What the United News Marathon and Suspilne’s Pershyi Channel broadcast looked like on July 16–17, 2026—summary

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Coverage of the week’s main topics; representation of parliamentary factions and groups in guest studios; instances of political PR, as well as Russian narratives and toxic media figures in the telethon; and violations of the core standards of information journalism—in brief.

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 Pershyi 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 Pershyi 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. Read more about the new monitoring format here.

Starting in 2026, the Rada channel is no longer broadcasting as part of the national telethon.

On July 16–17, the Pokrovsk and Huliaipole directions were the most active, while the intensity of fighting was also high in the Sloviansk, Kostiantynivka, South Slobozhansk, and Lyman directions. On the telethon during the reporting days, the channels collectively devoted the most attention to the South Slobozhansk, Pokrovsk, and Oleksandrivka directions. In the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne, extremely little attention was devoted to the frontline overall during the reporting days.

In terms of domestic political issues, most channels in the telethon covered the election of the new prime minister and the incomplete composition of the government formally, while expert discussion was also limited. The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne thoroughly covered the developments in parliament, organized extensive expert discussions, and discussions with MPs from various political forces.

In the telethon, the issue of Fedorov’s resignation and the statements he made at his press conference were covered very selectively and sparingly. They were discussed with a very limited circle of regular experts. The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne presented all the main statements and organized extensive expert discussions and discussions with members of parliament.

The mass protests that took place in many large cities across Ukraine were covered by most channels in the telethon very laconically and superficially, while the expansion of the protesters’ demands toward the authorities was not mentioned. The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne extensively covered the course of the protests in many Ukrainian cities through live broadcasts and live reports from many cities.

During the two reporting days, the enemy attacks with the highest numbers of civilian deaths and injuries were those against Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa on July 16, and Kherson and Kharkiv on July 17. In the telethon, most of these events were covered in short news reports. The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne aired live reports from correspondents in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kharkiv.

The two foreign policy events of July 17 — Burnham being announced as the leader of the Labour Party of Great Britain and the Senate securing the necessary votes to vote on Graham’s bill to strengthen sanctions against Russia — were discussed with experts in the telethon only on the air of the We Are Ukraine channel. The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne aired a live report from its own correspondent in London, while the issue of Graham’s bill was discussed with experts.

During the reporting days, the telethon had the highest number of gross violations of the standards of accuracy and separation of facts from opinions. Gross violations of the standard of timeliness also occurred. In the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne during these days, the highest number of gross violations concerned the standards of accuracy and separation of facts from opinions.

Over the two weeks (July 13–26), in the “deputy” guest studios of the telethon, the vast majority of guests were representatives of the ruling Servant of the People faction. Among the opposition factions, only representatives of the Voice party were invited to the telethon twice. On the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne this week, representation of the ruling and opposition factions was balanced.

During the two days analyzed, there was one instance of political promotion in the telethon. There were no instances of political promotion on the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne during the reporting days.

THE SITUATION IN DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE FRONT:

During the reporting days, the most active directions were Pokrovsk (37 and 43 combat engagements per day) and Huliaipole (17 and 31 combat engagements). In four other directions, the intensity of fighting was also high: Sloviansk (23 combat engagements on both days), Kostiantynivka (20 and 19 combat engagements), South Slobozhansk (19 and 17), and Lyman (10 and 21). In all other sectors of the front, the intensity of fighting was noticeably lower.

On the telethon during the reporting days, the channels collectively devoted the most attention to the South Slobozhansk, Pokrovsk, and Oleksandrivka directions of the front (each of the first two was covered in 4 studio discussions with guests, while the latter was covered in 3 reports and a guest discussion). Significant attention was also devoted to the Huliaipole and the less active Kupiansk directions. Among the most active directions of the front, little attention was devoted to the Lyman direction. The situation at the front was most often discussed with military personnel serving on the front lines (8 times), while spokespersons for various units of the Defense Forces and experts were invited 3 times each. Military correspondents were actively working at the front during these days. The 1+1 channel produced 2 frontline reports and a major special report. There were 4 frontline reports on ICTV and STB. One more was aired on Inter.

On the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne, a record-low amount of attention was devoted to the front during the reporting days. The front was not mentioned at all in the news, and over the course of the two days, only two military personnel were invited for discussions—from the Kupiansk and Lyman directions of the front. No frontline reports were produced during these days.

