What the United News Marathon and Suspilne’s Pershyi Channel broadcast looked like on July 6–7, 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 6–7 July, the most active areas of the front were the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka sectors, while fighting was also highly intense in the Sloviansk, Lyman, and Huliaipole sectors. During the reporting period, the United News telethon devoted the greatest overall attention to these most active sections of the front. In contrast, Pershyi Channel of Suspilne devoted too little coverage to frontline developments during these days, including the most active sectors.

The aftermath of the Russian attack on Kyiv on 6 July, which resulted in heavy casualties, was covered equally promptly by both Pershyi Channel of Suspilne and the United News telethon. However, Pershyi Channel provided more comprehensive and detailed reporting. The Russian attack and the subsequent explosions at warehouses in central Vyshneve were covered inadequately by both the telethon and Pershyi Channel, as neither attempted over the course of two days to determine what exactly had exploded there.

The main foreign policy topic for Ukraine during the reporting period was the NATO summit in Ankara and the meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, which was expected to take place there. In terms of on-the-ground reporting, only the 1+1 channel covered the topic comprehensively within the telethon. Pershyi Channel also provided high-quality live reports on developments in Ankara. As for expert analysis, the most detailed discussion within the telethon was aired by the We Are Ukraine channel. Pershyi Channel devoted the maximum amount of attention to expert analysis of the topic on both reporting days.

Regarding domestic political coverage during the reporting period, only the 1+1 channel covered the searches conducted at drone manufacturer Vyriy Industries and at the co-owner of the Babel publication within the telethon. Pershyi Channel did not mention the possibility that Babel’s critical reporting may have been one of the reasons for the searches. The topic of President Zelenskyy’s sanctions against former MP Boryslav Bereza was covered in a rather manipulative manner only by the 1+1 channel within the telethon. Pershyi Channel covered the issue accurately and comprehensively. Several other domestic political stories were not covered by the telethon at all but were reported by Pershyi Channel.

During the reporting period, the telethon recorded the highest number of serious violations of the standards of accuracy and separation of facts from opinion. The broadcasts of Pershyi Channel also contained the greatest number of serious violations of these same standards during these two days.

Over the course of two weeks (29 June – 12 July), the telethon’s parliamentary guest studios featured exclusively representatives of the ruling Servant of the People faction. Representatives of none of the opposition factions were invited to participate. During the reporting week, Pershyi Channel maintained a balanced representation of both the ruling and opposition factions across all of its discussion studios except one.

During the two days analyzed, no instances of political self-promotion were identified in the telethon. In the broadcasts of Pershyi Channel, there was one unjustified reference to the parliamentary faction affiliation of a guest MP during the reporting period.

SITUATION ACROSS DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE FRONT:

During the reporting period, the most active sectors were Pokrovsk (36 and 51 combat engagements per day) and Kostiantynivka (34 and 18). The Kostiantynivka sector received additional attention because of yet another false claim by dictator Vladimir Putin that Russian forces had allegedly captured Kostiantynivka. Fighting was also more intense than average in the Sloviansk (24 and 27 engagements per day), Lyman (24 and 17), and Huliaipole (14 and 24) sectors. Among all other sectors, only the North Slobozhanskyi and South Slobozhanskyi sectors recorded 10 or more combat engagements on individual days. Fighting on all remaining sectors of the front was significantly less intense during the reporting period.

During the reporting period, the United News telethon devoted the greatest overall attention to the most active sectors—the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions. The situation in the Pokrovsk sector was discussed with five guests, while the Kostiantynivka sector was covered through two frontline reports and discussions with three guests. The same amount of attention was also devoted to the less active Orikhiv sector (one live report, one frontline report, and three discussions). Among the other sectors, additional attention was paid to the Kupiansk, Kramatorsk, Oleksandrivka, and Huliaipole directions. Frontline developments were discussed most frequently with military personnel serving at the front (nine appearances), while spokespersons for various units of the Defense Forces were invited five times and experts three times. War correspondents were also highly active during the reporting period. The 1+1 channel produced two frontline reports and one live broadcast from the front, ICTV/STB aired two frontline reports, and Inter broadcast one report.

During the reporting period, Pershyi Channel devoted relatively little attention to frontline developments (eight guests and one report). The greatest attention was given to the Huliaipole sector, which was discussed with three guests. Other active sectors received insufficient coverage—for example, the Sloviansk sector was not mentioned at all. Frontline developments were discussed most frequently with military personnel serving at the front (four guests), while spokespersons for Defense Forces units appeared three times and experts twice. The channel produced one frontline report.

CONSEQUENCES OF RUSSIAN STRIKES AND BOMBARDMENT OF CIVILIAN TARGETS:

On 6 July, Russia launched a massive combined aerial attack on Kyiv, striking residential apartment buildings. Nineteen civilians were killed and 76 were injured. Search-and-rescue operations at the impact sites continued for more than a day. On the day of the attack, Pershyi Channel, Inter, and ICTV/STB covered the events with equal speed. However, Pershyi Channel provided more comprehensive and detailed reporting, working far more actively than the telethon broadcasters with newsmakers and official spokespersons in its discussion studios, covering the condition of the injured, the consequences of the attack, and the authorities’ plans to assist the victims.

