The results of the monitoring of TV news broadcasted by 10 oblast state TV companies for September 2015
The results of the monitoring of TV news broadcasted by 10 oblast state TV companies for September 2015
The expert team of NGO Telekritika was conducting monitoring of the news broadcasted by oblast state television and radio companies of Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhia, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernivtsi oblasts during two weeks, from September 7 to September 11 (the first wave) and from September 21 to September 25 (the second wave).
The main findings for September 2015
- The weighted average of the nominal jeansa in the news of the channels listed above made up 16.6% during the first wave and 18.7% during the second wave.
- The least amount of the materials featuring sponsorship were revealed in the news of Sumy OSTVRC: no item featuring sponsorship during the first wave and one “parquet” item during the second wave were present. Relatively low percent was revealed on Kharkiv OSTVRC (15% and 8%, respectively) and 6-7% during the first wave in the news of Zaporizhia and Chernivtsi OSTVRC. The rest of TV companies had from 12 to 33% of the news criticized by the experts because of their presumptive sponsorship.
- The worst indices were demonstrated by Poltava TV Company (30%) during the first week and by Odesa TV Company (33%) during the second week.
- The majority of the materials featuring sponsorship included a political component. While the so-called “parquet” materials (the items on protocol actions of power authorities without any socially important information) were prevailing from September 7 to September 11, the second wave of monitoring revealed a good deal of news promoting political parties and the candidates for the posts in local government administrations and nominees for mayors.
- The majority of the materials featuring sponsorship were in favour of the candidates of “Solidarity,” or Petro Poroshenko Bloc (PPB). During the first wave, however, the experts fixed unexpected favour of Dnipropetrovsk TV staff to potential candidates for mayor of Dnipropetrovsk Maksym Kuriachyi (PPB) and Oleksandr Vilkul (“Opposition Bloc”). Poltava journalists promoted sports grounds from Kostiantyn Zhevaho; Volyn journalists reported on the extra-parliamentary deeds of Ihor Huz (“People’s Front”) and Dmytro Lubinets (PPB); finally, all but every day, Vinnytsia journalists broadcasted the items featuring a local public figure Liudmyla Stanislavenko (now the PPB nominee of the oblast council).
- In fact, the subject of local elections was slightly discussed in the news; during the week from September 7 to September 11 there were hardly ten items of that kind.
- There was one more trend noticed during the second wave of the monitoring: the channels either were not reporting local political processes at all or were doing it rather awkwardly. As a result, such items look like party propaganda materials on the air of state broadcasters.
- According to the summary findings of the two waves of monitoring, the weighted average of the NTCU’s adherence to journalist standards ranges from 3.81 to 3.86 out of 6.
- During the period from September 7 to September 11, the lowest grade of the adherence to journalist standards was received by Zaporizhia OSTVRC: 3.02 out of 6. Only three OSTVRCs, Sumy, Vinnytsia, and Kharkiv ones, mounted the “barrier” of 4 points with the maximum of 4.42. Meanwhile, the average indices make up 3.88. As for the period from September 21 to September 25, the worst indices were demonstrated by Dnipropetrovsk and Chernivtsi OSTVRCs: they did not mount the level of 3 points. The highest index, which is 5 points, characterizes Sumy OSTVRC.
- Among the most frequently violated journalist standards, the experts fix the balance of thoughts and separating facts from comments. Besides, the journalists also fail to provide the audience with comprehensive information in the items they offer. In this way, a half of news produced by regional broadcasters is one-sided, incomplete, comprising value judgements and personal conclusions of the authors.
The adherence to the standards of information journalism by regional subsidiaries of NTCU and the presence of materials featuring sponsorship in their news
Oblast |
Materials featuring sponsorship, % |
Adherence to the standards of information journalism, points |
||
First wave (7-11.09) |
Second wave (21-25.09) |
First wave (7-11.09) |
Second wave (21-25.09) |
|
Vinnytsia |
20 |
19 |
4.35 |
3.52 |
Volyn |
22 |
26 |
3.76 |
4.06 |
Dnipropetrovsk |
18 |
20 |
3.63 |
2.80 |
Zakarpattia |
23 |
12 |
3.87 |
4.15 |
Zaporizhia |
6 |
20 |
3.02 |
3.15 |
Odesa |
25 |
33 |
3.95 |
3.77 |
Poltava |
30 |
27 |
3.93 |
4.06 |
Sumy |
0 |
3 |
4.42 |
5.00 |
Kharkiv |
15 |
8 |
4.20 |
4.61 |
Chernivtsi |
7 |
19 |
3.77 |
2.94 |
Average integral indices |
16.6% |
18,7% |
3,89 pt. |
3,81 pt. |