DOMESTIC POLITICS:

In terms of domestic political issues, during the reporting days (and throughout at least the week), three major, interconnected, broad (I would even say — multifaceted) topics clearly dominated: the formation of the new government, the resignation of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov due to a publicly stated conflict with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, and the open question of whom the president would ultimately nominate for the position of minister. The third topic was the mass “cardboard” protest, initially demanding that Fedorov remain defense minister, and later demanding the resignation of Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi and forcing the president and parliament to decide on the head of the Ministry of Defense.

On July 16, the telethon channels covered the parliamentary vote on the new prime minister Serhii Koretskyi and on the incomplete composition of his government (without a defense minister and foreign minister) in different ways. The 1+1 channel provided more detailed coverage, airing two live reports and broadcasting the proceedings all the way through the vote on Koretskyi. The ICTV and STB television channels (whose daytime slot actually coincided with some of the main events in parliament) did not even manage to broadcast the event, let alone provide live reports from parliament. Throughout the day, all telethon participants limited themselves to one expert each (from the regular pool of experts who speak about the authorities’ actions in a maximum of neutral, but certainly not critical, manner). They also spoke during the day with two MPs, naturally, both from the ruling Servant of the People faction. The list of experts was also supplemented by Presidential Office adviser Leshchenko. Another characteristic detail: among the critically necessary background information, the 1+1 and Inter channels provided relatively detailed information about the new prime minister Koretskyi. However, there was no background information about the new ministers, especially those whom the audience was hearing about for the first time.

The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne, by contrast, thoroughly covered the developments in parliament, both through broadcasts of key moments and live reports from its own correspondent. Throughout the day, the channel organized extensive expert discussions in its talk studios. In addition, the topic and the individuals involved were discussed with MPs from both the ruling and opposition parliamentary factions. It is also symptomatic that the telethon did not mention at all that MP Mykyta Poturaiev from the Servant of the People faction had submitted a statement resigning his parliamentary mandate (although the following day, this was briefly mentioned in the “political technology” guest programs on 1+1 (where the regular experts agreed that “the MPs will not let Poturaiev go”).

The telethon covered the issue of Fedorov’s resignation and the statements from his press conference very selectively and sparingly. Of all Fedorov’s main statements, his conflict with Syrskyi was mentioned in a very approximate retelling. Of all his statements, the telethon aired a soundbite of Fedorov’s complimentary remarks about President Zelenskyy. This was invariably supplemented with soundbites from the president himself. Most of what Fedorov said at the press conference was not mentioned on the telethon (in particular, his remarks about “Syrskyi’s intrigues,” the “11 problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the General Staff’s sabotage of the new contract system, etc.). The topic was once again discussed with a very limited circle of regular experts and with Presidential Office adviser Leshchenko. The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne, by contrast, presented all the main statements through live reports from its correspondent at the press conference and soundbites from Fedorov himself. Throughout the day, it organized extensive expert discussions of the main positions. They were also discussed with MPs from both the ruling and opposition factions. In addition, the topic was discussed with military personnel. It is noteworthy that only the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne quoted the reaction of European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius to Fedorov’s resignation that day. The telethon did not report on it.

Finally, the third topic on both reporting days was the mass protests that took place in many large cities across Ukraine. On the telethon, most channels covered these rallies briefly and superficially. They stated that “rallies took place in Kyiv and other cities.” They aired short news reports from Kyiv. And they invariably supplemented this with a soundbite from President Zelenskyy saying that he “hears the people at the rallies.” The 1+1 correspondents provided somewhat more extensive coverage of the rally in Kyiv through live reports. Even so, on the second day, they failed to mention that protesters had added two more clearly articulated demands to the demand to “bring Fedorov back” — the resignation of Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi and the return of parliament to work. Among all the telethon participants, the We Are Ukraine channel stood out, where the topic of the protests was not merely watered down, as on the other channels — they did not report on them at all on July 17! The Pershyi Channel of Suspilne, by contrast, extensively covered the course of the protests in many Ukrainian cities through live broadcasts and live reports from its own correspondents, providing a detailed account of all the protesters’ demands toward the authorities.