The same day, in addition to Kyiv, Russia also attacked the town of Vyshneve near Kyiv. Many people were killed or injured there, while houses on five streets were destroyed not only by the attack itself but also by explosions at weapons depots located within a residential area. Throughout both reporting days, this aspect of the story was covered extremely poorly by both the United News telethon and Pershyi Channel. Journalists showed no interest in the obvious question of what these depots were and why they had remained in the middle of a populated area during the fifth year of the full-scale war. Both the telethon (all participating broadcasters without exception) and, rather surprisingly, Pershyi Channel were satisfied with official but meaningless bureaucratic phrases such as “repeated detonation of explosive objects,” “secondary detonation,” “continued detonation of explosive materials,” or simply “a large fire at warehouses,” without explaining what kind of warehouses they were or what they contained. During both reporting days, no one even attempted to determine what exactly had detonated there or why such facilities had been located in the middle of the town during the fifth year of the war. Coverage was limited to quoting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said he was “awaiting a detailed explanation from the Security Service of Ukraine and military intelligence regarding what happened in Vyshneve,” and a statement by the General Staff, which said that “the facility that detonated in Vyshneve is not subordinate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” At the same time, from a purely reporting perspective, the aftermath in Vyshneve—including the consequences and ongoing rescue and emergency operations—was covered professionally by ICTV/STB, 1+1, and Pershyi Channel.

UKRAINE’S FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS:

The main foreign policy issue for Ukraine during the reporting period was the NATO summit in Ankara and the planned meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump. On 6 July, coverage focused on expectations and preparations, while on 7 July attention shifted to the opening day of the summit and the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara. Within the United News telethon, developments in Ankara were covered through live reports by correspondents from ICTV/STB and 1+1, although the quality varied. The ICTV correspondent relied more on personal observations, whereas the 1+1 correspondent delivered highly professional reporting. Pershyi Channel also provided high-quality live reports from its own correspondent in Ankara. Expert analysis within the telethon was most comprehensive on the We Are Ukraine channel. Pershyi Channel devoted the maximum possible attention to expert analysis on both reporting days, discussing the issue with numerous experts from various fields as well as with members of parliament.

DOMESTIC POLITICS:

During the reporting period, several important domestic political stories were covered very differently by the United News telethon and Pershyi Channel, often with opposite editorial approaches. The We Are Ukraine channel ignored the searches conducted at drone manufacturer Vyriy Industries and its director, Oleksii Babenko, while 1+1 covered the story in a more or less comprehensive manner. Pershyi Channel also reported on the searches. However, it failed to mention that Babenko is a co-owner of the Babel publication, which had recently published critical reporting on the Skelia Regiment, and it did not include Babenko’s own statement suggesting that the searches may have been prompted by Babel’s publications. 1+1, by contrast, aired this comment in full.

The issue of President Zelenskyy’s sanctions against former MP Boryslav Bereza was also covered only by 1+1 within the telethon, but in a rather manipulative manner. Pershyi Channel, in contrast, covered the issue comprehensively, discussing it both with politicians in a studio debate and with a human rights expert.

Several domestic political stories were not covered by the telethon at all, but were reported by Pershyi Channel:

Stories Mentioned on Pershyi Channel but Not in the United News Telethon

Stories Not Covered by Either the United News Telethon or Pershyi Channel

United News Telethon:

On the 1+1 channel, the most frequent—and overall an exceptionally high number of—serious violations of the accuracy standard consisted of vague, generalized pseudo-attributions used to present subjective opinions. Many facts were also presented without citing any sources. The most common serious violations of the precision standard were mismatches between visuals and the voice-over in anchor-read news segments. The most frequent—and overall an exceptionally high number of—serious violations of the separation of facts from opinion standard were purely emotional evaluations made by journalists in news reports. There were also numerous unnecessary attribution markers and attention-grabbing phrases in news coverage, as well as many unauthorised personal comments by guest studio hosts. The most common serious violations of the accessibility standard involved the use of words and abbreviations that would be unclear to a part of the audience.

On ICTV/STB, the most frequent—and overall an exceptionally high number of—violations of the accuracy standard consisted of purely abstract pseudo-attributions. Many facts were also presented without any source attribution. The most common serious violations of the precision standard were mismatches between visuals and narration in anchor-read news segments and live broadcasts. The most frequent—and overall an exceptionally high number of—serious violations of the separation of facts from opinion standard were emotional evaluations by journalists in news reports. There were also numerous subjective comments by journalists in news coverage, along with excessive attribution markers and attention-grabbing phrases. The number of injured people was consistently reported as approximately rather than accurately and completely. All serious violations of the accessibility standard involved words and abbreviations that were unclear to part of the audience.

