INFORMATION FATIGUE AS A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITIES: a chance for regional media during the war and beyond

INTRODUCTION

Conscious news avoidance — the deliberate refusal to consume certain types of information in the media — has long remained an under-researched and often debated phenomenon. However, its growing scale in recent years, as demonstrated by major annual studies such as the Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, has made many media professionals increasingly concerned about the future of news consumption itself. According to Reuters surveys, in 2025 the average level of complete or selective news avoidance across all countries stands at around 40%, and in some nations it already exceeds 60%.

The main reasons why people lose interest in the news and deliberately avoid it are as follows: its negative impact on mood (39%), exhaustion from the sheer volume of information (31%), excessive coverage of conflicts and wars (30%), a perceived inability to act on or influence the information received (20%), and the provocation of controversies that people prefer to avoid (18%).

All these factors have become particularly relevant for Ukraine, which has been resisting Russia’s armed aggression for the past four years. National and local media cannot ignore war-related information, yet by doing so, they risk losing part of their audience.

The 2025 Ukrainian opinion polls, presented, for example, in studies by Internews Ukraine [6] and the Razumkov Center [4], confirm the existence of the phenomenon of news avoidance in Ukraine and provide partial analysis of its dynamics. One of the key objectives of our research team was to assess the scale of news avoidance among different categories of Ukrainian media consumers and to analyze its underlying causes.

At the same time, some publications and expert discussions suggest that the crisis in the media sector caused by news fatigue may, to some extent, work in favor of regional outlets. Owing to their proximity to audiences and their ability to cover specific decisions and initiatives within local communities, these newsrooms can — at the very least — avoid key risks and factors that make people stop consuming news, and at best, expand their audiences by responding to their needs and interests.

Our research shows that all of the above reasons for news avoidance are clearly reflected in the Ukrainian media landscape. This trend is most evident among national media outlets: while fulfilling their critical mission to inform the public about the war and politics, they produce a large volume of similar materials, often duplicated across different platforms. As a result, audiences experience a sense of information overload and fatigue. In contrast, local media demonstrate a different approach — they report on military and political events in a measured way and mostly in connection with the daily lives of specific communities, which makes their content more relevant and relatable to readers.

In addition, local media continue to address other critical informational needs within the communities where they operate. It is worth noting that, according to Reuters, 18% of surveyed consumers cited “a lack of feeling that news is relevant to their own lives” as a reason for deliberately avoiding the media. This gives local outlets a comparative advantage, as they are best positioned to meet this audience demand for relevance and a sense of belonging.

The survey of news consumers conducted as part of this study confirmed the validity of this assumption. In particular, it showed that the average Ukrainian citizen is likely experiencing fatigue from the psychologically taxing and homogenized information consumed in recent years, and that a significant share of Ukrainians are already deliberately limiting their news consumption to avoid additional emotional strain.

Despite the traumatizing nature of war-related news, a complete rejection of it would mean losing an essential channel of communication with society and one’s own community. This is where local media can play a distinctive role: they can serve as a more sensitive and accessible source of information that helps people stay informed — presented in a form and volume that are emotionally considerate and attuned to audience needs.

The purpose of this study was to: describe the extent and identify the trends of selective avoidance of traumatic war-related content among Ukrainian audiences. We also aimed to determine which strategies would be most appropriate for independent local media in this crisis context, enabling them to continue fulfilling their role of addressing the critical informational needs of their communities. In addition, an important objective was to develop recommendations, that would help local media not only retain their audiences under challenging conditions but, where possible, expand them.

The study showed that the phenomenon of news avoidance in Ukraine has distinct features shaped by the war and its impact on society. Although, according to the interviewed experts, some adjustments to editorial policies have taken place in recent months, these changes are generally slow and remain largely invisible to audiences. Fatigue from traumatic content calls for a new, more sensitive, and contextualized approach to news reporting — particularly at the community level.

In the photo: Dmytro Vasyliev, journalist of Suspilne Odesa, Zatoka, Odesa region, 2022. Photo by Nicolleta Stoyanova

Summary:  INFORMATION FATIGUE AND THE DEMAND FOR LOCAL NEWS

An overabundance of news, constant repetition of topics, and the overwhelming emotional burden of wartime reporting have led some audiences to temporarily turn away from the information flow. In times of full-scale war, this phenomenon — known as news fatigue — becomes particularly acute: information is both vital and deeply exhausting.

