In October, 90% of interviews were conducted with representatives of the authorities and the Servant of the People party: monitoring results
Ukraine has officially declared freedom of speech as one of the main democratic values, which guarantees the right of citizens to express alternative points of view, in particular those that do not coincide with the official position of the authorities. In such conditions, politicians, opinion leaders and journalists must play a key role in shaping an informed society by providing access to diverse views. However, in practice, the observance of the principles of freedom of speech depends on many factors, including the editorial policy of the media, the availability of independent sources of funding, and political pressure.
In this context, it is important to analyze how Ukrainian mass media cover political activities and what opportunities they provide to representatives of various political forces to express their positions. To verify this in practice, “Media Detector” conducted monitoring telethon “Edyni Novyni” for October 2024. Its results help to understand how diverse and balanced the Ukrainian media space is in this period.
Monitoring results of the telethon “Edyny Novyvy”
The study covered the broadcasts of the Yedyni Novyny telethon, which became one of the main sources of information for Ukrainians with the beginning of the full-scale war. In October 2024, journalists conducted 1,404 interviews with various guests, which is 59 more than in September. The total number of unique guests was 571, just four more than the previous month. Thus, each guest was invited on average 2.45 times.
However, the structure of political interviews is of greatest interest. Of the 179 interviews with politicians, 90% were conducted with representatives of the Servant of the People party, the Cabinet of Ministers, or the Office of the President. This testifies to the predominant orientation of the telethon to the coverage of the official position of the authorities. Such an imbalance raises the question of access to the media space of other political forces and independent experts.
October’s key guests
Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, the head of the press office of the Kherson OVA, stands out among the most frequently invited guests. In October, he appeared on the air 30 times, which almost corresponds to the number of days in the month. For comparison, in September he was a guest only five times, and in August – 24 times. Such an increase in the frequency of his presence may be related to the relevance of topics related to the Kherson region, in particular, given the situation in the war zone.
Among other notable figures is Volodymyr Fesenko, a political commentator who regularly participates in discussions. The only politician included in the list of top guests is Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the President’s Office. His role as a media communicator of the official position of the authorities remains stable. Other places among the most invited guests are occupied by spokesmen and officials, which once again emphasizes the marathon’s focus on official government information.
Фото: detector.media
Why is this important?
The monitoring results raise questions about the level of media pluralism under martial law. The concentration of air time around representatives of the authorities creates risks of limiting the diversity of opinions in the media space. In a democracy, it is important to ensure equal access to the media for all political forces and experts, especially in such a difficult period when society needs honest and objective information.
The “Edyni Novyni” telethon, as a leading informant of citizens, bears special responsibility for balanced content. Covering the positions of only one side, even if it is the government, can reduce trust in the media and limit public discussion of alternative views.
This study shows that, despite the declared freedom of speech, in practice there are problems with ensuring equal access to the media. The results of the “Media Detector” monitoring become an important reason for public discussion about the role of mass media in times of war and ways to strengthen their independence and objectivity.
