Monitoring found an important feature of September news on regional channels of Southern and Eastern Ukraine such as the decreasing amount of paid news despite the start of the active phase of the parliamentary campaign. In particular, this applies to Odesa’s "Pervyi Horodskoy" and ODTRK, and also, to the channel "Zaporizhya".

However, all channels had paid materials that promoted parliamentary candidates, policy-makers and their environment. For instance, Odesa’s TV-journalists promoted Oleksandr Vilkul’s “Ukrainian Perspective”. Dnipropetrovsk channels aired several materials about the candidates such as Ivan Kulynechko from “Petro Poroshenko’s Block”, businessman and benefactor Zahid Krasnov, and Oleksiy Cheberdi from «Batkivshchyna”.

Zaporizhya journalists promoted current deputies Yevhen Kartashov and Oleksandr Dudka, talked about charity foundations of Oleksandr Vilkul and Rinat Akhmetov, and aired as much as seven image-making videos about "Zaporizhstal".

Channel "Donbas" repeatedly used interviews with people who could be classified as Rinat Akhmetov’s environment; for instance, it showed Hana Herman, Mykola Levchenko, Rymma Fil, and Oleksandr Lukyanchenko. At the same time, the channel did not forget to promote Rinat Akhmetov as a benefactor, too.

The least amount of paid news was seen on Odesa’s “Pervyi Horodskoy”; it was 4%. The number of sponsored news in the final news programs of other channels ranged from 14 to 18%.

Experts also analysed September news of Luhansk channel controlled by separatists; they called the channel "Novorossiya." None of the existing methodologies can properly evaluate the quality of pseudo-information of the TV-product that de facto serves as anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Luhansk region, albeit partially controlled by terrorists, is still the Ukrainian land. Thus, "Telekritika" could not ignore the lies shown to people in Luhansk region under the guise of news and analysed these news in a separate section of the monitoring.

Here, we present the monitoring of Odesa regional TV companies ("Pervyi Horodskoy", and ODTRK), Dnipropetrovsk ("Channel 11", and Dnipropetrovsk ODTRK), Luhansk ("Novorossiya"), Zaporizhya ("TV5", "Zaporizhya") and Donetsk ("Donbas") during September 2014.

Monitoring methodology of local news channels is the same to the monitoring methodology of the news on national channels. It can be found here.

Here is the review of materials with signs of political or commercial advertisement (sponsored or paid news) in the news programs.

ODESA, "Pervyi Horodskoy", and OODTRK

ODTRK had six materials with features of paid news, and “Pervyi Horodskoy” had just one. ODTRK also had a material with features of commercial advertising. Overall, paid news indicators during the monitoring period on Odesa television are as follows: "Pervyi Horodskoy" - 4% ​​(comparing to 10% in August), OODTRK - 14% (comparing to 19% in the previous monitoring period), and combined regional rate is 9%.

An important feature of materials with the signs of political advertisement on Odesa state’s television news is their open promotional, even propagandist attitude toward various government agencies, and most of all, the power block.

For instance, the material on September 15 about students visiting a training base of MIA special forces is filled with positive evaluations and focuses only on positive qualities of policemen. An unnamed author tells the story behind the scenes and provides viewers with an "extremely" important "facts": "Chief of Special Forces met students personally", "They prepared a very interesting and unforgettable program"; the author also repeats twice that the students "listened with great interest" as well as uses the phrase “open doors” two times in the material.

According to monitoring experts, the propagandist purpose of this material is shown in the commentary of the chief of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in Odesa region Ivan Katerynchuk: “I believe that thanks to the things we showed today, the children no longer feel that negativity toward policemen that is being spread out now”.  

On September 16, “Pervyi Horodskoy” had a material with political advertisement features; it was called "Despite the adoption of the law about Donbas special status (...)." The material states that on the East, the killing and shooting against Ukrainian soldiers continues. While talking about this, the material mentions the humanitarian aid of the fund “Ukrainian Perspective” and focuses on its logo:

The material states: "Injured soldiers and officers remain in the hospitals everywhere in the country, and the most of them are in Dnipropetrovsk. Fund “Ukrainian Perspective” provided local burning centre with a portion of expensive antibiotics that are vitally important for the patients". At the same time, the author does not mention other humanitarian aids given to the hospitals, and does not clarify the amount of money the fund spent to buy the medicine (although it may turn out that Vilkul’s fund spent less money on the medicine that it did on advertisement). The material does not explain why the medicine is important for Odesa.

At the same time, there were many materials about elections process the experts did not consider being sponsored; but they would like to emphasize on the low quality of compliance with the standards in these materials.

In particular, Valeriya Naumova’s material on September 17 called “Kyiv and Prymorsk regions are to become burning points" does not comply with the criteria of balance of opinions, and that is why one may think that the video represents the interests of various candidates. Experts stress that they do not consider it being done on purpose, but they would like to focus on the violation of professional standards.