Despite the ongoing war, the Ukrainian audience continues to follow the news, yet their information habits are shifting — from constant monitoring to selectively seeking content that holds immediate practical relevance for their personal lives and local communities.

To understand how information fatigue manifests among Ukrainian audiences, the MDF Research Lab team conducted this study, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the scale of the phenomenon, its regional characteristics, and its potential impact on local media. The following sections outline the study’s methodological framework, present the main findings, and offer key recommendations for Ukrainian newsrooms.

Research principles and methods

The study was based on the principle of an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design: quantitative results served as the basis for further qualitative analysis. This approach allowed us not only to record the scale of the information fatigue phenomenon, but also to understand how it manifests itself in audience behavior and regional media practices. 

The MDF Research Lab team studied the phenomenon of deliberate selective avoidance of war news among Ukrainian media consumers. The goal was to assess the extent of this phenomenon, identify its causes, and define strategic guidelines for regional media in the context of a protracted war. Accordingly, the study combined the following stages:

  1. Quantitative survey of media consumers: 1000 respondents (18-60 years old, cities of 50K+, all large regions) were interviewed on August 22-25, 2025.

  2. Content analysis: a retrospective analysis of 1878 publications on the websites of 10 local media over 8 months (January-August 2025) to assess the thematic structure. 

  3. Media monitoring: At this stage, we conducted a six-month automated monitoring (from March 1 to August 31, 2025) of publications of Ukrainian online media (10 national and about 100 regional) using the LOOQME.IO service. As a result, we were able to compare the amount of content about the war with content about other information needs of communities.

  4. Analysis of Google Analytics data: at this stage of the study, we analyzed the dynamics of content consumption in 10 independent local media throughout the year (August 2024 - July 2025). Google Analytics data allowed us to assess which content topics attracted the most attention of users in different periods, whether interest in military topics is decreasing, and what other areas readers' attention is shifting to. The analysis was carried out by constructed weeks, which ensured the representativeness of the results and made it possible to trace the dynamics of information fatigue and selective avoidance of news during the study period.

  5. Expert interviews: analysis and discussion of the quantitative data of the study together with leading Ukrainian media experts helped to formulate recommendations for local newsrooms. 

Photo by Oleksiy Nikulin, videographer, hromadske, Vovchansk, Kharkiv region , May 2024. Photo by Ksenia Savoskina

The findings showed that news fatigue in Ukraine has not only psychological but also structural causes and is closely related to the pace and content of the news flow. Below, we summarize the main findings: how widespread this phenomenon is among Ukrainian media consumers and whether its dynamics have changed during the research period.

Scale of and main causes of information fatigue

The study confirmed the widespread presence of deliberate restrictions on the consumption of war-related information in Ukraine. 46.2% of respondents reported avoiding news on this topic to varying degrees during the last six months of 2025. However, this avoidance is mostly moderate: only 8.3% indicated a significant or very significant level of avoidance, while 47% said they did not avoid war-related news at all.

54%

respondents completely agree that they receive more news than they can process.

51%

respondents on the verge of an emotional breakdown due to news about the war

49%

feels hopeless after watching the news (high level of agreement)

58%

of respondents are tired of repetitive or identical messages about the war

Main reasons for avoidance 

The key factors that provoke selective avoidance of information are primarily psychological and related to information overload.

  • Feeling anxious about the news — cited by 36.9% of respondents — remains the main motivation for news avoidance, with particularly high levels reported in the frontline Northeastern (44.4%) and Southern (40.3%) regions.

  • Information overload — more than half of respondents (54.0%) stated that they receive more news than they can process.

Despite these and other negative factors, 65.4% of respondents reported feeling proud of Ukrainian resistance, while 63.5% said they felt hopeful after learning about the successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The findings suggest that news avoidance in Ukraine is largely a protective rather than destructive reaction, helping most respondents to improve their emotional and psychological well-being.

Key findings at the country level

The content analysis revealed a balanced information strategy built around a three-tier hierarchy of priorities. The main critical information needs remain consistently dominant, accounting for 51–62% of the analyzed content. Military topics occupy the second position, showing moderate fluctuations (31–42%), while political content remains the least represented (5–11%).