In addition, on July 17, the telethon completely ignored the topic of “Initiative 143” by eight Ukrainian media outlets that published the court-banned investigation by Slidstvo.Info and the Center for Combating Corruption (CPC) into the apartments owned by the brother of the head of the State Bureau of Investigation. Naturally, the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne (one of these eight media outlets) reported on it and spoke with the co-author of the investigation. In addition to the significant public importance of the topic of the journalistic investigation by Slidstvo.Info and the CPC itself, what was also important here was the unprecedented nature of such a step by eight leading media outlets in support of their colleagues and in overcoming an unlawful court ruling aimed at restricting freedom of speech. The telethon participants, however, decided not to support their colleagues and not to stand up for freedom of speech.

CONSEQUENCES OF ENEMY SHELLING AND BOMBING OF CIVILIAN OBJECTS:

During the two reporting days, the enemy attacks with the highest numbers of civilian deaths and injuries were the ballistic missile attack on Kyiv on July 16 (2 people killed and 5 injured), the airstrike on Zaporizhzhia (3 killed and 2 injured), and the missile strike on Odesa (2 killed and 10 injured). On July 17, a woman was killed, and 6 people were injured as a result of a drone attack on Kherson, while one person was killed and 9 were injured as a result of a missile strike on Kharkiv. On the telethon, most of these events were covered in short news reports; only Odesa was covered in a report on 1+1. On the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne, correspondents provided live reports from Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kharkiv. The consequences of the attack on Kyiv were discussed with heads of district state administrations.

UKRAINE’S FOREIGN POLICY AND WORLD POLITICS:

Two foreign policy events on July 17 were closely related to Ukraine: in the United Kingdom, Andy Burnham was announced as the leader of the Labour Party and, consequently, would become the new prime minister; according to Axios, Lindsey Graham’s bill to strengthen sanctions against Russia had secured the necessary number of votes in the U.S. Senate. On the telethon, these two topics were discussed with experts on the We Are Ukraine channel, while 1+1 limited itself to brief reports. On the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne, a live report was made by its own correspondent in London, while the issue of Graham’s bill was discussed with experts.

Topics and events that were not mentioned on the telethon but were mentioned on the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne:

Not reported either on the telethon or on the broadcasts of the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne:

Telethon:

On 1+1, the largest number of gross violations of the accuracy standard involved vague, generalized pseudo-attributions of authorship of subjective opinions. Many facts were also presented without any references to sources. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accuracy involved discrepancies between the visuals and the text in news packages. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of separation of facts from opinions involved emotional assessments by journalists in the news. There were also numerous subjective opinions expressed by talk show hosts in the guest studio without proper attribution. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of completeness of information involved insufficient presentation of experts’ qualifications. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accessibility of information involved the use of words and abbreviations that were incomprehensible to a significant part of the audience. There was one gross violation of the standard of timeliness—presenting as news a report about an event that had occurred more than a day earlier.

On ICTV and STB, the largest number of gross violations of the accuracy standard involved vague, generalized pseudo-attributions of authorship of subjective opinions. Many facts were also presented without references to sources. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accuracy involved discrepancies between the visuals and the text in news packages. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of separation of facts from opinions involved emotional assessments by journalists in the news. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of completeness of information involved the absence of necessary background information. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accessibility of information involved the use of text screenshots that could not be read from a television screen.

On Inter, the largest number of gross violations of the accuracy standard involved abstract pseudo-attributions. Gross violations of the accuracy standard involved factual errors. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of separation of facts from opinions involved emotional assessments by journalists in the news and in news elements of guest studios. There were also numerous opinions expressed by the guest studio host without proper attribution. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accessibility of information involved the use of words and abbreviations that were incomprehensible to a significant part of the audience.

On We Are Ukraine, the largest number of gross violations of the accuracy standard involved the use of unverified video and information from anonymous enemy Telegram channels. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accuracy involved discrepancies between the visuals and the text in news packages. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of separation of facts from opinions involved opinions expressed by guest studio hosts without proper attribution. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of completeness of information involved insufficient presentation of experts’ qualifications. In addition, numerous news packages lacked natural sound. There were numerous gross violations of the standard of timeliness, with numerous news packages and reports about events from the previous day being presented as news.