For example, the material talks about “many famous politicians” running for the parliament in Odesa’s districts. The author states that at the beginning of September, the anti-rate of Serhiy Kivalov (“Party of Regions”) was 50%, but she does not provide references to her information and adds: “But the politician still has chances”. This way, the journalist violates the criteria of separating the facts from the evaluations and reliability standard. By the end of the video, the author also identifies some other candidates stating: "According to sociologists, such candidates as Oleksandr Presman, Anton Kisse, and Ivan Fursin are already leading in their districts; and all of them used to be in “Party of Regions”."

Choosing only three candidates out of 11 districts looks like the author is trying to highlight the former “Party of Regions” members, focusing on their chances of winning. If the author focused on the chances of winning of the candidates from other political parties, or if she added where, “according to sociologists”, other candidates could win, the material would not appear so prejudiced.

DNIPROPETROVSK, "Channel 11", and ODTRK

During the monitoring period, the experts found 15 materials on “Channel 11" and ODTRK that had features of paid news; and altogether, the combined rate of paid news was 15% (comparing to 10% in August). Both channels increased the amount of paid materials: "Channel 11" increased from 12 to 16%, and ODTRK increased from 7% to 15%.

In particular, “Channel 11" had 7 materials that had features of political advertising, and 1 material with the features of commercial advertising.

During the week, the channel promoted the mayor of Dnipropetrovsk Ivan Kulychenko, businessman and philanthropist Zahid Krasnov and local ally of Tymoshenko Oleksiy Cheberda; all of them were running for the parliament.

For instance, on September 1, the newsroom aired a material called “The beginning of the school year in Prydniprovska Academy"; it promoted the candidate Ivan Kulychenko from “Petro Poroshenko’s Block”. The anchor in the studio set a tone of the paid material:

“Former student, and now, the mayor of Dnipropetrovsk, greeted the students of the academy with the beginning of the school year”.

In the video, the journalist says: «Ivan Kulychenko, the former student and the mayor came to greet students. He wished the youth to build the city the way they see it, and also, to take an active part not only in the educational process, but in the creative life, too. He also wished students to find their love. "

The journalist used very “informative” comment of the official: "Meet each other, kiss. Don’t forget about it. The academy always had the most beautiful girl, and the bravest guys. Here you can find a wife. I found a wife, and I am happy. "

On September 1, “Channel 11” aired Olesya Khmara’s material “Instead of the usual black and white forms". It was about the candidate and the head of Dnipropetrovsk City Organization «Batkivshchyna” Oleksiy Cheberda presenting computers to kindergarten.

The journalist says: «According to one of the guests of the celebration, Oleksiy Cheberda, Ukraine today stands at the beginning of the formation of the new state. And the educational sphere has to undergo drastic changes in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past".

The politician says: "I do not want these children to go through the hell we experienced with the bribery, high tuition fees, low salaries, jobs being cut. Therefore, young people should become authorities to carry out lustration, fight corruption and change the climate in which we live. "

In fact, the channel aired three news during a week about Cheberda, and all were made by the same author. On September 3, the channel aired the video "For many years, the residents of Samara region were asking to (...)", and it talks about the lighting of the roads. In particular, the journalist states that "Oleksiy Cheberda believes that such initiatives are important. They will provide a comfortable life for citizens" and "Cheberda noted that the reconstruction of the country also starts with the light in districts and safe roads”. The candidate says: "When I headed the city organization of “Batkivshchyna”, residents of Rybalsk came to me. They were upset and worried because of crossing spaces on the road. The party organization decided to put special constructions, and in 10 days, we did it. There can be no ignorance in such matters. "

On September 4, the channel aired a material "Ukraine is preparing for winter" where the journalist says that "according to the head of Dnipropetrovsk regional organization “Batkivshchyna” Oleksiy Cheberda, there is a real option to overcome the crisis in Ukraine’s current situation. Cheberda is the head of the group that cooperates with the EU to provide Ukraine with the energy independence of Ukraine, and he also headed the gas company for many years. So he knows all of the details of the issue very well. "

"An important step in the development of our own energy industry is the renewal of power and involvement of personnel who will be interested in building the country, says Oleksiy Cheberda "; this way, the journalist hints that Cheberda can be this new force to save the country.

Another "favourite" hero of the channel is the candidate Zahid Krasnov: during the week, there were three paid materials about him. Two were done by Artem Kulia, and one was done by Iryna Kaplotsko.

"Ukrainian organization "Hromadska Syla" alongside its leader Zahid Krasnov (...)" (September, 2), journalist’s text: "The organization “Hromadska Syla” alongside its leader Zahid Krasnov has helped to deal with this issue, too. Now, the soldiers have plenty of necessary equipment "; "Krasnov talked to soldiers and thanked them for their courage. He personally made sure whether the soldiers had enough provisions and ammunition. The leader of "Hromadska Syla" assured that, if necessary, he was ready to help"; “Since the clothes are designed for one year only, the ammunition problem has become acute. After learning of this, the politician and philanthropist Zahid Krasnov did not stand aside and supported our military. "

In general, the journalist mentions Zahid Krasnov and "Hromadska Syla” four times in the material. Moreover, in one of the comments, the soldier thanks Krasnov directly.

