Ukrainian office of Euronews began its work on August 24 this year, on The Day of celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. Recently, the top management of the international channel visited Kyiv for the opening of the Ukrainian office of the all-European channel. Philippe CAYLA, head of the board of directors at Euronews in a blitz interview for The Day spoke about the plans for Euronews development in the world and Ukraine.
Today Euronews expects the second wave of economic troubles. We can also see signs of political and “Schengen” crises to some extent. Considering these factors, how do you think will the strategy of Euronews, who claim to be pan European, change?
“Our main strategy is to provide our audience with regular overviews of the real situation in various areas of life, so that everyone would understand what is really happening. And it doesn’t change. Of course, we understand the challenges that Europe is facing, that is why we began to change – we now present more reports on significant events in economic, political, and other spheres of life.”
What are the other ways of improving the work of your media service?
“We are opening new offices world wide and develop those already existing.”
In what countries do you plan to open new offices in the nearest future?
“We are now expanding our network in Europe. We will also develop our services in Turkey, Moscow, China, and the US. There is already an office open in Kyiv. By the end of 2012 we plan to open 12 new offices.”
You mentioned Ukraine. Do you think people in Europe now know enough about our country?
“People in Europe know about Ukraine, but still there is not enough information. That is why launching the Ukrainian-run Euronews we set the task to show the most real aspects of Ukraine and its life from the inside. Ukraine is an integral part of Europe, it is similar to Europe in every aspect, and it is a part of future Europe.”
What results do you expect from the work of Euronews in Ukraine?
“We expect high quality and truthful news about the real Ukraine.”
How is the risk of information distortion in the process of translation from one language into another minimized?
“In each country, including Ukraine, there is a head of Euronews local office appointed by the central office. This person makes sure that there are no violations. Believe me that what you are talking about is impossible. Of course, there may be certain grammatical differences, given the peculiarities of translation from one language to another, but any misrepresentation of content or integrity of information, let’s say, political is out of question.”
