Shuster Responds to “Disrespectful Haters” Over Guest Fabrication Claims, But Inconsistencies Resurface

The studio says the woman was on the programme only once.

The talk show “Freedom of Speech with Savik Shuster”, airing on the Ukraine TV channel, has been accused of manipulating guests in the studio. Social media users noticed that the same woman appeared on air on November 8 and December 6, first introducing herself as a “primary school teacher” and then as a “private entrepreneur”.

In its response, the Savik Shuster studio called the fabrication accusations fake and said the woman works as a primary school teacher and tutors in her free time.

“Trying to smear our work requires no less, and perhaps even more, time and effort. How much energy would have been needed to create a fake! How much time would it take to find a pretext for trying to discredit us?”, — said a post on the Shuster LIVE Facebook page.

“The difference in professions is simple: she is a primary school teacher, and that is how she introduced herself to the education minister on live air, while in her free time she works as a tutor, so the authors of the segment were introduced to her as a private entrepreneur. In today’s times, is having two jobs so rare?”

“Disrespectful haters! So according to you, a young woman came to two programmes with the same hairstyle and in the same embroidered shirt. You clearly don’t know women well.

“Friends, don’t believe manipulations and fakes!”

Meanwhile, lawyer Tetiana Lokatska of the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine Tetiana Lokatska also doubted the response from Shuster’s studio.

“I went looking for the sole proprietor Tetiana Pilyuha in the registry. I couldn’t find her. But I found something else”, — Lokatska wrote, attaching screenshots from the Freelancehunt.com freelance exchange, where a similar woman offering copywriting services is registered. 

Staff member of the Freedom of Speech programme Darya Tarasova said the studio guest is named Tetiana Pilyuha, and she was on air only once: on November 8. That day, according to Tarasova, Tetiana, like other guests, recorded a series of mini-interviews, which were later shown in other episodes of the programme. According to Tarasova, Tetiana works as a teacher and tutors in her free time, which is why she introduced herself differently in the interview and in the studio. 

The website Bukvy reported that it contacted Tetiana Pilyuha. The woman said she was in the studio only on November 8, confirmed that she is a tutor, and explained that she introduced herself as a primary school teacher because that is her main profession.

Tetiana Pilyuha

I was there once, in November. Before the programme started, we participants were given a short interview. I really am a private entrepreneur; I have an online training course. Plus, there are plans to create a children’s learning centre in partnership. But by education and work experience I am a teacher. I didn’t work for long, though, because I was on maternity leave. Now my younger son has started first grade, and I am only now returning to the profession. When the sociologists learned there was a teacher in the studio (before the programme started I filled out a questionnaire where I listed my education), I was asked to ask a question about “pressing issues.” I did so. I said, “I am a primary school teacher.” And that is true. It is my profession. There wasn’t enough airtime to ask more questions. I should have talked about how I don’t want to return to school, about bureaucracy and so on.