"Hromadska Syla" proves" (September, 3), the narrator says: “It’s not the first time “Hromadska Syla” visits this yard. People are genuinely grateful for the things the organization did"; "Things are getting done not only due to complaints of residents, but after persistent requests of “Hromadska Syla”; “This is not just a meeting, says Krasnov, but an attempt to shift the initiative of residents from the dead point". The story itself is based on residents’ comments and four (!) comments by Krasnov.

The material «Ukrainian organization “Hromadska Syla”” (September, 4) talks about Zahid Krasnov helping refugees to find housing. The author mentioned the candidate 5 times, and here is one quote: “Politician and philanthropist Zahid Krasnov, who assists refugees from the beginning of ATO, responded immediately."

In the news of Dnipropetrovsk ODTRK, Mr. Krasnov was also promoted three times. On September 2, the channel aired material called "They care about soldiers" (The author is Ruslana Kozyryatska). "Philantropist Zahid Krasnov stretched out his hand to help”. Then, Krasnov says: “Combat operations are 200 kilometres away from Dnipropetrovsk. To prevent possible sabotage and terrorist attacks, the military must be fully completed. Therefore, we arrived with the needed help today”.

Again, the journalist says: “Zahid Krasnov personally met and thanked soldiers for their dedication" and "The politician is positive that care will help to survive difficult times."

On September 3, the channel airs “communal” material “Scary no more” that talks about Krasnov again (the author is Anastasiya Plyushchova). The anchor in the studio says: "And finally, the problem is solved after Zahid Krasnov’s assistance”. The journalist says: "People have expressed gratitude, complained about various communal problems, and asked for advice"; "Despite the fact that Zahid Krasnov is neither an official not a deputy, people have a lot of confidence and hope in him."

On September 4, Zahid Krasnov appeared in the material by Alevtyna Varava «Now, in a lovely house”. The video describes how a candidate provides refuges with housing. 

In addition, the regional state television promoted the interests of the mayor of Dnipropetrovsk Ivan Kulychenko and representatives of state administration. For instance, on September 1, the channel aired a material about the beginning of the school year in different schools that were visited by the regional officials (the authors are Anastasiya Plyushchova, Alevtyna Varava, Valeriya Ivanova, and Valeriya Minayeva). The material features the first Deputy Governor Anatoliy Krupskyi, Chairman of the Regional Council Yevhen Udod, and the mayor of Dnipropetrovsk Ivan Kulychenko.

On September 3, the regional state television aired a news story called "Lustration" (by Ruslana Kozyryatska). It talks about a session of Dnipropetrovsk City Council. The journalist presents the events from one-side only, and there are no comments by the members of the Party of Regions who are the first candidates for lustration. Instead, the material has three comments of the Mayor Ivan Kulychenko and two comments by the deputy Maksym Kuriachyi (both run for the parliament from “Petro Poroshenko’s Block”).

There are signs of commercial advertisement of the company “Interpipe” in the material on Channel 11 aired on September 4 called "Not only financially, but also morally" (the author is Olha Sokolovska). During the broadcast, the company’s name was mentioned four times, and the title “Interpipe” appeared at least 6 times in the video.

Zaporizhya, "TV 5", "Zaporizhya"

Among 129 analysed materials, 21 videos had signs of paid news. There were seven of them on TRK “Zaporizhya”, 14 on TV 5 (7 with political advertisement, and 7 with commercial advertisement). Respectively, TRK “Zaporizhya” had 14% of paid news comparing to 23% in August, and TV 5 had 18% comparing to 11% in the previous monitoring period.

Some politically sponsored materials were about politicians and candidates on particular districts. These news videos were filled with gratitude from managers of various institutions or residents of various territories for the assistance they received from the politicians.

In particular, this category includes three materials on TV 5: "Residents of the village Tersyanka of Novomykolayiv district wrote a letter to Russians on the lesson of Peace” (the children sent a letter through the deputy Euhen Kartashov); “Before the day of physical education worker in Huliaypole, O.Dudka presented a school with the computers and fixed a room for the mother and newborn in the hospital" (September 15), and  "O. Vilkul’s Fund transferred finances to the Burning Centre in Dnipropetrovsk" (September 16).

Just like in August, in September, TV-5 talked about the company "Zaporizhstal" from a positive perspective only. The company was advertised through the prism of social initiatives. Experts counted seven materials with paid news. The materials talk about the company opening a playground for children in the botanic garden (September 15), organizing the competitions on sport tourism among company’s workers (September 15), helping out to reconstruct the military hospital (September 16), preparing for winter (September 16), opening a sports ground in school (September 17), opening new training ground (September 18), and organizing three charity concerts in the city philarmony (September 19).

Two paid materials on September 18 and September 19 were about charity of Rinat Akhmetov. They were called: "Residents of Donetsk will receive help from humanitarian aid of Rinat Akhmetov" and "From Dnipropetrovsk to Mariupol, humanitarian aid of Rinat Akhmetov has been sent."

