CBS news story in par strophe upon the social and psychologi tions Commission to deny CBS a license power plant exploded nine years ago - ticular, the now infamous "60 Minutes" cal sphere of a large number of people - to broadcast — another in a series of on April 26, 1986 - the consequences of piece called "The Ugly Face of Freedom," about 6 million," said Dr. Sayenko. the accident are still being felt today. legal actions brought against the broad which aired on October 23, 1994, and has caster in response to a news segment it caused a maelstrom of protest from More than 180,000 people in Ukraine Recalling the evacuation ran in October 1994. The latest petition have been resettled since the nuclear, Ukrainians and Jews in the United States, Liuda Serhiyenko now lives in Ivankiv, to deny was filed on April 26 by Oleg Canada and Ukraine. explosion spewed radioactive particles into the air, covering a wide region not a town just 48 kilometers outside the Nikolyszyn of North Smitsfield, R.I., to Mr. Nikolyszyn's petition follows one only in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, but Chornobyl zone. A 27-year-old mother of block the assignment of a broadcast filed in Detroit on November 10, 1994, by also throughout Europe. two boys, Sasha, 8, and Dima, 3, she was license to CBS from WPRI-Channel 12 retired Ford Co. executive Alexander in Providence, R.I. And, to this day, thousands of evacuated from Prypiat, the town outside Serafyn that is currently pending before the the Chornobyl nuclear station. CBS has tendered an offer to purchase Ukrainian citizens complain of weakness, FCC. A personal attack complaint was also Ms. Serhiyenko still talks about the day the assets of WPRI-TV, including its filed against CBS by the Ukrainian headaches, poor memory and a general decline in health - as well as anxiety of the accident. "We didn't know what broadcast license, at a cost of $83 million. Congress Committee of America in The assets sale is contingent upon obtain about the future. happened. I was home by myself, studying October 1994, but was rejected by the for exams. My family had gone to the vil ing FCC approval of the WPRI-TV assign- FCC. That decision is now being appealed. Officials at Ukraine's Ministry of lage to plant crops," she recalled, tears Mr. Nikolyszyn's petition makes some Health have admitted that there has been an increase in thyroid cancer, especially welling up in her eyes. of the same points as the one filed by Mr. among children, since the 1986 disaster. She picks up a color monograph about Serafyn. It states that CBS has failed to Prypiat, and points to her apartment Safer now says meet its public interest obligations by not At a press conference on Tuesday, building, her school, the nuclear plant serving the needs of the Ukrainian com April 25, acting Health Minister Andriy that served as the provider for her family. munity, that CBS is responsible for news Serdiuk told reporters that the total num follow-up story distortion, for intentionally rigging the "60 ber of deaths among victims of the "We were not told what happened, but Minutes" news segment, slanting facts and Chornobyl accident in the period buses came to evacuate us on April 27. misinterpreting words. between 1988 and 1994 is more than They told us it woulcfibe for two or three maybe 'worthwhile' 125,000. Bohdanna Pochoday, attorney for Mr. days," she said recaMing the incident. "I by Andrij Wynnyckyj Nikolyszyn, said the petition has four A recent study by Democratic have not been baplC' Initiatives, a polling organization in "Since 19So, we've moved three NEW YORK - Morley Safer, the elements but that the issues of distorted Kyyiv, revealed that the victims of reporter of "The Ugly Face of and slanted reporting and the staging of times," sh^pMrtinued, explaining that the Chornobyl view the accident as a person Freedom" segment aired last fall by the news in the "60 Minutes" report are family had been evacuated but decided to al tragedy. People who lived inside the the CBS Sunday newsjournal "60 central. "No station license can be return to Ivankiv, a town of 12,000, 30-kilometer zone and later were evacu Minutes," has agreed that a follow- assigned unless public convenience and because they have relatives there. ated, as well as others who lived in up story on conditions in Ukraine necessity and public goodwill are bene The Democratic Initiatives study affected areas outside the zone, constitute "would be a worthwhile project for fited," said Ms. Pochoday. "We're say revealed that people who suffered what the study has labeled "a society of a future '60 Minutes' report." ing that CBS will be unable to provide because of the 1986 nuclear accident hopeless people." The seeming willingness to pur for the special needs of the Ukrainian show very low levels of activity, initia "It was the ruin of their world views, sue the story of inter-ethnic rela community based on its past record." tive, entrepreneurship and readiness for their lifestyles, their plans," wrote Dr. tions in Ukraine was made evident Another element of the complaint states change. Yuriy Sayenko, deputy head of the in a letter sent on April 7 by Mr. that the FCC should not move on her Ukrainian Institute of Sociology, in a (Continued on page 4) Safer to the executive director of client's petition until the Serafyn petition is the American Jewish Committee, acted upon. One point of the petition states David Harris. Mr. Safer's letter that "in the Detroit WGPR-TV proceed refers to a conversation the two had ings, information has surfaced that CBS the previous day which, the reporter entered into three undisclosed side-agree wrote, gave him "a better under ments with WGPR Inc., which allowed standing of some of the questions CBS to finance millions of dollars worth of that were raised in our story on improvements to the facilities of WGPR." western Ukraine." Ms. Pochoday explained that the results of Reached by The Weekly on the Detroit case will have an effect on the April 26, Mr. Safer denied that the Providence petition. letter represented any change, and She said that a third key issue, which said it did not reflect any commit the FCC's Mass Media Bureau must ment to produce a story on condi decide, is whether CBS showed a lack of tions in Ukraine. On the other hand, candor by not filing certain legal papers Mr. Safer emphasized, "We never that detailed the financial agreements said that we would not do [another] involved in the CBS attempt to purchase story on Ukraine." the Detroit television station, which has Mr. Safer stressed that the tele direct bearing on the Nikolyszyn peti phone conversation with Mr. Harris tion. "They have intentionally failed to and the ensuing letter were private disclose the material side agreements in communications, but he did con the WGPR-TV assignment application," cede that he had affixed a post said the attorney. scriptum to the letter that reads: Different circumstances propelled Marta Kolomayets CBS to look for new digs in Detroit and (Continued on page 3) Children at the UNESCO-organized "Center of Trust" in Ivankiv, one of the (Continued on page 3) regions most affected by ChornobyPs fallout. THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 1995 No. 18 Crimean Parliament votes to hold NEWSBBIEFS referendum on autonomy issue 'No' to Russian territory in Sevastopil enced local police or to its opposition to by Marta Kolomayets on the political and legal status of the construction of an oil storage terminal. The Kyyiv Press Bureau Crimean peninsula, was opposed to the KYYIV — Acting Prime Minister Crimea has been gripped by a crime wave decision taken by the Crimean Parliament Yevhen Marchuk said Ukraine "will never recently, with police reporting 22 contract KYYIV - The Crimean Parliament on April 25. allow the Black Sea Fleet to be headquar voted to hold a referendum on June 25 murders last year, including the deaths of He said the Ukrainian Parliament has tered de facto, and even less so de jure, in three prominent politicians. (Reuters) concerning the peninsula's autonomy in already formulated three alternatives to Sevastopil," reported Interfax on April 23, a an attempt to transfer the political battle the referendum: to cancel autonomy on statement supported by President Leonid Of the $6.7 billion debt owed to Russia... between Kyyiv and Symferopil to the 2.7 the peninsula, to dissolve the Crimean Kuchma the next day.

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