A key characteristic is the relative stability of the ratio between military and non-military content, indicating the absence of any fundamental shift in the overall editorial focus of the media.

Regional and age differentiation

The consumer survey also revealed that war news fatigue in Ukraine has clear geographic and age-specific characteristics.

  • Resilience of the frontline regions. The regions most affected by the war — the Northeast and the South — are the least likely to avoid the news. In the Northeast, 53.5% of respondents and in the South, 47.7% reported not avoiding the news at all. Content analysis supports this finding: media outlets in the East and South devote the largest share of their coverage to military topics — 73.4% and 54.4%, respectively. This differentiation reflects the natural need of frontline regions for timely and relevant information directly affecting the safety and survival of local residents. In contrast, the Western, Northern, and Central regions — farther from the frontline — maintain a more balanced thematic structure (up to 67.9% of non-military content). This may indicate a gradual societal adaptation to prolonged martial law and an ability to sustain other areas of public life alongside awareness of military realities.

  • The largest “risk group” — young people. The youngest surveyed cohort — individuals aged 18 to 24 — may require special attention from both researchers and media professionals. This group showed a relatively higher tendency to avoid news about the war (65%) and to reduce overall news consumption between 2022 and 2025 (33%). Moreover, compared to older age groups, they are less likely to regularly follow local news from their communities. However, many express interest in doing so: about 33% follow local news constantly, while 64.7% follow it occasionally or from time to time. The main sources young people use to stay informed — and to partially replace traditional news — are friends, YouTube, and, to a lesser extent, Telegram channels and other platforms.

  • High demand for local information. Interest in news about one’s own community remains high and stable across all regions. Furthermore, content analysis shows that the majority of publications in regional media — 80.5% — are of local importance, focusing on events and developments within specific communities. This confirms the critical role of local newsrooms as primary and trusted informants for their audiences.

Request for strategic adaptation of local media

Despite the growing fatigue among readers and the tendency to avoid war-related news, monitoring results show that Ukrainian media have not significantly adjusted their editorial policies over the last six months of 2025. Mentions of war-related keywords in media publications — both at the national and regional levels — consistently accounted for the largest share, around 30%, which may indicate that the trend toward audience emotional exhaustion is being largely overlooked.

66,2%

Feel informed about the state of affairs in their communities

29,5%

constantly use local media as the main source of information

At the same time, the study found that while audiences remain interested in military topics, their attention is shifting toward strategic and personally meaningful stories — those that have practical or long-term implications, rather than repetitive or clickbait content.

Despite widespread information fatigue, our survey revealed a stable and high level of interest in local news sources. On average, 66.2% of respondents reported feeling informed about the state of affairs in their communities, with the highest levels observed in Kyiv and the North-Eastern region. This sense of awareness is reinforced by the crucial role of local media: 29.5% of respondents regularly use local media outlets and community social media pages as their primary source of information.

Local media traffic: regional differentiation of consumer priorities

Google Analytics data highlight clear regional differences in the behavior of Ukrainian media audiences and their responses to specific topics. In the Eastern macro-region, where active hostilities continue, readers display reactive behavior — with high engagement in news about the course of military operations and their consequences. In contrast, in the South, the most viewed materials often concern tariffs, infrastructure restoration, water supply, and even weather updates — particularly in the context of power outages.

In regions relatively distant from the frontline, users tend to overlook repetitive military coverage but remain highly engaged with content that has direct personal or security relevance — such as updates on the work of territorial recruitment centers (TCCs), mobilization, or local emergencies. Notably, high-profile political developments — including corruption cases, rotations of local officials, and decisions on budgeting or governance — also attract substantial attention across all regions.

The consistent demand for locally relevant, life-oriented information is confirmed by Google Analytics data nationwide. However, an effective editorial strategy must take into account regional differentiation — identifying what types of content fulfill this critical function in each community, and maintaining a balance between audiences’ needs for security, daily life, and participation in local governance.

