IMI recorded new anti-leader of professional standards non-compliance in online media

Znay.ua web-based edition has become the worst site in terms of compliance with professional standards, as to figures of the IMI’s monitoring. The level of materials which had no breaches to professional standards of journalism on this resource is only 18%. Up to now, during all the years that IMI monitored the press, no mass media edition has such poor results.

Based on the IMI monitoring, the best results were revealed on websites of Ukrinform, Liga, Ukrayinsky Tyzhden, as well as Ukrayinska Pravda, Novoe Vremya, and Dzerkalo Tyzhdnya.

During the 4^th wave of the professional standards’ monitoring in 2019, the IMI’s experts expanded the list of mass media. The sites 112.ua and Znay.ua were included to the mass media subjected to the monitoring, and this has negatively affected the average indices. For example, the level of compliance with the standard of separation of facts from commentaries dropped by 15%, from 95% during the 3rd monitoring wave in 2019 to 80% during the 4th monitoring wave. Such a significant deterioration of the standard of separation of facts from comments is explained by the large number of tabloid materials and the inclusion of the website of Znay.ua to the monitoring.

Compliance with the standard of thoughts balance decreased by 3%, as compared to the previous monitoring period and was 92.5% (during the 3rd monitoring wave it was 95.5%). The results of compliance with the standard of reliability remained practically unchanged and amounted to 94% (3rd wave - 95%).

These are the results of an analysis of 18 online mass media conducted by the Institute of Mass Information with the support of Internews Network * in October 2019.

Monitoring analysis was conducted in 18 nationwide online mass media (eleven the most rated and seven media that signed the Media Movement’s Memorandum of compliance with professional standards): obozrevatel.com, segodnya.ua, 24tv.ua, tsn.ua, strana.ua, pravda.com.ua, 112.ua, znaj.ua rbc.ua, unian.com, gordonua.com, nv.ua (M), liga.net (M), ukrinform.ua (M), zn.ua (M), censor.net.ua (M), tyzhden.ua (M), interfax.com.ua (M). The total sample was 900 materials - 50 materials taken at a time from each site covered by this monitoring. This research was made possible by the support of the American people through the USAID Media Program in Ukraine implemented by the international organization Internews Network. The content of this material is the sole responsibility of the Media Institute NGO and does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the US Government, or the Internews Network. The methodology of the study can be found here.  

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