IMI study: Government has no consistent media policy to shape a positive image of the mobilization effort

The coverage of the mobilization effort in the Ukrainian media suggests a lack of a consistent media policy on the part of the government. Such a policy would help shape a positive image of the mobilization effort and ensure coherence and coordination, according to the new monitoring study "Ukrainian media maneuvering between negativity and neutrality in mobilization reporting" by the Institute of Mass Information.

Reporting on mobilization. Diagram by the Institute of Mass Information

State authorities put no effort into positive communication regarding the mobilization. There is an environment of pressure on draft dodgers, but positive motivation to enlist in the Defense Forces is rare, says the IMI study.

"The authorities have so far failed to convince Ukrainians that fair mobilization exists. The abundance of reporting on corruption in the system is increasingly assuring society of the opposite. Even in cases when officials try to address the corruption scandals by criticizing bribe-takers and promising to eradicate this shameful phenomenon, they rarely succeed. Most often, the context of such statements remains negative," the study says.

Read the full study here.

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a Ukrainian non-governmental 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).