TV-5 had two materials about the candidate from “Zaporizhstal”. On September 18, there was a video “Zaporizhya iron plant presented its candidate”. On September 19, there was a material called "A candidate and the chairman of the trade union of Zaporishya iron plant talked with the workers of the enterprise OAO "Zaporizhstal".

When it comes to the channel "Zaporizhya", the experts noticed "hardwood" materials there talking about the city mayor Oleksandr Sin, Berdyansk Mayor Oleksiy Bakay, and the head of Zaporizhya Regional State Administration Valeriy Baranov.

In particular, there was the video on September 15 called “In Zaporizhya, Athletic disco took place". It talked about officials Oleksandr Sin and Rayisa Chukhray. On September 19, there was a material "Meeting at the Chairman of the State Administration V. Baranov».

Another classic example of paid news that promotes politicians is the material aired on September 15 and called “Oleksiy Bakay cares about the National Guard battalion deployed in Berdyansk".

DONETSK, "Donbas"

The number of news on “Donbas” TV-channel with the signs of journalism standards violation that may indicate the paid materials has increased by almost a half during the monitoring period. For instance, in June, there were only 10% of paid materials, but in September, there were 16% or 9 out of 58 analysed videos.

In September, the war and political situation in the region kept on influencing the TV-product. In particular, the channel "Donbas" had to stop its television and cable broadcast and started its broadcast on the Internet, widely using amateur video and even the videos of such odious resources like ANNA news.

The terminology regarding the people occupying some territories in the region has  changed again. For instance, in May, the channel called combatants, fighting with the Ukrainian army and Interior Ministry units “DNR activists”, "militia", "insurgents", "green men”, but in June, it started calling them “militants of self-proclaimed republics ", "mercenaries ", and "militia". In September, the newsmakers chose new terms calling these people from DNR “militia”, “insurgents”, “Caucasians”, and “Russian soldiers”.

The channel used general terms for the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and National Guard. It called them “Ukrainian security forces" and "Ukrainian soldiers."

Another feature of the news on the channel was that they started showing long interviews with people who could be regarded as representatives of Rinat Akhmetov’s environment such as Hanna Herman, Mykola Levchenko, Rymma Fil, and Oleksandr Lukyanchenko. Also, during the monitoring period, every news program gave up to 5 minutes in order to talk about the actions and plans of charitable foundations created by Akhmetov.

The paradox of the situation with the evaluation of such materials is that, on the one hand, they highlight the humanitarian activities of charitable funds belonging to Rinat Akhmetov. On the other hand, the news about humanitarian aid to sick children, refugees and persons who are in a combat zone is usually socially significant. However, the fact that the channel keeps on informing about the fund’s activities daily and ignores the activities of other funds allows us to call these materials sponsored news.

Compliance with professional standards

ODESA, "Pervyi Horodskoy", ODTRK

According to experts, “Pervyi Horodskoy” and Odesa ODTRK did not follow many professional standards during the monitoring period. The monitors gave channels 3.48 and 3.7 out of six respectively for meeting with journalism standards.

Both channels spoke about the fighting in the East, the central government, its successes and failures, and evaluations of Ukraine’s international prospects. The latter was important since during the monitored week, Ukraine and EU ratified the association agreement. The coverage of the central topics was balanced in general, but there were exceptions, too.

For instance, the news program on “Pervyi Horodskoy” really shows the subjective attitudes of the journalists toward the law on the special status of Donbass.

The news on September 16 says: "Experts say that the militants who seized the territories will get control of them at the official level. In fact, Parliament itself has created new Transnistria. But Transnistria is controlled by Kremlin and depends on Russian money. Ukraine, on the other hand, will sponsor its own Transnistria itself”.

On September 15, there is a material of Vadym Shpachenko about hundred days of Poroshenko’s presidency. There, the journalist announces that on the next day, the deputies will vote on the presidential law on the special status of Donbas. Here, the viewers can also see subjective judgments of the journalist.   He says: “The President was pardoned for many gaffes. The country was never ruled before with the war raging on. But in peacetime, people can become more demanding”.

Thus, the channel violates authenticity standard since there are references to unidentified experts without showing original comments of the experts that could help viewers to understand the diverse and complicated situation around the status of the Eastern territories.

At the same time, Odesa State TV uses such a quote in the news on September 18: "The President of the United States will continue to urge Ukrainian counterpart to have a diplomatic solution of the conflict with the Eastern militia." In the direct quote, US diplomat calls opponents of Ukrainian army "pro-Russian separatists." The material with or without intention uses the terms that are typical for Russian propaganda.

We have to note relatively high standards of reliability while presenting information on both channels (ODTRK - 98%, "Pervyi Horodskoy" - 86%) and accuracy of information presentation (ODTRK - 82%, "Pervyi Horodskoy" - 70%).

However, the last index on “Pervyi Horodskoy" showed decline comparing to previous periods. The news “New alleys will appear in Odesa” can serve as a negative example. After watching the video, it becomes clear that no new alleys will be built, and they will just be renamed and reconstructed. The material says nothing about the sources of financing.

