IMI studied the needs of journalists in over 250 Ukrainian media outlets

Ukrainian regional media outlets, including those relocated and those based in the frontline oblasts, reported their wartime needs to the Institute of Mass Information. The results showed a need for technology supply, a lack of professional training, a need for financial support, additional personnel recruitment, as well as office space, physical safety and mental health care.

According to the survey carried out by the IMI in 20 oblasts, Ukrainian media outlets are most (39%) in need of technological equipment to sustain their work. This list includes power generators, power banks, Ecoflow stations and equipment for professional photography, filming or audio recording.

The survey showed that:

• Over a quarter of media outlets (26%) reported a need for capability building through additional training programs.
• One in every five stated needs (20%) was related to financial support. Mostly, the outlets needed money to cover their employees' salaries.
• 8% of the surveyed media outlets reported a lack of human resources and a need to attract new members for their teams.
• 4% of all the needs were related to renting office space.
• Only 2% of the needs reported by the media outlets were safety-related: personal first aid kits, bulletproof vests, and helmets.
• Less than 1% of the needs had to do with mental health care. For instance, some outlets mentioned that their team was exhausted and in need of a retreat, rest, or counseling sessions.

Regional journalists' needs

Detailed overview by regions is available here.

*The study was carried out through a quantitative online survey of a simple non-probability sample – chief editors of media outlets. A total of 254 outlets in 20 oblasts of Ukraine (Donetsk, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kherson, Luhansk, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Ternopil, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Odesa) were surveyed. The study was carried out throughout 2023.

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a Ukrainian public media organization that has been operating since 1996. The IMI defends the rights of journalists, analyzes the media field and covers media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation and has been providing media outlets with safety gear for trips to the combat zone since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.

The IMI carries out Ukraine's only freedom of speech monitoring and keeps a list of high quality and sustainable online media outlets, documents Russia's crimes against the media committed in the course of the war on Ukraine. The IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and a network of "Mediabaza" hubs to provide journalists with continuous support. The IMI's partners include Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House; the organization is a member of the International Organization for the Protection of Freedom of Expression (IFEX).