Angela Bachevskaya22:08, 01/03/24
Viewers are said to have complained that the program often paints too rosy a picture, obscuring troubling developments at the front and weakening Western support for Ukraine.
Since February 2022, residents of Ukraine have had access to a single source of television news – a 24-hour broadcast replete with footage of Ukrainian tanks blowing up Russian positions , medics working on the front lines, and political leaders rallying support abroad.
As The New York Times writes , this program, the United News telethon, has become one of the main tools of information warfare.
“Government officials who regularly appear there praise the telethon for its success in countering Russian disinformation and maintaining morale. But after two years, viewers are tired of the format. What was once considered a vital tool for uniting the people is now increasingly called mouthpiece of the government,” the material says.
Viewers are said to have complained that the program often paints too rosy a picture, hiding troubling developments at the front and waning Western support for Ukraine, and ultimately failing to prepare citizens for a long war.
“Everyone is tired of this picture: we win, everyone likes us and everyone gives us money… This is state propaganda,” says Oksana Romanyuk, head of the Kyiv Institute of Mass Information.
It is unclear how much control the Ukrainian authorities have over the editorial policy of United News. Journalists say concerns about state influence also arose after several channels run by political opponents of Vladimir Zelensky were banned from joining the telethon.
Many critics say the telethon is now doing more harm than good. “It has a dangerous side – it creates an optimistic view of the situation, and then leads to disappointment,” said Yaroslav Eruchishin, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s committee on freedom of speech.
Ukrainians’ trust in the media
Ukrainian media have significantly lost their trust rating. Over the past year, from 57% to 29% there have been fewer people who trust the Ukrainian media (but from 14% to 40% there have been more people who do not trust them).
The number of Ukrainians who trust United News has fallen sharply from 69% in May 2022 to 43% last month, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. Another study found that more than two-fifths of Ukrainians favor ending the program.
(C)UNIAN 2024
‘For truth or not’ The NYT only produces Anti-Ukrainian articles more and more frequently!
The NYT should sweep in front of its own doorstep. Ukrainians have many news outlets to choose from, both TV and internet, and most are quite reliable and also bring bad news. Just check out Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, and Ukrainska Pravda, to name just three.
We stream Freedom TV and all the Ukrainian marathon channels every day. Practically all day since my wife is a journalist and I’m interested in Ukraine too 😉
I would be happy to say they cover both the wins and the losses. The NYT is probably squirming in their panties because they can’t lie about Ukrainians like they did 100 years ago.
Nice! So, maybe you get info from your wife before everyone else does?
If the NYT keeps it up, they will manage to bring themselves down to the same level as any two-bit news provider. They might even do a musk number, as he did with Twitter.
Yeah, sometimes. She’s connected to all the alert systems in Ukraine and Ukrainian journalists are very good communicating between themselves, imo. I also try to follow the news marathon, it helps me learn the language.
How are things in Kyiv? I hope you’re not sitting at your computer very much, lol.
I try to balance computer time with the usual activities when I’m here. We had a cold snap the other day with lots of snow. Things are otherwise as usual. I will write my report today since I will depart again tomorrow.
Already tomorrow?! That was fast. Well, I hope you’re all doing well and your trip is safe, warm and uneventful.
Thanks a lot, Red. It was uneventful except for those attacks a few days ago.
I hope the orcs have a hell of a time using those Nork missiles, I hope they blow up in their orc faces…
They might. The one they found landed in a field. I just don’t know if it was coaxed to land or if it did it on its own accord. 😂
Well, it was nice of the Ukrainian ground to jump up and meet Fat Boy’s missile.
But it still shows you how useless sanctions and the UN are when the dark shithole still manages to produce such things and more.
I know I’ve said it a hundred times but I think the best sanction besides oil and gas production would be the suspension of voting rights on the UNSC. Poopin would have a fit. Effectively, his veto set foreignfuckingpolicy for everyone.
I don’t know, Red. If our sanctions could destroy his economy more, this would be much more useful than taking away his voting rights in a useless organization.
I agree, but you know Putler, he doesn’t give a wit about his economy as long as he gets his fucking missiles. If he was forced out of his veto rights he would also be forced to behave, imo.
The UNSC are really concerned about the orcs using fat boy’s missiles. They arranged a meeting in a weeks time. They must have some really urgent business to attend to, if they can put russia busting sanctions against NK that russia voted for.
They’re probably only worried that some of the missiles won’t explode and some female black socialist muslim atheist lesbian gets hurt by it someday…