The news on ODTRK about the burial of ATO fighter Vitaliy Shum (aired on September 17) is not better. The date on the stone says that the man died on July 26 while the anchor says it took place on July 16.

Both channels have traditional high compliance with the standard of reliability. ODTRK achieves this by referring to the official sources in most materials, and “Pervyi Horodskoy” achieves this through direct participation in the described events. However, the presence of subjective judgments and lack of the balance of opinions significantly downplays the overall performance of the journalists.

Experts also point out low rates of adherence to the standard of separating facts from comments and balance of opinions, although they are higher than in previous months.

In particular, ODTRK has traditionally low level of following the standard of the balance of opinions.  The news on September 15 called "Odesa bomb shelters are ready to take over 100% of the population" serves as a good example to illustrate this problem.  The message contains only position of the acting head of the regional department of emergencies who talks about the successes of the officials while preparing for emergency events. In comparison, “Pervyi Horodskoy” aired a video on the same topic on October 19 called “They organized a show-off”. The material has too many journalist’s evaluations (“locals are angry”, “the situation is upsetting”, “there is nowhere to hide”), but the standard balance of opinions is followed perfectly. Although the official declared full readiness of bomb shelters that was shown as a fact on the state television, the journalist of “Pervyi Horodskoy” Yuriy Halchenko decided to check himself whether it was true or not, and told about the results in his material.

The video aired by “Pervyi Horodskoy” on September 19 “They freed the murderer” is a great example of violating the standard of separating facts from the comments.  The material talks about the judicial investigation of road accident in Odesa that took place on July 5 from a negative and biased perspective. The author Kateryna Lapytska emphasizes that "the case is being proceeded by a young judge who is being linked to several scandals." However, the most surprising part of this story is that it contains the same comments that the video from August 11 on "Pervyi Horodskoy" about the investigation of the accident. Since the comments of witness and the mother of the victim are one month old, the material is regarded as such that does not meet the efficiency standard.

DNIPROPETROVSK, "Channel 11", and ODTRK

Journalists of "Channel 11" and Dnipropetrovsk ODTRK ensured the compliance with professional standards in the news at a high level. General regional index was 5.24 out of 6 points. ODTRK got 5.17 points, and the "Channel 11" received 5.32.

Dnipropetrovsk journalists followed efficiency standard the best during the monitoring period. Both channels earned one point for efficiency, and they earned 0.98 for the accuracy. The channels also got high scores for authenticity of information (0.83) as well as for fullness of information (0.88)

There is some criticism regarding the standard of separating facts from comments (ODTRK - 0.67, "Channel 11" - 0.8) and the balance of opinions (0.73 and 0.82 respectively). However, it is higher than the results of many regional channels.

Experts note that the journalists on "Channel 11" tend to use comparisons and definitions that are partly subjective and represent journalists’ believes. For instance, the journalists say: “This year's first day of school in Dnipropetrovsk is probably the most patriotic", or "even the bravest men envy their courage and resilience "and so on.

Monitors found seven materials that violated the standard of separating the facts from comments on ODTRK.

When it comes to violating reliability standard, experts focused on the material on Dnipropetrovsk regional television "With all the honours Dnipropetrovsk said goodbye (...)." The author talks about the entire city saying its farewells to the soldier: “According to the official version, general mayor died because of the serious illness. However, there is an unofficial version that says that he was mortally wounded with a firearm. Journalists failed to confirm or refute this version." It is unclear where the journalists got this information from.

The experts also spotted the violation of the accuracy standard in the video "Thanks for being alive”. The journalist says: "Volunteers guarded checkpoints in ATO zone, particularly, in Kharkiv region." However, Kharkiv region is not in ATO zone.

ZAPORIZHYA, TV-5, "Zaporizhya"

Average scores for Zaporizhya channels are rather high. TRK "Zaporizhya" got 5.08, and TRK "TV 5" got 5.36 (with the maximum of 6). 

Both Zaporizhya channels showed pretty high rates of compliance with the standard of balance of opinions. TRK "Zaporizhya" earned 0.75 points, and TV 5 earned 0.79 points. However, in some cases, the authors provided only one side of the conflict with the ability to speak up. An example can be seen in the material on "Zaporizhya" from September 19 called "Berdyansk port workers are willing to protect the company from the former chief":

"The hostess: Berdyansk port workers are willing to protect the company from the former chief. From the early morning, they gathered at the port administration to block the entrance to the building. In fact, they let everyone in expect the former chief.

Correspondent V. Kovalenko: Yesterday, workers received information that Kostyantyn Karnaukh was no longer in the hospital and was about to return to work. The workers reacted fast: in the morning, the most active employees gathered at the entrance of the administration to prevent Kostyantyn Karnaukh from returning to the enterprise. They say that if necessary, all the workers will come within minutes.

The worker: All gathered here against this man leading our company. We want to work in the normal way, as we do now, process loads and have a decent salary that is being paid now in a timely manner and with rewards.

