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Coverage of the week’s key topics, representation of parliamentary factions and groups in studio discussions, instances of political PR and Russian narratives or toxic media figures in the telethon, and violations of basic standards of information journalism—briefly.
The “United News” telethon was launched on February 24, 2022. Detector Media began monitoring it on March 21 of the same year using this methodology. In January this year, Detector Media refined and expanded this methodology in response to comments and suggestions from the editorial teams participating in the telethon. The author of the monitoring is Ihor Kulyas, a media trainer and the creator of Detector Media’s core monitoring methodology.
From March 2022 to September 2024, the monitoring focused on recording and analyzing broadcast schedules of different channels, the main content produced by editorial teams (reports, live feeds, studio discussions), violations of journalism standards, instances of political PR, representation of parliamentary factions and groups, Russian narratives and toxic media figures, and topics ignored by the telethon.
On May 21, 2024, Suspilne’s First Channel left the telethon and began independent 24/7 broadcasting. This change is not fundamental for monitoring purposes. The work of Suspilne’s news editorial team continues to be evaluated as before, using the same methodology as before the telethon.
Since October 2024, the monitoring format has changed. It now focuses on analyzing coverage of major socially significant topics in the telethon and — for comparison — on Suspilne’s First Channel. It tracks how key daily and weekly topics are covered, representation of MPs from different factions, instances of political PR, and the presence of toxic media figures and Russian narratives.
Summaries of monitoring reports are available here, and the full versions of reports are available here.
Introduction
On April 7–8, the heaviest fighting took place in the Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, and Huliaipole directions. In the telethon, editorial teams collectively paid the most attention to the Sloviansk direction, less to Pokrovsk and Huliaipole, and minimal attention to Kostiantynivka. On Suspilne’s First Channel, very little attention was paid to the front overall, with discussions involving at most two guests.
On April 7, Russians attacked a passenger bus in Nikopol with drones, and later another bus in the Nikopol district, killing 4 people and injuring 21. On the same day, shelling of a residential area in Kherson killed 4 people and injured 6. Suspilne’s First Channel covered these events with high-quality reporting, while in the telethon, only the We Are Ukraine channel produced a report from Kherson.
Both key foreign policy topics — developments around the war in Iran and pre-election events in Hungary — were covered superficially in the telethon, with minimal expert discussion. Suspilne’s First Channel, by contrast, devoted significant attention to both topics in studio discussions and covered Hungary with on-the-ground reporting.
The main domestic political event — the Verkhovna Rada passing several key laws necessary for Western financial aid and European integration after weeks of parliamentary crisis — was covered in the telethon only in brief formats. Suspilne’s First Channel provided comprehensive reporting and hosted discussions with MPs from both ruling and opposition factions.
During the reporting days, the telethon showed the highest number of serious violations of the standards of accuracy and separation of facts from opinions. The same was true for Suspilne’s First Channel. There were also many violations of accessibility standards.
During the week of April 6–12, guest studios in the telethon were dominated by representatives of the ruling Servant of the People party. Representatives of opposition factions Holos and European Solidarity were not invited. On Suspilne’s First Channel, representation of government and opposition was fully balanced.
Over the two analyzed days, six instances of political PR were recorded in the telethon, most of them on We Are Ukraine. No such instances were found on Suspilne’s First Channel.
1. Coverage of Key Topics
SITUATION ON DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE FRONTLINE:
During the reporting period, the highest number of battles occurred in the Pokrovsk sector of the front (26 and 32 combat engagements per day, respectively). Fighting also remained highly intense in the Kostyantynivka sector (32 and 20 engagements), while it was slightly lower in the Huliaipole sector (26 and 18 engagements per day). On April 7, 12 combat engagements took place in the Oleksandrivka sector. In all other sectors of the front, the number of engagements did not exceed eight per day.
In the national telethon, the channels collectively devoted the most attention to the Sloviansk sector, which was not the most intense one (the situation there was discussed with four guests). The situation in the Pokrovsk sector was discussed with three guests. Even less attention was given to the Kostyantynivka sector, which ranked second in terms of combat intensity (one report and one discussion), while the Huliaipole sector was mentioned only in brief updates.
During these days, the editorial teams of the channels 1+1 and ICTV with STB covered the situation on the front most actively. Most often, they discussed the situation with soldiers directly involved in combat operations (six times). Five interviews were conducted with spokespersons from various units of the Defense Forces, and military experts were invited twice. War correspondents from 1+1 produced two field reports during these days, while two additional frontline reports and one live broadcast were aired by ICTV with STB.
On the First Channel of Suspilne, significantly less attention was paid to the frontline during the reporting period than usual. The news programs did not mention the front at all, and there were few guests. The situation in the most intense sectors of the front was discussed with only one or two guests. Most often, the topic of the front was discussed with soldiers directly involved in combat operations (six times); spokespersons from various Defense Forces units were invited three times, and only one military expert was invited. No frontline reports were produced during the two reporting days.
