It’s State Propaganda’: Ukrainians Shun TV News as War Drags on
A government-approved news program intended to counter Russian disinformation and boost morale is coming under criticism for painting a rosy picture of the war. (NYT)
Since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the people of #Ukraine have had access to a single source of television news — an all-day broadcast packed with footage of Ukrainian tanks blasting Russian positions, medics operating near the frontline and political leaders rallying support abroad.
The show, Telemarathon United News, has been a major tool of Ukraine’s information war, praised by the government officials who regularly appear on it for its role in countering Russian disinformation and maintaining morale.
But after nearly two years of war, Ukrainians have grown weary of Telemarathon. What was once seen as a crucial tool for holding the country together is now increasingly derided as little more than a mouthpiece for the government.
Viewers have complained that the program often paints too rosy a picture of the war, hiding worrying developments on the frontline and the West’s eroding support for Ukraine — and ultimately failing to prepare citizens for a long war.
“Everyone is fed up with this picture that says, ‘We’re winning, everyone likes us and gives us money,’” said Oksana Romaniuk, the head of the Kyiv-based Institute of Mass Information, a media monitoring organization. “It’s state propaganda.”
By the end of 2022, viewership of the news program had shrunk to 14 percent of the television audience, Ms. Ostapa said. Today, it is down to 10 percent.
Ihor Kulias, a media expert monitoring Telemarathon for Detector Media, said that, for most of 2023, the show’s participants used language that emphasized “the effectiveness and skill of the Ukrainian forces,” while Russian forces were “described as being in a state of panic, experiencing significant losses and surrendering en masse.”
It was “a completely different reality” from the actual situation on the ground, Mr. Kulias said.
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Can the NYT be trusted? Didn't they write the same?