Worker 2: With Karnaukh’s leading, there was no work, and we had debts for a long time.

Worker 3: These are just the most active people. If needed, practically the entire port will act.

Correspondent: According to our information, the current acting chief of the port Mykola Ilyin is now on a business trip in Kyiv. At the moment, we haven’t got his reaction to the events taking place in the company”.

Reliability and efficiency standards on both channels are also high. For authenticity, TRK "Zaporizhya" earned 0.90 points, and TV-5 earned 0.94. Experts found news on «Zaporizhya" to be timely (1 point), and the same applies to news on TV-5 (0.99). This small difference is caused by one material: TV-5 aired a video "The first vice of RHA caught on bribery", that was shown a day later than on “Zaporizhya”. Thus, TV-5 “lost" in speed, but was more detailed, relevant, containing more commentaries.

The accuracy standards on TRK "Zaporizhya" earned 0.80, and on TV- 5 - 0.86. Most of the materials with violations had phrases like "on the meeting, they discussed a number of important issues", "experts say", "the City Council says" and so on.

It is important to note that both channels often offer viewers the materials with a great information load by combining several themes into one.

DONETSK, "Donbas"

Indicator of compliance with professional standards of journalism on the channel "Donbas" has increased by almost one point in September comparing to the previous monitoring period, and now, it is 3.93 of six points.

Experts point out that the news programs on the channel gave viewers some answers to questions about what happened during the day in the region, but did not provide a complete picture, and did not explain the reasons for everything that happened. In particular, only half of the materials present a balance of opinions and background of the events.

Instead, the videos are often filled with commentaries that do not explain the circumstances of the events. For instance, the comments say nothing about people who attack and kill. Information is often presented in impersonal way; for instance, the cities were “attacked” and “damaged” by an unknown force. Thus, these omissions create a vision of blurred responsibilities for the conflict.

At the same time, the monitors noted some improvements in compliance with the professional standards. In particular, the efficiency index increased to 0.71 points versus 0.67 in the previous monitoring period, and the completeness of the facts increased to 0.45 in September comparing to 0.3 in June.

The channel had twice less materials with the violation of the standard of separating facts from comments - 0.72 (comparing to 0.52), and accuracy index significantly increased up 0.66 points from 0.39 in June.

Also, the balance of opinions index increased to 0.5 against 0.37 in June, and the reliability index got 0.9 points in September comparing to 0.69 in June.

In general, the monitoring results indicate that the staff of the channel "Donbas" increased the requirements concerning professional standards in the media in the situation of accumulated psychological and physical pressure, threats, lack of time, logistics and technical problems connected to the fighting in the two regions and transfer of production to Kyiv.

Luhansk "Novorossiya": separatist channel beyond the standards

If the "news" programs on the channel “Novorossiya” controlled by terrorist "LNR" were analysed using the same methodology, the channel would become the leader among paid news with 33% of sponsored materials. They could be viewed as political advertising because of the extreme degree of journalists’ prejudices. But in fact, the authors of the materials turned them into open anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Every one of three journalists urged residents of the territories controlled by terrorists that Ukrainian authorities, the Ukrainian army and the mythical "Bandera" followers were the main causes of their misfortunes.

Of course, with such an approach, journalism standards are out of question. However, if we try to determine the quality of "Novorossiya" news in numbers, they would not stand up to the criticism even with the mildest expert evaluation. "Novorossiya" has the worst rate of compliance with the standards of informational journalism; and that is 2.19 points out of six. This rate includes "professional achievements" of the newsroom that produced neutral materials, too. The biggest violations are related to compliance with the standard of balance of opinions; the experts evaluated it only by 0.03 out of 1. This means that journalists presented absolutely no alternative positions in the news.

In general, experts analysed 67 materials during the monitoring period (some news of “Novosti” on “Novorossiya” and “Svodka novostey Novorossiyi” on Anna news were published on the website http://on-line.lg.ua/), and 22 of them had features of paid news. These materials mostly aimed to discredit the Ukrainian authorities.

For instance, there is a material "13-times champion of Ukraine, and 2-times world champion Olesya Vasilyeva showed photos of ruined Donetsk and asked her questions to the residents of Ukraine" (September 1, “Novosti Novorossiyi”):

“Yekaterina Malova, the hostess: 13-times champion of Ukraine, and 2-times world champion Olesya Vasilyeva showed photos of ruined Donetsk and asked her questions to the residents of Ukraine.

Olesya Vasilyeva: Ukraine is on the verge of default. Several times, hryvnia dropped very low reaching out the very bottom. And now, we think: mobilization, weapons, clothing, equipment, feed the soldiers, pay them money ... Who is really sponsoring this war if the terrorists are here while the shells drop on kindergartens and schools? Kindergartens, schools, hospitals, municipal facilities, residential buildings ... You want to say that the most egregious terrorists live with us in kindergartens, then, they go to schools, hospitals, live in private homes? Dear Ukraine, think and wake up because you're shooting its own people. Watch the videos everyone posts after each shooting. There are not that many weapons in Donetsk to shoot at the city. It is illogical to shoot the three cities. The others are shooting, and you shoot the civilians. This bomb, I repeat, fell on school. It was probably a gift of Ukrainian authorities to the students for the first day of school. Thank you so much for such fun days. "

Another good example is the material "Poroshenko stated that he won’t order the withdrawal of the troops» (ANNA news, «Novosti Novorossiyi”, September 1).