CONSEQUENCES OF ENEMY SHELLING AND BOMBING OF CIVILIAN OBJECTS:
The enemy air attacks with the most severe consequences for civilians occurred on April 7. Russian forces attacked a bus in Nikopol with a drone, killing four people and injuring sixteen. On the same day, in the Nikopol district, they struck another scheduled passenger bus, injuring five more people.
These events were covered in on-the-ground reports only by the First Channel of Suspilne, which aired both a news package and a live broadcast from its correspondents. Within the national telethon, journalists were unable to reach Nikopol.
In addition, on April 7 the enemy carried out a massive shelling of the Korabelnyi district of Kherson, killing four people and injuring six. The First Channel of Suspilne aired a field report from its correspondent about the attack, while within the telethon, only the channel We Are Ukraine produced a report from the scene.
UKRAINE’S FOREIGN POLICY AND GLOBAL POLITICS:
In the reporting period, the main focus of foreign policy coverage was on developments surrounding the war involving Iran and the approaching parliamentary elections in Hungary. The long-standing topic of negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia was maintained rather formally, with little in terms of new events or statements.
In the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, the night of April 7–8 marked a kind of climax of mutual threats: Trump threatened to destroy Iran overnight, while Iran issued an ultimatum with conditions for the United States. However, the following day, a conditional ceasefire emerged, which both sides described as their own “victory.”
In the national telethon, this chain of events was covered rather formally. In most news broadcasts, the Iranian topic was not even placed first in the lineup, although it arguably deserved that position in many cases. Expert discussion of the issue was also minimal and largely formal, even on the channel We Are Ukraine, which usually devotes the most attention to international topics.
In contrast, the First Channel of Suspilne devoted significant attention to the Iranian issue in its discussion studios, inviting a large number of well-qualified experts from different fields.
Meanwhile, ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections, U.S. Vice President Vance traveled to Hungary to support Viktor Orbán and also joined the anti-Ukrainian rhetoric of the current Hungarian government. Unlike the telethon, the First Channel of Suspilne was already broadcasting live reports from Hungary through its correspondent. As with the Iranian topic, the telethon provided only minimal expert analysis of developments in Hungary, whereas the First Channel of Suspilne again involved a broad range of experts.
DOMESTIC POLITICS:
In domestic politics, the most significant event during the reporting period was the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of several bills important for securing Western financial assistance and advancing European integration. This followed several weeks of a parliamentary crisis. In particular, the parliament extended the military tax for three years after the end of the war.
Within the national telethon, this development was covered rather formally. Channels aired brief news segments with soundbites, and the topic was discussed only with one Member of Parliament from the Servant of the People party, Leonov.
The First Channel of Suspilne, by contrast, covered the parliamentary session in a more report-driven manner—with live broadcasts, updates from its correspondent in parliament, and a final summary report. The topic was also widely discussed in studio talk segments, which included MPs from the governing party and from opposition factions in parliament.
Topics and events not mentioned in the telethon broadcasts but covered by the First Channel of Suspilne:
- The Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant stopped operating following enemy attacks (April 7).
- Pavlo Palisa stated that Russian forces are planning to create a buffer zone in the Vinnytsia region from the direction of Transnistria (April 8).
- An employee of the Bucha Territorial Recruitment Center explained to MPs how he came to possess more than one kilogram of gold worth 8 million hryvnias (April 8).
- A court in Kharkiv placed under house arrest a suspect in the armed attack on employees of a Territorial Recruitment Center on April 6 (decision announced on April 8).
Not reported either in the national telethon or on the First Channel of Suspilne:
- SAPO head Oleksandr Klymenko, in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, spoke about systemic pressure by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) (April 7).
- Two National Guard colonels received notices of suspicion over illegal payments of “combat bonuses” totaling nearly 12 million hryvnias (April 7).
- Ukraine lost part of its foreign currency reserves (April 7).
- Brussels warned Ukraine about the consequences of reducing the status period for Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) to three years (April 7).
- The Supervisory Board of Energoatom was paid 10.7 million hryvnias shortly before the so-called “Mindichgate” scandal (April 8).
- A verdict was announced for a former commander of a Berkut special unit, convicted of destroying the weapons used in the killings of Euromaidan protesters (April 8).
2. Violations of Information Journalism Standards, April 7–8
Telethon
On the 1+1 channel, the most frequent serious violations of the reliability standard were generalized and vague pseudo-references to sources of factual information. The most common violations of the accuracy standard were mismatches between the visuals and the narration in brief news segments and live reports. The most frequent violations of the separation of facts from opinions were emotional evaluations by journalists in news reports. There were also many unauthorised commentaries by the hosts of guest studio segments. Most violations of the completeness of information standard involved insufficient presentation of the expertise of invited experts. The most common violations of the clarity and accessibility of information standard were screenshots shown on air that could not be read from a television screen.
