During the summer, 13% of journalists have returned home after involuntary relocation – IMI survey

As of September 2022, 86% of the Ukrainian journalists surveyed by IMI are at home. Whereas this May, this figure was 73%. Ukrainian journalists are returning home from other safe regions of Ukraine, but almost none are coming back from abroad. Currently, 9% of the interviewed journalists are elsewhere in Ukraine and 5% are abroad.

These are the results of an anonymous targeted survey conducted by the Institute of Mass Information in August 2022, which included 217 journalists from all regions of Ukraine*.

According to the results of the survey, in half a year of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the main five professional consequences for media workers are as follows:

• stress increase (reported by 56% of the journalists interviewed by IMI);
• issues with information access (51% of the respondents);
• narrowing of the range of topics one can write about (48%);
• growing dangers of working as a journalist (34%);
• workforce downsizing due to the war (people going to the UAF / TDF / leaving) (28%).*

Namely, according to the IMI survey, 86% of journalists feel an increase in stress due to the fact that they have to worry more about family, finances, and the future in general. 57% of the interviewed journalists reported that now they have to constantly worry about their own safety and the safety of their relatives. 30% of the journalists noted that it is difficult for them to plan their days and stick to those plans, and 21% are experiencing increased stress due to having to resettle amidst the war**.

At the same time, the IMI survey shows that the vast majority (86%**) of the interviewed journalists believe that the main challenges faced by the Ukrainian media are economic and financial. This once again confirms the trend towards the deterioration of the journalists' financial situation, which was reported by 73% of the respondents.

Another alarming indicator among the challenges for media workers is psychological exhaustion, inability to rest, and constant stress, which were reported by 69%** – the highest indicator since the beginning of hostilities on Ukrainian territory in 2014. For example, according to an IMI survey, in April 2021, only 47% of journalists reported the need in training on how to deal with stress.

Other acute challenges for the Ukrainian media include the issues of russian disinformation, the growing popularity of manipulative Telegram channels, and the deterioration of communication with state bodies – 45 and 42%, respectively**.

*The research was carried out through an anonymous online survey based on an interactive structured questionnaire. Links to the questionnaire were sent out to potential respondents – journalists and editors. A total of 230 responses were received, of which 13 respondents do not work in the media/journalism field, so the analysis included 217 responses from media workers. 29% of the respondents are from the central regions of Ukraine, 21% are from the south, 19% are from the west, 12% are from the north, 11% are from the east and 8% are from Kyiv city. 64% are women, 35% are men, 1% other genders. The survey was conducted in August 2022.

**The sum of the answers does not equal 100%, as the respondents could choose multiple answers.