"Yelena Krasovskaya, the hostess: So-called Ukraine’s President Petro Porosheko said that junta troops wouldn’t leave Donbas. He will not order the withdrawal of the troops”.  

 There is another similar material: "Poroshenko ordered the soldiers to cease fire, but said nothing to stop the shelling» (ANNA news, «Svodka novostey Novorossiyi"): “Yelena Krasouskaya, the hostess: Poroshenko ordered the chief of the General Headquarters of Ukrainian Armed Forces to cease fire starting today at 18:00. However, he did not say anything about Ukrainian attackers ending their shelling. "

The journalists on the channel state that it is Ukrainian government and the army who oppose the peaceful settlement of the situation in the East.  An example is the material "What people think about ceasefire” (channel "Novorossiya", "Glas naroda," the journalist - Oksana Volchonok):

"Oksana Volchonok, journalist:  Hello, this is “Glas naroda” on the channel “Novorossiya”.  Under pressure from Europe and Russia, Ukraine’s President Poroshenko made ​​a statement that the Ukrainian troops would cease fire in case of signing a peace plan in Minsk. Can we trust him after the first truce was violated by the fighters of National Guard?

- Hello, do you know that today, a meeting will be held in Minsk where the officials have to sign a peace plan?

- And the second question: Do you believe that Poroshenko will agree for ceasefire under the pressure from Europe and Russia - And do you really believe that a truce will be implemented, and that it will be supported directly by the Ukrainian side?"

Such materials form a negative attitude toward Ukrainian army: “Ukrainian military were kicked out of the village Hrabovski” (“Novosti Novorossiyi”):

"Yekaterina Pavlenko, the hostess: Ukrainian troops were kicked out of the village Hrabovski. The territory near the village is now freed from Ukrainian fascists. Residents return to peaceful lives. Ukrainian army has brought massive destruction, broken roads, burned fields, and killed some cattle. Villagers restore the destroyed houses and clean up the mess left by Ukrainian conquerors.

Local resident: We called Ivanovych and said: Ivanovych, what do we do? Do we run away, or what? How can we leave them? And he says that when the marauders come, give everything away because they may kill you”.

"Ukrainian prisoners: how the epiphany comes" ("Novosti Novorossiyi”, the evening program):

"Yekaterina Makova, the hostess: Those who performed the bloody orders of the Ukrainian government are opening their eyes to what is happening. However, repentance comes too late and with too expensive price.

DNR soldiers captured detachment of Ukrainian army near Ilovaysk. In order to cure the brainwashed Ukrainian soldiers, DNR militia showed them the results of their own attacks such as broken buildings, and burnt houses. According to the captured Ukrainian gunners, the battery commander Senior Lieutenant Volodymyr Chernik and battalion commander Mayor Serhiy Furayev were the ones giving them orders. They are responsible for the executions of the cities of Donbass ".

"Captured Ukrainian spy experiences abstinence syndrome after using the combat cocktail" ("Novosti Novorosiyi"):

"Yekaterina Malova, the hostess: Captured Ukrainian spy experiences abstinence syndrome after using the combat cocktail and talks about his experience among Ukrainian soldiers."

Experts point out that some news on the channel aimed to intimidate the population and demonize Ukraine. For example, in the material “Ministry of Education and Science of DNR: Kyiv threatens the workers in the science sphere with criminal liability”, the journalist Yekaterina Pavlenko states: "On September 2, the officials signed a decree on resubordination of schools of Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) to the Ministry of Education and Science of DNR. But the decree has not been executed by the department of education and science because of the threats from Kyiv. According to the head of the department, Ukraine sent a document that states that criminal liability will be put on people who cooperate with DNR "

On the other hand, the channel shows a hero who helps residents as opposite to the horrors Ukrainian army and the government supposedly "create" in Donbas. These materials appear after showing Ukrainian “conquerors” destroying everything and depriving civilians of their wealth. Here and there, the hero appears; he saves everyone and helps everybody:

"Humanitarian battalion “Novorossiya” delivered the aid to the hospital in Makiyivka" ("Novosti Novorossiyi").

“Yekaterina Pavlenko, the hostess: Humanitarian battalion “Novorossiya” delivered the aid to the hospital in Makiyivka. The doctors did not leave the patients despite the existing situation.

Humanitarian battalion “Novorossiya” and Pavel Hubariev brought aid organized by Saint Paul Fund and “Russian Peace Front” to Makiyivka clinic hospital. The head of the hospital met the guests, and the employees thanked the battalion for the help it brought to the patients.