Conclusions for local newsrooms

The Ukrainian paradox lies in the fact that society does indeed demonstrate a high level of information fatigue. However, the Ukrainian reader of online media has not lost interest in information in general, or in military topics in particular, but has instead evolved in the way this information is consumed. The fatigue largely stems from the repetitive national chronicles that are published day after day and replicated across numerous media outlets. In contrast, news that is directly relevant to people’s daily lives continues to generate high engagement rates.

According to the experts we interviewed, independent local media should acknowledge the phenomenon of information fatigue and the selective avoidance of war-related news — which now affects nearly half of Ukraine’s audience. Recognizing this, editorial teams need to transform their editorial policies. This transformation should not mean refusing to inform readers fully, but rather adapting to the growing demand for high-quality, ethical, locally relevant, and emotionally balanced content. In this new reality, local media hold a distinct advantage over national outlets due to the persistent demand for information about community life and the essential role they play in meeting local information needs.

METHODOLOGY

Research Objectives

The research team identified the following objectives for this study:

  1. To identify trends in media consumption during the fourth year of the full-scale war;

  2. To determine whether Ukrainians deliberately and selectively avoid war-related news and to assess the extent of this phenomenon, if present;

  3. To evaluate the capacity of regional media to produce high-quality, locally relevant content in the context of information fatigue among Ukrainian audiences.

Key Concepts

The theoretical basis of this study is the work of Skovsgaard and Andersen (2019, 2022), who laid down fundamental approaches to understanding the phenomenon of news avoidance, and the research of Schäfer, Betakova and Lecheler (2024), who deepened the understanding of the motivational factors of selective news avoidance.

News avoidance is a behavior in which people consciously or unconsciously reduce their consumption of news content. It can take different forms: 1) unconscious - when news falls out of a person's field of vision due to routine, priorities, or lack of interest; 2) conscious - when a person consciously refuses to consume news for one reason or another. In terms of coverage, avoidance can be complete, episodic, or selective/selective [1, 2]. 

Selective intentional news avoidance is a conscious decision to avoid certain topics or types of news, rather than news in general. This type of avoidance implies that a person:

  • does not stop following all the news, but purposefully avoids certain topics, such as war, politics, pandemics or climate crises;

  • avoids certain content due to negative emotions, fatigue from one topic, distrust, oversaturation, boredom, or personal disinterest [1; 2; 3].

In this study, we focus on conscious selective news avoidance. In particular, we are interested in whether the Ukrainian audience avoids the topic of a full-scale war in Ukraine. Our choice is justified by empirical data both in the Ukrainian and international context.

According to the Razumkov Center's study "The Impact of Information Sources on the Mental Resilience of Ukrainians," although the vast majority of Ukrainians consider journalistic coverage of the war important, three-quarters of respondents (75%) experience negative emotions from war news (anxiety, fear, confusion, hopelessness, pessimism). Some people resort to avoidance: 10% constantly refuse to watch (any) news due to emotional difficulty, and 30.5% do so often [4].

International data confirm this trend. According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023 [5], the war in Ukraine is one of the topics most avoided by media consumers - on average, 39% of respondents from 11 countries analyzed deliberately refuse to consume news about the war in Ukraine. This does not reflect a lack of interest, but rather a desire to protect mental health.

Issue fatigue is a feeling of overload from prolonged and excessive coverage of one topic in the news [3]. It occurs when people feel that a topic is repeated too often in the media, are overwhelmed by information, experience negative emotional reactions, or feel powerless over events.

The study by Svenja Schäfer, Dominika Betakova & Sophie Lecheler (2024) refers to issue fatigue as the main motivation for avoiding news about crisis situations, such as COVID-19 or war. Information fatigue is important for understanding selective avoidance, as it explains why the audience may turn away from all news, but only from overly covered "exhausting" topics [3]. That is why this concept can best reflect the realities of the modern Ukrainian media consumer in the context of a full-scale war.

Thematic Structure of the Analysis

In order to identify the extent of news avoidance among Ukrainians, we needed to understand how actively the audience reads publications of different topics. In this regard, we divided the content into two categories to compare them: about the war and about critical information needs.