On the ICTV and STB channels, the most frequent serious violations of the reliability standard were generalized and vague pseudo-references attributing subjective opinions. Many facts were presented without citing sources. All serious violations of the accuracy standard involved mismatches between visuals and narration in brief news segments and overview reports. The most common violations of the separation of facts from opinions standard were emotional evaluations by journalists in news reports. The most frequent violations of the clarity and accessibility standard involved the use of words that may be unclear to part of the audience.
On the Inter channel, the most frequent serious violations of the reliability standard were generalized and vague pseudo-references to the authorship of subjective opinions. There were also many generalized pseudo-references to factual sources. In addition, many facts were presented without citing sources. The most frequent violations of the accuracy standard involved mismatches between visuals and narration in brief news segments and overview reports. The most frequent violations of the separation of facts from opinions standard were emotional evaluations by journalists, both in news reports and in news segments within guest studios. All serious violations of the clarity and accessibility standard involved the use of words that may be unclear to part of the audience.
On the We Are Ukraine channel, the most common serious violations of the reliability standard involved presenting facts without citing sources. The most frequent violations of the accuracy standard were mismatches between visuals and narration in brief news segments and overview reports. The most frequent violations of the separation of facts from opinions standard were emotional evaluations by journalists in news reports. The most frequent violations of the completeness of information standard involved insufficient presentation of the expertise of invited experts. In addition, many videos were broadcast without natural background sound.
First Channel of Suspilne
The most frequent serious violations of the reliability standard were generalized and vague pseudo-references to sources of factual information. There were also many purely abstract pseudo-references and generalized pseudo-references to the authorship of subjective opinions. Most serious violations of the accuracy standard involved mismatches between visuals and narration in brief news segments and overview reports. The most frequent—and overall very numerous—violations of the separation of facts from opinions standard involved unnecessary authorization markers and attention-enhancing language in news reports. There were also a number of subjective commentaries by journalists in the news. Most violations of the completeness of information standard involved incomplete descriptions of the expertise of invited experts. The most frequent violations of the clarity and accessibility standard involved words that may be unclear to part of the audience. Many screenshots that were impossible to read were also shown, as well as poorly adapted screenshots.
3. Representation of Parliamentary Factions and Groups in Guest Studios (April 6–12)
Members of Parliament in the Telethon
During the reporting week, Members of Parliament were invited to the telethon only seven times (compared to nine invitations the previous week). Six representatives of the ruling Servant of the People faction appeared on air (almost 86% of all MP appearances), and one representative of Batkivshchyna. Representatives of the opposition factions Holos and European Solidarity were not invited to the telethon at all during this week. On the ICTV and STB channels, no MPs appeared as guests during the reporting week.
Oleksii Leonov of Servant of the People was invited three times on two different channels. Other MPs appeared only once each.
The Office of the President was represented unusually modestly in the telethon that week. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the President’s Office, appeared once on the Inter channel (14 minutes of airtime). Another adviser, Serhii Leshchenko, appeared twice on the Inter and We Are Ukraine channels (17 minutes in total, although the connection with him was lost during the Inter broadcast, which would otherwise have increased the airtime). Vladyslav Vlasiuk, a presidential commissioner, appeared once on We Are Ukraine (14 minutes of airtime). In total, the Office of the President received only 45 minutes of airtime in the telethon.
Members of Parliament on the First Channel of Suspilne
On the public broadcaster’s First Channel, MPs were invited 33 times during the week (compared to 26 invitations the previous week). Representatives of the ruling Servant of the People faction were invited 16 times, while representatives of the parliamentary opposition were invited 16 times in total (seven from Holos, six from European Solidarity, and three from Batkivshchyna). Independent MP Oksana Savchuk was invited once. In discussion studios, the balance between representatives of the government and the opposition was fully maintained.
Serhii Kozyr, an MP from Servant of the People, appeared three times in different roles: once representing the ruling faction in a discussion studio, once as a co-founder of the NGO “IDPs of Ukraine,” and once as a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy. Yuliia Sirko of Holos appeared twice. All other MPs appeared only once.
4. Instances of Political PR in the Telethon (April 7–8)
During the two analyzed days, six instances of political PR were recorded in the telethon:
- Three on the We Are Ukraine channel
- Two on ICTV/STB
- One on the Inter channel
No instances of political PR were recorded on the First Channel of Suspilne during the reporting period.
5. Russian Narratives and Toxic Media Figures in the Telethon (April 7–8)
No Russian propaganda narratives or toxic media figures were observed in the broadcasts of the telethon or on the First Channel of Suspilne during the reporting period.
