Financial stability and the survival of news outlets was Ukrainain media’s key priority in 2025, as reported by 70.5% of journalists and editors surveyed by IMI. This was primarily achieved through cost optimisation and search for new sources of income in the face of funding cuts and overall economic instability, as evidenced by the anonymous quantitative online survey of journalists conducted by the Institute of Mass Information on 8 December 2025 through 5 January 2026. The survey was formatted as a questionnaire and included 193 journalists in all regions across Ukraine.*

Fast posting pace and timely news coverage, e.g. of air strikes and other safety-related incidents, ranked second: this answer was picked by 42.5% of respondents. 32% of the surveyed media professionals also listed preserving independence and editorial standards, working with the audience and building communities, and developing new content formats and platforms (i.e. videos, social media, Telegram channels, podcasts, and special multimedia projects) as key tasks of their media outlets.

A quarter of those surveyed (25%) noted the importance of analytical reports and investigations, and 26% mentioned focusing on the needs of local communities, including coverage of local issues, reconstruction efforts, and service material.

The teams’ own safety and well-being, including physical safety and mental health support for employees, were a priority for 21% of the news outlets.**

Updated. The survey suggests that news outlets’ organisational structures and management will continue to grow increasingly professional in 2026, says IMI director Oksana Romaniuk.

“I believe this trend will continue. Financial planning, fundraising, operational links are with us to stay both this year and the coming one. Those news outlets that find balance efficiency and in-depth coverage will come out on top. After all, 25% still mentioned analyses/investigations as a priority, so there is still a demand for substance. It’s just that it’s a bit hard to see through the tough competition for resources. Standards should resonate with pace, and this is a challenge for professional news teams that are shifting towards social media,” Oksana Romaniuk wrote in a Facebook post.

She stressed that trust will emerge as a new value, since the media are focusing a lot on building communities.

“And say what you will, but communities mean accountability and trust,” the IMI director emphasised.

In her opinion, this year, news outlets’ success will be determined by psychological resilience and teams’ ability to combat burnout.

“I think that whoever can cope with this challenge will also cope with the rest,” Oksana Romaniuk said.

*The study was conducted using a quantitative anonymous online survey method with a simple random sample of potential respondents — journalists and news outlet editors. A total of 193 responses from media professionals in all regions across Ukraine was received. Of those, 74.6% were women and 25.4% were men. The margin of error is up to 5%. The survey was conducted on 8 December 2025 through 5 January 2026.

**The sum of responses does not equal 100% because respondents could pick multiple options.