Andriy Shevchenko

First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament's Free Speech Committee

Andriy Shevchenko was born June 10, 1976 in Prykarpattia, in Western Ukraine.

Shevchenko went to school in Kyiv. In 1993-94 he was an exchange student to Alameda High School, Alameda, California. In 1999 he received his Master's Degree from the Institute of Journalism at Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University. He also studied Political Science and Economics at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Shevchenko has worked as a multi-media journalist since 1994 for the 1+1 TV Channel, Novyi Kanal, Radio Voice of America and others.

Under the administration of President Kuchma Shevchenko was one of the leaders of the journalists' movement against censorship. In 2002 he left Novyi Kanal under political pressure. Later in 2002 he established Kyiv Independent Media Union and was elected its first Chairman.

In 2003 he introduced his idea of creating the Channel of Honest News. The 5th Channel, a 24-hours-day news channel, was the only network not controlled by the government and eventually played a key role during the Orange Revolution of 2004. Mr. Shevchenko was the editor-in-chief of the channel and a presenter.

In 2005, after the Orange Revolution, he was appointed vice-president of National Television Company of Ukraine, but left his position in 6 months after the government refused to transform the state broadcaster into a Public Broadcasting System. He is the President of the Center for Public Media, an NGO promoting public broadcasting in Ukraine.

In 2005 Shevchenko received The Press Freedom Award from Reporters Without Borders (Austria). He also received a number of Ukrainian journalistic awards, including The Best News Presenter, The Best News Program, The Best Documentary (‘Teletriumph', 2005).

Ranked 5th by Yulia Tymoshenko's Block, he successfully ran for the Parliament in 2006 and 2007. He has been serving in the Parliament's Free Speech Committee as its youngest ever Chairman and First Deputy Chairman.

Shevchenko was named a "world fellow" of Yale University in 2007 and 2008.