Nataliya Dmytruk ( uk, Наталія Дмитрук, alternate transliteration: Natalya Dmytruk) (born 1957 or 1958) is a former sign language interpreter on the Ukrainian state-run channel UT1 news broadcasts. Dmytruk became famous for refusing to translate the official script during a live broadcast on November 24, 2004 that announced Viktor Yanukovych as the winner of the presidential election. Instead of signing the official script, Dmytruk instead signed to viewers "Our president is Viktor Yushchenko. Do not trust the results of the central election committee. They are all lies."
As Ukraine Watched the Party Line, She Took the Truth Into Her Hands
' By Nora Boustany, Washington Post, April 29, 2005; Page A19 Dmytruk's act of defiance has been regarded as one of several catalysts for many Ukrainian journalists who subsequently rejected doctored news reports in favour of a more balanced reporting.

Personal life

Dmytruk is the daughter of deaf parents and is the mother of two children, a son and daughter. Dmytruk both speaks and signs.

Career

Act of courage

While working as a sign language interpreter at the Ukrainian state-run channel UT1, Dmytruk became known for a live news broadcast on November 24, 2004, when she refused to translate the official script that announced Viktor Yanukovych as the winner of the presidential election. Deviating from the official script followed by the voice announcer, Dmytruk instead signed to viewers, "I am addressing everybody who is deaf in Ukraine. Our president is Viktor Yushchenko. Do not trust the results of the central election committee. They are all lies.... And I am very ashamed to translate such lies to you. Maybe you will see me again." Her solo rebellion sparked a stop-work meeting by 250 of her newsroom colleagues who made a broader stand for truth. Hundreds of her colleagues at UT-1 who were inspired by Dmytruk's action confronted the network's owners, chanting, "No more lies!"Background on Participants "champions of Freedom" - Natalya Dmytruk, Ukraine
White House Press Release, February 24, 2005 Within days UT1 had changed to a balanced reporting style. Following her act, many other news reporters in the broadcast media run or controlled by the state or the oligarchs who supported Yanukovych refused to participate in the production of the doctored news reports. Within a few days the overall political climate in Ukrainian media changed dramatically towards a more balanced coverage, while prior to these events the domination of the media is considered one of the ways Yanukovych influenced the vote. "Without telling anyone, I just went in and did what my conscience told me to do." Hours after her UT1 co-workers announced on-air their intentions to report fairly, reporters at

Channel 1+1 Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

made a similar announcement. These changes were significant, because until then, most media outlets in Ukraine were influenced in some capacity by the government.

Aftermath

The widespread protests led to the Ukrainian Supreme Court declaring the election invalid. In the court-ordered new election a month later, on December 26, Yushchenko was declared the winner with 52% of the vote to 44% for Yanukovych. ''(See

2004 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 October, 21 November and 26 December 2004. The election was the fourth presidential election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The last stages of the election ...

.)'' Despite Dmytruk's efforts, changes spearheaded at UT1 by a new boss eliminated sign-language services, forcing Dmytruk onto extended leave. She later resigned and joined rival

Awards

* Dmytruk was invited to the

Freedom House Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wil ...

Champions of Freedom gala in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

Slovak Republic Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

on February 24, 2005 where Dmytruk and the other guests met privately with US President George W. Bush.The Champions of Freedom - Background information for media
, The German Marshall Fund of the United States website (PDF-file) * In 2005, Nataliya Dmytruk, together with another Ukrainian Olena Prytula, were given the annual International John Aubuchon

Freedom of the Press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

Award of the National Press Club. * On April 25, 2005 Dmytruk and three other Ukrainian women (

Oksana Horbunova Oksana or Oxana (, ; be, Аксана), sometimes transliterated as Aksana, is a female given name of Ukrainian origin. The closest equivalent is the Russian name '' Kseniya'' (russian: Ксения, links=no), but the two names coexist in use ...

Oksana Yarosh Oksana or Oxana (, ; be, Аксана), sometimes transliterated as Aksana, is a female given name of Ukrainian origin. The closest equivalent is the Russian name '' Kseniya'' (russian: Ксения, links=no), but the two names coexist in use ...

and

Lyudmila Merlyan Ludmila, Ludmilla, or Lyudmila (Cyrillic: Людмила, ''Lyudmila'') may refer to: People * Ludmila (given name) a Slavic female given name (including a list of people with the name) * Ludmila da Silva (born 1994), Brazilian footballer, com ...

) received the

Fern Holland Award A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except ...

at the Vital Voices Global Partnership's fifth annual ceremony which honors women from around the world who have made a difference.

References

Notes

'Anger of heroine who signed up for a new future.'
timesonline.co.uk. 3 February 2006.
'Falling on Deaf Ears.'
John Marone. The Ukrainian Observer. Issue 213.
Nataliya Dmytruk
at

web-site * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dmytruk, Nataliya Ukrainian television personalities Ukrainian journalists 1950s births Living people Interpreters People involved with sign language Recipients of John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award