47% of coronavirus news in regional online media spoke of statistics: IMI research

Statistics on diasease incidence, hospitalizations, mortality, death rate and coverage of the vaccination progress have become top topics while covering the coronavirus pandemic in regional online media. Thus, the incidence statistics accounted for 27% of news, and vaccination statistics did 20% of the total number of publications on the course of the pandemic. At the same time, anti-vaccination movements are the least covered in the online media, accounting for no more than 2% of the total number of news about the pandemic. These are the results of a study by the "Institute of Mass Information" NGO, which was conducted in 10 regions of Ukraine in November this year. *

According to the monitoring data, reports on lockdown and lockdown restrictions accounted for 16% of the news. The condition of hospitals became the main topic for another 12% of news. Ptractical tips as to obtaining COVID-certificates, in particular by means of "Diya" application were given in 8% of news about the pandemic. 

The least reported in the regional online media about pandemic-related criminal offenses and lockdown restrictions (6% of the total coronavirus pandemic news) and anti-vaccination trends / movements, which became the topic of regional online media in 2% of the news. Other topics included 9% of the news.

According to the monitoring data, most news about the statistics of disease incidence, hospitalizations and death cases were recorded in the online media of Kropyvnytskyi (44% of the total number of news about the coronavirus pandemic), Cherkasy (41%), Kharkiv and the unoccupied part of Donetsk region (31% respectively). The least such news was published in Kherson and Rivne (20% of news, respectively). 

Lviv (30%), Kharkiv (24%) and Donetsk (unoccupied, 22%) online media most often wrote about the vaccination progress. The least of such news came out in Rivne media (10% of the total number of news about the pandemic in the online media of the region).

Instead, the news on lockdown and lockdown restrictions were mostly reported in Rivne (33% of news items), Cherkasy (18%) and Kherson (16% of the total number of publications about the pandemic). The least such news was published in the online media of Odessa and Kropyvnytsky (6% of news, respectively).

The condition of hospitals was most often a topic for online media in Kherson (24% of news), Kropyvnytskyi, Odesa (20% of news, respectively) and Donetsk (unoccupied territories, 18%). The least they reported on hospitals in the regional online media of Lviv (7%) and Cherkasy (5% of the total number of news about the pandemic in the region).

Most news about vaccination certificates was seen in the regional online media in Volyn (14%), Dnipro (13%) and Cherkasy (9%). The least such news was in Kherson (3%) and Odessa (2% of the total number of news about the pandemic in the region).

At the same time, Odessa's online media have become leaders in covering criminal news related to the pandemic, quarantine restrictions, forged certificates, etc. In the regional news wire, every tenth news item (or 10% of the total number of news about the pandemic in the region) was devoted to them. Odessa regional media also became leaders in covering anti-vaccination trends (6% news). At the same time, the three leaders in criminal news also included online media in Volyn (9%) and Kharkiv (7%). Cherkasy (3%) and Lviv (2%) online media also most often covered anti-vaccination trends in the region. The least criminal news on the topic of coronavirus was recorded in the online media Kropyvnytskyi (2%) and Cherkasy (1%), while no anti-vaccination trends were reported in Kropyvnytskyi and Kherson.

As for the total number of news about the coronavirus pandemic, 19% of such news were recorded in regional newswires. At the same time, most news about the course of the coronavirus pandemic was recorded in the online media of Rivne (32% of the total number of news about the course of the pandemic in the region) and the unoccupied part of Donetsk region (25%). Instead, the least such news was published by the online media Kropyvnytskyi (14%) and Kherson (11%).

* As part of the study from November 1 to 5, 2021 inclusive, 8395 news items were analyzed, including 1577 on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in 50 regional online media in 10 regions of Ukraine (Volyn, Dnipro, unoccupied territories of Donetsk region (Mariupol), Lviv, Mykolaiv , Odessa, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kherson, Cherkasy). The monitoring included news from the online media newsw wires. 

The monitoring methodology included analysis of the number of news about the COVID-19 pandemic , as well as their topics, including disease incidence / hospitalization / death rate statistics, vaccination (progress, statistics, vaccination posts),lockdown and lockdown restrictions, hospital conditions (medications, oxygen, oxygen ventilation, beds, ALVs etc.), vaccination certificates, criminal news (offenses related to pandemics and quarantine restrictions), anti-vaccination trends / movements, etc.

Monitoring was conducted in the following media:

VOLYN (Volynski Novyny VolynPost, Volyn24, Rayon.in.ua, Pid Prytsilom); DNIPRO (Vidkryty, 056, Dniprovska Panorama, Informator, gorod.dp.ua); DONETSK (MARIUPOL) (0629, Novyvy Donbasu, Karachun (Slavyansk), Vostochny variant, MRPL.CITY); KROPIVNYTSKY ( Hrechka, Tochka Dostupu, CBN, Dozor, Bez kupyur); LVIV (Lvivski portal, Zakhid.net, Vgolos, 032.ua, Your city); ODESSA (Dumskaya, 048, Odesskya zhyzn, USI. Odessa, Odessa online); RIVNE (Radio Track, Rivne Vecherne, Rivnemedia, Rivne 1, OGO); KHARKIV (VGorodeKharkov, 057.ua, Status Quo, Newsroom, Redpost); KHERSON(Kherson Online, Miy Kherson, Lyubimiy Kherson, Khersonshchyna za den, Khersontsi); CHERKASY (Vycherpno, 18000, Procherk, Zmi.ck.ua, Provse).