News about the war is information content that covers any aspect of the war and its impact on society, including direct military operations, security threats to the civilian population (shelling, destruction of infrastructure, evacuations) socio-political processes of wartime (mobilization, diplomacy, sanctions, legislative changes), humanitarian consequences of the conflict (human losses, volunteer initiatives, assistance to victims), as well as cultural and memorial aspects of the war (commemoration, military history, commemorative events). Taken together, these aspects form a comprehensive picture of the war reality and its impact on the spheres of society.

Along with military content, the media cover many different topics related or unrelated to the war. However, in this study, we are examining local media content, and thus, we need to focus on the context of local information. Therefore, the second main category of content studied in this analysis is journalistic materials about critical information needs of communities.

Critical information needs of local communities (hereinafter referred to as CIN) is information that helps citizens navigate political, economic and social processes and make informed decisions that affect their lives. The initial assumption behind this concept is that citizens need information about the fullest possible range of situations and services to make informed choices. The CIPs cover 8 categories (see Annex 1 for details on the CIPs):

  • Emergency situations and public safety;

  • Health care;

  • Education;

  • Transportation systems;

  • Economic development;

  • Eenvironment;

  • Public initiatives and public services (civic information);

  • Politics and governance. 

In this study, we studied in detail the topics of journalistic materials using various methods: content analysis, media monitoring, and analysis of Google Analytics indicators. Thematic coding within these stages of the study is based on 9 main topics: war plus 8 sub-topics of critical information needs.

The table below shows the thematic scheme with a breakdown into subtopics and a decoding of each of them. Materials that do not fall into any category are classified as "other". In case of frequent repetition of such topics, we have formed new additional categories (the final list of topics based on the research results is provided in the Appendices).

Scheme of themes analysis
Code
Name of the category
Description
WAR

war-front

Fighting / information about the front

The situation on the front line: the course of battles, offensives, retreats, changes in the front line, General Staff reports, control of territories, weapons, tactics.

war-shelling

Bombardment / destruction outside the front line

Attacks on civilian or military targets in rear and frontline regions: destruction of infrastructure, fires, evacuations, utility outages, reconstruction.

war-politics

War + politics

Political and diplomatic processes related to the war: statements by politicians, adoption of laws, sanctions, international aid, negotiations, visits.

war-mobilization

Mobilization

Conscription, mobilization campaigns, changes in legislation, search for evaders, training of the military.

war-victims

War victims / human losses

The dead, wounded, missing among the military and civilians; funerals, commemorations, statistics of losses.

war-volunteering

War-related volunteering

Raising funds, purchasing equipment, humanitarian aid, charity events to support the military and the victims.

war-other

Other things related to the war

Topics in the military context that are not covered by other codes: cultural/educational projects, stories of veterans, memorable dates.

POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

national policy

National policy (not military)

State personnel decisions, resolutions, laws, national programs, public procurement (without military context).

international policy

International politics (non-military)

Diplomacy, summits, conferences, visits of foreign delegations (without military context).

local government

Local authorities and governance

Activities of local councils, local authorities, personnel appointments, resolutions, utilities, repairs, infrastructure.

OTHER CRITICAL INFORMATION NEEDS

economy

Economy

Economic situation, inflation, prices, business, enterprises, investments, labor market.

crime

Criminal offenses (non-military)

Administrative and criminal offenses of civilians: Road accidents, fights, murders, fraud, corruption, domestic violence.

emergency

Emergencies (non-military)

Natural disasters, fires, man-made accidents, rescue of people not related to war.

education

Education and science

School, university, extracurricular education, pupils' and students' achievements, distance learning, vocational education.

culture

Culture and art

Exhibitions, concerts, festivals, cultural news, opinions of cultural figures.

society

Public life and social services

The work of public organizations, religious communities, libraries, social services, charitable foundations (without military context).

sports

Sports

Competitions, achievements of athletes, sporting events.

health

Health and medicine

Epidemics, state of medical services, disease prevention, health campaigns.

transportation

Transport and transportation infrastructure

Public transportation, schedules, road repairs, street closures, tariffs.

ecology

Ecology and environment

Water and air quality, environmental risks, pollution, ecosystem restoration, recreation areas.

other

Other

Anything that does not fall into the other categories.

Methods

To achieve the project's objectives, we use an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design, which involves a step-by-step combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. First, a quantitative study is conducted to get a general picture, and then a qualitative study is conducted to interpret the results in depth.

