European Federation of Journalists calls on the Ukrainian government to reconsider the format of the telethon or close it

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) project and signed a statement featuring a call upon Ukrainian authorities to reconsider the format of the united telethon and consider closing this project altogether, reports Suspilne, citing the EFJ.

The organization notes they are alarmed by the deterioration of the trust between officials and independent Ukrainian media.

EFJ experts say that systemic safeguards must be established to prevent SBU and other officials from targeting journalists. They mentioned the SBU's surveillance of the Bihus.Info team, the Slidstvo.Info journalist Yevhen Shulhat, and attempts to intimidate the Nashi Hroshi journalist investigator Yuriy Nikolov by a group of unknown men.

"The fact that several of Ukraine’s main television channels continue to conduct common news broadcasts, 24 hours a day, seriously lowers the quantity and quality of information received by Ukrainian viewers. As a result, data has shown that the telethon’s viewership has notably fallen over the past year, and that Ukrainians have turned to anonymous Telegram channels to read what is perceived as 'real' news," the Federation notes, adding that the sources used by anonymous Telegram channels are often impossible to determine, as are their sponsors.

"This move away from the media creates a serious danger to Ukraine’s informational security, as the political agenda of anonymous channels normally remains unknown. In addition, Telegram has comparatively loose policies on hate speech and other problematic and manipulative content," the EFJ writes.

Officials' comments on the telethon and the trust in "United News"

On November 16, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the telethon "United News" is one a key stage in the history of Ukraine's resilience.

In December 2023, the Freedom of Speech Committee chairman Yaroslav Yurchyshyn said that the quality of the telethon should be improved. However, he added that the telethon "resolved the issue of false reporting on the war and the combat." He also believes that the low quality of the "United News" telethon pushes people to look for alternative sources of information, so they often end up on anonymous Telegram channels that easily manipulate data.

According to a KIIS survey, the trust in "United News" dropped in May 2022 – October 2023. In December 2023, KIIS also recorded a drop in confidence in the telethon. The share of survey participants reporting confidence in the telethon was 69% in May 2022, and dropped to 48% in October 2023. In December 2023, this indicator dropped to 43%.

In September 2023, Mykhailo Podolyak, the adviser to the head of the Office of the President, said at the media forum "Editorial Board. Summit" that the "United News" telethon will be overhauled.

In February 2024, a national public opinion poll carried out by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) during February 5–10, 2024, showed that Ukrainians' trust in the telethon "United News" continues to drop: as of early February 2024, the share of those who trusts the telethon has decreased to 36%.