On the Inter channel, the most frequent serious violations of the accuracy standard consisted of purely abstract pseudo-attributions. The most common serious violations of the precision standard were mismatches between visuals and narration in anchor-read news segments and overview reports. The most frequent serious violations of the separation of facts from opinion standard were emotional evaluations by journalists in news reports and in the news segments of guest studio programmes. The most common serious violations of the accessibility standard involved abbreviations that were unclear to part of the audience.

On the We Are Ukraine channel, the most frequent serious violations of the accuracy standard involved presenting facts without any source attribution. All serious violations of the precision standard were factual errors. The most frequent serious violations of the separation of facts from opinion standard were emotional evaluations by journalists in news reports. There were also numerous unauthorised personal comments by guest studio hosts. Most serious violations of the completeness of information standard consisted of the absence of natural ambient sound in video reports.

Pershyi Channel:

The most frequent—and overall very numerous—serious violations of the accuracy standard consisted of purely abstract pseudo-attributions. Most serious violations of the precision standard were factual errors. The most frequent serious violations of the separation of facts from opinion standard were emotional evaluations by journalists in news reports and in the news segments of guest studio programmes. There were also too many unnecessary attribution markers and attention-grabbing phrases in news coverage. Most serious violations of the completeness of information standard involved insufficient presentation of experts’ qualifications and expertise. The most common serious violations of the accessibility standard consisted of displaying screenshots that were impossible to read. In addition, words that would be unclear to part of the audience were used frequently.

Note: On 10 July, the broadcast provider failed to record the United News telethon and Pershyi Channel broadcasts between 13:00 and 13:51. Therefore, if any members of parliament appeared as guests during that period, they are not included in this review.

Members of Parliament on the United News Telethon:

During the two-week reporting period, members of parliament appeared as guests on the United News telethon 13 times (compared with 19 appearances during the previous two-week period). Every single MP invited during the reporting period represented the ruling Servant of the People faction (100%). No representatives of any opposition faction were invited to the telethon.

Of the 13 MP appearances, more than half were on the We Are Ukraine channel, while 1+1 invited MPs three times.

The Office of the President received relatively limited airtime during these two weeks. Presidential Sanctions Commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk appeared twice (both times on We Are Ukraine, for a combined total of 23 minutes). Presidential advisers Serhii Leshchenko (11 minutes on We Are Ukraine) and Mykhailo Podolyak (12 minutes on Inter) each appeared once. Altogether, representatives of the Office of the President received only 46 minutes of airtime across the telethon.

Members of Parliament on Pershyi Channel:

During the two-week reporting period, members of parliament appeared on Pershyi Channel 54 times (compared with 49 appearances during the previous two weeks).

During the reporting period, representatives of the Servant of the People faction appeared 29 times. On one occasion, however, when the channel discussed the government's resignation with opposition MPs Mykhailo Tsymbaliuk from Batkivshchyna and Nina Yuzhanina from European Solidarity, no representative of the ruling faction agreed to participate. The presenter informed viewers as follows:

"At the same time, we invited representatives of the ruling Servant of the People faction to join our broadcast. We made numerous attempts, but so far they have declined to participate. I would also like to note that members of the Servant of the People faction learned about Svyrydenko's dismissal from President Zelenskyy's social media post. Representatives of the Servant of the People faction told Suspilne this."

Representatives of the three opposition factions appeared on the channel 22 times in total: 14 appearances by European Solidarity, 5 by Batkivshchyna, and 3 by Holos MPs. During the reporting week, discussion programmes maintained a balance between representatives of the ruling party and the opposition in almost every case except one. On 12 July, immediately after the announcement of the government's resignation, the channel invited Yuliia Sirko of Holos to discuss the development, but did not invite anyone from the ruling faction (or at least the presenter did not mention any such invitation on air).

In addition to representatives of parliamentary factions, Serhii Rudyk of the For the Future parliamentary group appeared twice—both as an MP and as a war veteran. The channel's talk show New Countdown also featured independent MP Maryana Bezuhla.

During the two-week reporting period, presenters made four unjustified references to MPs' party affiliations. These occurred in programmes that were purely expert discussions, where MPs participated in their capacity as members of relevant parliamentary committees rather than as political representatives. Specifically, presenters unnecessarily referred to the Servant of the People affiliation of Oleksandr Fediienko and Andrii Herus, the European Solidarity affiliation of Nina Yuzhanina, and the Batkivshchyna affiliation of Valentyn Nalyvaichenko.

Editorial handling of these references was often inconsistent. In one case, a party affiliation was omitted both from the introduction and the on-screen caption but was unnecessarily mentioned in the presenter’s transition. In another case, it appeared both in the introduction and in the caption. In a third case, it was omitted from the introduction but unnecessarily included in the on-screen caption.

During the two reporting days analyzed, there were no clear instances of political promotion in the United News telethon.

On 6 July, Pershyi Channel unnecessarily identified MP Valentyn Nalyvaichenko in the on-screen caption as a member of the Batkivshchyna faction, even though he was participating in an expert discussion in his capacity as Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union.

No Russian propaganda narratives or toxic media figures were identified in the broadcasts of either the United News telethon or Pershyi Channel during the reporting period.