Content analysis

Goal: to identify the main topics among the content of local media and to form a list of keywords for further monitoring.

Research questions:

  1. What is the thematic structure of local media content in January - August 2025?

  2. What keywords are most often used in journalistic materials?

Sample: A purposive sample of 10 independent local media from the MDF network representing all macro-regions of Ukraine (two media from each: North, South, West, East, Center) is used. The selection criteria include: regular publication of news content, work for local audiences, editorial independence and adherence to journalistic standards. 

This sample fully coincides with the sample of other components of the study, which require anonymity. For this reason, all media included in the sample were anonymized. The report does not include full names of media outlets, links to their websites, or any other identifiers that could allow for the identification of related parties.

Units of analysis: All textual materials published during the research period are analyzed, including news content, long-form materials (articles, analytics, reports, interviews), announcements and useful information. Materials labeled as "advertising" or "affiliate material" are excluded.

The period under study: retrospective analysis; the method of constructed weeks is used to select the period - 16 calendar days covering the period from January to August 2025. This approach ensures that all days of the week are evenly represented and allows extrapolating the results to the entire 8-month period.

Below is the exact schedule of the lookback field:

Constructed week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Week 1

27.01.25

04.02.25

12.03.25

24.04.25

06.06.25

17.05.25

13.07.25

Week 2

4.08.25

25.03.25

15.01.25

13.02.25

11.04.25

09.08.25

08.06.25

21.07.25

13.05.25

Methodology: Two coders are involved, using an adapted coding sheet developed based on previous MDF experience. The development of the tool is iterative: first, pilot testing on one media, then the final coding sheet is created.

Quality control: intercoder reliability testing is performed.

Keyword list generation: the results of the content analysis are used to create a comprehensive list of keywords for further automated media monitoring through the LOOQME.IO platform. The list includes topics that appear in at least 30% of publications.

  • The list is structured into 9 thematic categories (war + 8 critical information needs).

  • For each of the thematic categories, 5 keywords were selected. They are selected on the basis of a rating scale. Each of these words should appear in at least 50% of the publications of the respective category.

This approach strikes a balance between analytical depth and manageability of the data volume for the next stage of media monitoring.

Media Monitoring through LOOQME.IO Platform

Aim: to analyze the dynamics of changes in the frequency of mentioning keywords reflecting the main thematic areas in the publications of Ukrainian media, using the analytical tool LOOQME.IO.

Research questions:

  1. What is the overall dynamics of keyword mentions in journalistic publications over the 6-month period under study from March to August 2025?

  2. What topics (clustered by keywords) are growing or declining in the media discourse?

  3. Has there been a decrease in the share of military-related materials in the content of Ukrainian media over the past 6 months (March-August 2025)?

  4. Has the share of materials addressing the critical information needs of the audience increased over 6 months (March - August 2025)?

Sample: automated monitoring of publications on the websites of 12 national and 104 local Ukrainian media representing all macro-regions of Ukraine (South, North, West, East, Center).

Unit of analysis: all textual materials published during the study period.

Research period: retrospective analysis over 6 months, March - August 2025.

Methodology: At this stage, we monitored the media using the LOOQME.IO service, which automatically collects and analyzes data from the online media we specified. 

The monitoring is based on a list of keywords generated at the previous stage of the research as part of the content analysis. These are the words that are most frequently used in each of the given topics. LOOQME.IO classifies publications into relevant thematic categories and provides full analytics for each of them.

With the help of media monitoring, we were able to track the dynamics of changes in the topics of journalistic materials over the past six months. Based on this data, we drew conclusions about the information balance in the media space and how newsrooms are adapting to changes in the demands and emotional state of their audience.

Information about the contractor: LOOQME.IO is a comprehensive ecosystem of solutions for monitoring, analyzing, and evaluating media activity of brands, companies, or individuals in the media and social networks. The system automatically collects and organizes mentions from various sources - online and offline publications, social networks, blogs, forums, TV, radio, news agencies, etc.

  • Monitoring: covers more than 75,000 sources and over 2.5 million news items per week.

  • Analytics: provides interactive dashboards with more than 50 metrics, including tone, mention role, geography, media types, KPIs, etc.