Hospital worker (not titrated): I want to thank the Humanitarian battalion "Novorossiya" that helps us. There is no salary for two months, so it is a help for us because we can survive somehow. It is scary what is happening here. We would like to thank Poroshenko for breaking our families. "

Interestingly, two materials of terrorist-controlled TV were about Rinat Akhmetov, and in both videos, he was not portrayed as a knight in shining armour:

"Humanitarian aid of Rinat Akhmetov’s Fund contains Kyiv’s propaganda materials" ("Novosti Novorossiyi"):

“Yekaterina Pavlenko, the hostess: "Humanitarian aid of Rinat Akhmetov’s Fund for city hospitals contains Kyiv’s propaganda materials. Unfortunately, besides necessary products for women, the aid also consisted of the newspapers “Segodnya” and “Donetskiye novosti”. These newspapers include propaganda of Kyiv officials and were confiscated on time”.

In the city of Kirov (DNR), Akhmetov gives humanitarian aid to his own miners for money» (ANNA news, «Svodka novostey Novorossiyi"):

"Yelena Krasovskaya, the hostess: According to the witnesses in Kirov, oligarch Akhmetov decided to make money on misfortunes of others. The billionaire gives humanitarian aid to miners in exchange for money. The cheapest one that includes things to survive costs 170 hryvnia. "

However, the given statements were not confirmed even with the visuals.

Overall, apart from the mentioned one-sided coverage, news channel also violates the standard of completeness of information. It was possible to evaluate only those materials that spoke about the actions of the newly formed government organs of Novorossiya. When it comes to military events or policies of Ukraine on this issue, the information is quite sparse.

"Poroshenko ordered the soldiers to cease fire, but said nothing to stop the shelling» (ANNA news, «Svodka novostey Novorossiyi"):

"Yelena Krasouskaya, the hostess: Poroshenko ordered the chief of the General Headquarters of Ukrainian Armed Forces to cease fire starting today at 18:00. However, he did not say anything about Ukrainian attackers ending their shelling. "

"Poroshenko stated that he won’t order the withdrawal of the troops» (ANNA news, «Svodka novostey Novorossiyi”):

"Yelena Krasovskaya, the hostess: So-called Ukraine’s President Petro Porosheko said that junta troops wouldn’t leave Donbas. He will not order the withdrawal of the troops”.  

It’s important to focus on the format of the news program on ANNA news that lasts less than 2 minutes. Each news lasts from 7 to 15 seconds.

Violation of reliability standard is also typical for the majority of materials found on http://on-line.lg.ua. For instance, only 18 out of 67 contain a reference to the sources. In other news, the hostess and the journalists spread the evidence on their behalf. This can be viewed as a manipulative technology, too.

"4 minutes after the armistice, Ukrainian troops began shelling Donetsk districts» (ANNA news)

“Yelena Krasovskaya, the hostess:  The truce between Ukraine and Novorossiya started on September 5 at 18:00. However, at 18:04, Ukraine’s Armed Forces fired at Petrovskiy district of the city of Donetsk. From 19:00 to 20:00, the fire brigade drove to Budennovskiy district twice, and the day ended with fire in Kalininskiy district, on Uchitelskaya street around 21:50. "

It’s hard to even treat the next material as journalism:

Overview of military actions map (a separate material, the duration is 24:15, http://on-line.lg.ua.):

"Junta wants to chop off a piece of land for manoeuvrability ... If a soldier who obeys junta orders has logic, it is good for us because such soldiers understand that they won’t get help. So they are not infected with the virus completely. And this is our victory ...

They know that as soon as they enter any location, we will immediately know because you cannot have 100% of “conscious Ukrainians”, right? Certainly, 90% of people there support Novorossiya. But it does not matter. Even if there is only 1%, it will tell about them immediately. So, if they do not move along the settlements, they run. Well, "run, Forrest, run" - or whatever it is in your usual language. Usual for them...

Insurgents want to save both people and infrastructure because our people are here besides the fact that junta troops are located there, too ...

The general, who has not earned enough on corruption, leads this attack. What is the meaning of this? To finish Ukrainian army?.. Now, Zaharchenko calls ATO headquarters and asks for more weapons. He is told: we will send some soon, home delivery. How much does a pizza cost today? - Here's a pizza. This is what is happening.

The generals did not change, and the tactics did not change either. How do they hope to win?!

The most cowardly soldiers ran to the West...”

We want to remind that the results of media monitoring are also subjective evaluations according to the article 47-1 of Ukraine’s Law “About information” and do not have an official power.

Monitoring of compliance with professional standards in the information services of Ukrainian TV channels was carried by NGO "Telekritika" with financial support by USAID, provided through the "Internews Network". The purpose of monitoring is to increase media literacy of Ukrainian society, motivate media to be just and responsible, respect professional standards, and improve the quality of media products.

Monitoring is an independent expert assessment of the NGO "Telekritika." All conclusions and opinions expressed in all monitoring publications may not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the "Internews Network".

Monitoring methodology is described here. For the materials, see the section "Monitoring" on the website MediaSapiens.