The Academy of Ukrainian Press has presented the results of the thirteenth stage of news contents analysis of leading Ukrainian TV channels completed within the project “Monitoring of Political News”.
The research model is a content analysis of prime time news releases of leading Ukrainian TV channels for the first entire week of every month. The project is carried out by research teams of the Academy of Ukrainian Press and Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine through support of the International Foundation “Renaissance” and the US Embassy in Kyiv. Project leaders are Dr. Natalia Kostenko and Prof. Dr. Valery Ivanov.
ELECTION AS CONFRONTATION
During the whole election campaign a share of news related to inner politics increases gradually in the overall news flow: from 25% in June to 55% in November. Number of news without a source of information decreased two times (18% in July and 9% in November), but every 10-11 news report does not contain a source of information. 2/3 of all news reports about Ukraine deal with presidential elections directly or indirectly.
As in previous months one point of view on events dominates in the news after the first round of elections, though as a whole figure of one-sided reporting went down a little (from 92% in August to 86% in November). A share of political news in Ukraine with one political perspective varies during the election campaign on average from 92-94% on such TV channels as UT-1, TRC Ukraine to 78% on STB. The 5-th channel tries to present the most balanced reporting on political events (on average 62% of one-sided political news reports during the campaign, 66% - in November). Context of events’ discussion remains mainly positive and neutral during four months of the election campaign (63% in November).
Ukraine (up to 27% of positive assessments), Government (up to 20%) and power departments (up to 17%) gain positive assessments more often during the election campaign, though neutral representing of political institutions prevails in the news. On the vote tabulation’s week (November 01-06) attention of the news is devoted to Central Election Commission – 23% of news reports about Ukraine. Attention to CPU and SPU has grown greatly (12% and 11% against 1% and 3% in October correspondingly). Attention to the block “Our Ukraine” remains stable – 14–16%, at the same time number of negative assessments of the block was going up last two months (from 2% of negative assessments in September to 6% in October and 8% in November).
Political persons are mentioned in the news more often than political institutions in November, and that is to the first time for a year of analysis. Both in October and November attention to participants of the second round of elections is almost equal: V. Yanukovych is mentioned in 41% of news reports about Ukraine, V. Yushchenko – in 38%, at the same time attention to the Prime Minister increased two times from September. Other political persons proclaimed to support V. Yanukovych in 52% of news reports and to support V. Yushchenko in 38% of news reports. Every fourth assessment of V. Yushchenko is negative or ironic. Merely every eight assessment of V. Yanukovych is negative or ironic.
As compared to first week of October, when live coverage of V. Yanukovych in the news was tree times bigger than that of V. Yushchenko (1514 sеc vs. 445 sеc), in the first week of November live coverage was four time bigger (1884 sеc vs. 447 sеc). Live coverage of V. Yushchenko is 6 times as less as that of V. Yanukovych on Inter, and on TRC Ukraine – 19 times as less.
For more information please contact the Academy of Ukrainian Press.