Analysis of Google Analytics Metrics

Objective: to analyze 1) how the content topics of regional independent media changed and 2) how the audience's behavior towards media content changed over the course of 12 months.

Research questions: 

  1. What content topics were most popular among the audiences of the studied media in different periods during the 12 months (August 2024 - July 2025)?

  2. Is there a decrease in the consumption of news on military topics?

  3. What other topics does the audience's interest shift to when attention to military topics decreases?

Sample: Targeted sample of 10 independent local media from the MDF network representing all macro-regions of Ukraine (2 media from each: North, South, West, East, Center). The sample for the analysis of Google Analytics indicators is completely the same as the sample for the content analysis.

To comply with the condition of anonymity granted to the participating editors, all media included in the sample were anonymized. The report does not include full names of media outlets, links to their websites, or any other identifiers that could allow them to be identified.

Units of analysis. Each media organization in the sample provided access to their Google Analytics 4 (GA4) accounts. Based on the data obtained from GA4, the researchers created a dataset with the categories date, pageTitle, and pagePath, as well as the metrics screenPageViews and totalUsers. 

Research period. The study period was determined based on a systematic sampling approach to ensure consistent time intervals over 12 months (August 2024 - July 2025).

The analysis began in August 2024 - the first data collection point covers user engagement (content views) for each of the 10 media in the sample during the first week of this month, according to Google Analytics. Subsequent data points were determined by shifting one calendar month forward and shifting the week of analysis accordingly. Thus, the second point corresponds to the second week of August 2024, the third to the third week of September 2024, and so on. The approach allows you to capture temporal variability in user interaction, avoiding data overlap and ensuring that different weeks of each month are representative.

August 2024
September 2024
October 2024
November 2024
December 2024
January 2025
February 2025
March 2025
April 2024
May 2024
June 2025
July 2025

1st week

2nd week

3rd week

4th week

1st week

2nd week

3rd week

4th week

1st week

2nd week

3rd week

4th week

Scheme of building a research period for analyzing data from Google Analytics

Methodology. The analysis focuses on identifying the leading content topics based on the number of views obtained through Google Analytics. For each of the twelve data collection points, the researcher determined which topics received the most views, which allowed us to identify the dominant areas of user interaction with the content in different periods. 

In addition to identifying the leading topics, the number of views of each topic was also counted and analyzed. This approach makes it possible to assess both the relative popularity of content topics in different time periods and the dynamics of changes in views of specific topics throughout the study period.

To take into account potential variability in coverage, the number of views is normalized using relative indicators, such as the share of views of each topic relative to the total number of views registered during the same week. This allows for a more fair comparison of topic performance over time and mitigates the impact of external factors, such as changes in overall site traffic. 

The 12-month research period allows us to observe fluctuations in audience interest in topics covered in the media, identify new or declining trends, and assess the time dynamics of engagement with content. In addition, all topics are categorized into broader thematic groups, which facilitates the analysis of general content patterns and changes in thematic relevance over time.

The initial list of topics for analysis was formed based on the scheme mentioned above - war plus 8 sub-topics of critical information needs.

Survey of Media Consumers

Objective: To identify the prevalence of the phenomenon of conscious selective avoidance of war-related news among Ukrainian media consumers, and to determine the level of community demand for local information provided by local media.

Research questions:

  1. What proportion of Ukrainian media consumers practice selective avoidance of war-related news?

  2. Is there a demand for locally relevant information provided by local media among community residents?

  3. To what extent do community residents feel informed about the state of affairs in their city, village, or town?

Data collection and preparation of the tabular report were conducted by the research agency Gradus (contracted by MDF). Data analysis was performed by the Media Development Foundation (MDF) team.

Data collection method: Quantitative survey by self-administered questionnaires in a special mobile application gradus.app.

Questionnaire: 25 questions, up to 10 minutes to complete.

Sample: representative, Ukrainians aged 18-60 (n=1000) who consume news online.

Geography: Ukraine, cities with a population of 50K+ (except for temporarily occupied territories and territories with active hostilities).

About the contractor: Gradus Research is a leading Ukrainian research company specializing in fast and high-quality data collection through a unique smartphone survey technology. The company conducts research on social and business topics, and the results are regularly published in national media.