Pershyi Channel of Suspilne

The largest number of gross violations of the accuracy standard involved vague, generalized pseudo-attributions of authorship of subjective opinions. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accuracy involved discrepancies between the visuals and the text in news packages. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of separation of facts from opinions involved the use of unnecessary attribution and attention-enhancing markers in the news. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of completeness of information involved insufficient presentation of experts’ qualifications. The largest number of gross violations of the standard of accessibility of information involved the use of words that were incomprehensible to a significant part of the audience.

MPs on the telethon:

MPs were invited to the telethon 13 times during the two reporting weeks (there were also 13 invitations during the previous two weeks). During the two reporting weeks, 9 representatives of the ruling Servant of the People faction appeared on air (more than 69% of all “MP” studios). The formally unaffiliated First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Korniienko, appeared as a guest twice. Together with him, the share of Servant of the People representatives amounted to almost 85%. Representatives of the Voice faction appeared on the telethon twice. MPs from the two other opposition factions—Batkivshchyna and European Solidarity—were not invited to the telethon. The formally unaffiliated First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Korniienko, appeared on the telethon twice (both times on 1+1). MP Oleksii Leonov of the Servant of the People faction also appeared on the telethon twice (traditionally on Inter and We Are Ukraine), while all the others appeared on the telethon once.

During these two weeks, the Presidential Office was represented on the telethon by Presidential Office adviser Mykhailo Podoliak four times (he appeared on 1+1, Inter, and twice on We Are Ukraine, with a total of as much as 1 hour and 12 minutes of airtime). The President’s Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, was also a guest on the telethon four times (on the same channels, with a somewhat lower total of “only” 49 minutes of airtime). Presidential Office adviser Serhii Leshchenko appeared on the telethon as many as five times (twice on Inter, three times on We Are Ukraine, with a total of 56 minutes of airtime). Overall, during the two weeks, the Presidential Office had 2 hours and 57 minutes of airtime on the telethon. This was even more than all MPs combined (although, unlike the clerks of the president’s office, MPs were at least elected in elections)!

MPs on the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne:

On the public broadcaster’s broadcasts, MPs appeared as guests 68 times during the two reporting weeks (during the previous two weeks, there had been 54 MP guests). Thirty-four times, they were MPs from the ruling Servant of the People faction. The editorial team also invited representatives of the faction twice but received refusals. Representatives of the three opposition factions appeared on the channel a total of 30 times (11 times they were representatives of Batkivshchyna, 10 times of Voice, and 9 times of European Solidarity). In addition, three unaffiliated MPs also appeared as guests on the channel (Dmytro Razumkov, Dmytro Kostiuk, and Oksana Savchuk), as well as one representative of the parliamentary group For the Future (Serhii Rudyk, who was invited both as an MP and as a war veteran).

Overall, a balance between the authorities and the opposition was maintained in discussion topics. This was the case in purely discussion-based studios (where MPs from both the ruling and opposition factions were invited simultaneously). During several days when the main topic remained the government reshuffle, and in particular the issue of the defense minister, balance was achieved throughout the daytime broadcasts (MPs were invited one at a time, but overall each day the floor was given both to representatives of the ruling faction and to representatives of opposition factions and even to individual unaffiliated MPs).

During the two weeks, MP Serhii Kozyr appeared on the channel as many as 6 times, but in different capacities — both as a representative of the Servant of the People faction in discussion studios and as a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Housing and Utilities, as well as a co-founder of the NGO Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine. Oleksandr Fedienko and Serhii Nahirniak of the Servant of the People faction, Oleksii Kucherenko of Batkivshchyna, and Yuliia Sirko of Voice each appeared on air 4 times (also in different capacities, both as representatives of their factions and as representatives of relevant parliamentary committees). Many other MPs appeared on the channel 2–3 times.

During the two days analyzed, there was only one instance of political promotion on the telethon—during the We Are Ukraine channel’s airtime slot, there was a promotional edition of the State Bureau of Investigation News.

There were no instances of political promotion on the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne during the reporting days.

There were no Russian propaganda narratives in the broadcasts of either the telethon or the Pershyi Channel of Suspilne during the reporting days. The Inter news broadcast on July 16 was hosted by the channel’s toxic presenter, Anastasiia Daugule.

This material was prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. The material represents the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.