Methodology of the evaluation of media transparency in the regions of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, Donetsk, Odessa, Kherson, Mykolayiv regions) (UCBI 2017)
Methodology of the evaluation of media transparency in the regions of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, Donetsk, Odessa, Kherson, Mykolayiv regions)
I. To identify the most popular media that will be subject to the monitoring.
For monitoring and evaluation, it is necessary to take the most popular media from all four types of media (the level of their popularity will be defined by the results of the previous GFK-UCBI polling research. If not applicable, the level of popularity will be defined by open sources data, and polling of local journalists by IMI local representatives):
- if applicable, not less than six most popular local TV stations;
- if applicable, not less than six most popular local radio stations;
- six most popular local printed media;
- ten most popular local news web sites.
II. To send letters to the contact e-mail to the media with a request to confirm the receipt of the letter by the contact phone number (if there are no contact data, or the letter was ignored – the media gets 0 points for its openness to communication).
The letters shall include the presentation of research objectives, a short description of the research, and its goals. The main part of the letter will include questions about the information described in the assessment, and a request to answer those questions by the certain time. The results of the second phase (responding to requests) will be assessed and taken into account during the overall evaluation (Stage 4).
III. The direct assessment of media transparency.
IMI will investigate the availability of the following data:
TV | Radio | Printed media | Internet |
Answer to the request of IMI | Answer to the request of IMI | Answer to the request of IMI | Answer to the request of IMI |
Financial information (financial reports, information about sources of incomes, advertising prices, etc) | Financial information (financial reports, information about sources of incomes, advertising prices, etc) | Financial information (financial reports, information about sources of incomes, advertising prices, etc) | Financial information (financial reports, information about sources of incomes, advertising prices, etc) |
Contacts (address, telephones, emails, how to contact the media) | Contacts (address, telephones, emails, how to contact the media) | Contacts (address, telephones, emails, how to contact the media) | Contacts (address, telephones, emails, how to contact the media) |
Management/ chief editors | Management/ chief editors | Management/ chief editors | Management/ chief editors |
Editorial statute | Editorial statute | Editorial statute or other editorial policies | Editorial statute or other editorial policies |
2* Owners and structure of ownership | 2* Owners and structure of ownership | - | Owners |
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- | - | 3* Total output data (in accordance with the Article 32, the Law of Ukraine "On the printed media (the press) in Ukraine": 1) the name of the publication; 2) founder (co-founders); 3) the name and initials of the editor (editor in chief); 4) the number and release date of the publication; 4-1) the name of the person responsible for the issue; 5) The code of edition, distributed by subscription; 6) the circulation; 7) The price or mark "Free of charge"; 8) addresses of the editorial office, the printing house; 9) series, number and date of issue of the certificate of state registration; 10) Publisher (co-publishers). | Audience of the web site |
** It is important to note that to get points, you need to fully meet the criteria.
*** For online and printed media, it is enough to indicate the legal entity as the owners, if it is possible to establish the physical person behind it through the Single State Register of Legal Entities.
**** The information about TV and radio can be found in the State Register of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine, in addition, you can use the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and the State Register of Printed Media.
IV. Final assessment of media market transparency.
All categories, except those marked "*2", add 1 point to the overall assessment of the media, if the information is present, and 0 points, if the information is absent. The presence of information in the category marked "*2" adds 2 points to the overall assessment.
By the results of the research, the transparency of the media will be ranked in the following way: - Completely transparent - 6-7 points;
- rather transparent - 4-5 points;
- rather non-transparent - 2-3 points;
- completely non-transparent - 0-1 points.
The research was conducted by the NGO “Institute of Mass Information” supported by the Ukrainian Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI), financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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