Expert Interviews

The goal is to show the results of the previous stages of the research to experts in order to interpret them more accurately and find out what contextual factors influence the thematic dynamics and audience behavior.

Based on the expert responses, we summarized and prescribed recommendations for independent local media.

Research questions:

  1. To what extent do the quantitative results of the study coincide with the personal observations and experience of experts?

  2. What changes in audience behavior have experts noticed over the past year (August 2024 - July 2025)?

  3. What recommendations do experts provide for local newsrooms regarding the studied shifts in media content consumption?

Method: expert interviews were conducted.

Sample: 4 heads of editorial offices (or separate departments)/editors-in-chief of local media were interviewed.

KEY FINDINGS

Section 1. Survey of Media Consumers

We conducted a representative sociological survey to find out how widespread selective avoidance of war news is among Ukrainian media consumers during wartime. We combined an analysis of the structure of information fatigue and an analysis of the awareness of residents of large and small communities in Ukraine, as well as their demands for local news and local media.

Selective Avoidance of News about the War

The results of the sociological survey of media consumers showed that there is a significant group of people in Ukraine who may be inclined to avoid news about the war to varying degrees. About 46.2% of respondents said that in the last 6 months of 2025 they avoided news about the war (to a small to very large extent). At the same time, only 8.3% of them said they avoided war-related news to a large or very large extent. Despite this, 47% of all respondents said they did not avoid the news at all.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Age differences. It is worth noting that the results of the survey differ significantly for different age groups of Ukrainians. The graph below shows the age distribution of responses. We can see that three young age groups may be the most likely to avoid news:

  • 18 to 24 years old (a total of 65% of respondents in this age group said they avoided news about the war to varying degrees);

  • 25 to 34 years old (a total of 55.8% noted different levels of news avoidance);

  • 35 to 44 years old (45.4% ofrespondents in this age group noted different levels of news avoidance).

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Taking into account the significant and very significant levels of news avoidance, high levels are most common among respondents aged 18 to 24 (a total of 14.5% said they intentionally avoid news to a significant or very significant extent). 

In contrast, older age groups (45 to 54 and 55 to 60) reported much lower levels of avoidance: 39.5% and 28.5% in total reported varying levels of news avoidance, with only 8% and 3.5% of respondents reporting avoidance to a large and very large extent, respectively. 53.7% of people aged 45 to 54 and 64.9% of people aged 55 to 60 said they did not avoid news about the war at all in the last six months of 2025.

Regional differences. Respondents' answers to the question about intentional avoidance of news in the last 6 months of 2025, analyzed by region, showed the following: in the Northeast, the largest number of respondents said they did not avoid news about the war at all (53.5%), followed by the city of Kyiv with 49.5% of respondents who did not avoid news about the war at all. In the Western region, this figure is the lowest - 40.5%

The number of people who avoid news about the war to a large or very large extent in all regions is in the range of 5% to 10%, in particular, 5.4% in the North-East, 8.4% in the West, 8.4% in Kyiv, 9.5% in the Central and 9% in the South.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Long-term Trends in Consumption of War-Related Content

According to the survey, on average, 45.1% of Ukrainians followed the news equally actively in 2022-2025, 28.2% of Ukrainians increased their news consumption with the ongoing war, 21.8% decreased their news consumption compared to the beginning of the war, 0.6% said they did not follow the news at all during this period, and 4.3% said they found it difficult to answer.

Age differences. In general, the trends in news consumption shown in the graph below may indicate that older age groups have more stable news consumption behavior - 60.7% of respondents aged 55-60 and 55.2% of respondents aged 45-50 were equally active in following the news in 2022-2025. At the same time, younger age groups proved to be more dynamic in their behavior. About a third of respondents aged 18-24 reduced their news consumption, while another third increased it. This may indicate a more unpredictable behavior in news consumption among younger age groups.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Regional differences. Regionally, all regions showed similar results in terms of news consumption during the protracted war. The exception is the Western region, where there is a relatively smaller number of respondents who have been equally active in following the news during almost four years of full-scale war (38.6%) and a slightly larger number of respondents who have increased their news consumption with the ongoing war (33%). For comparison, 49.8% of respondents in the Southern region said they constantly followed the news, 48.2% in the North-Eastern region, 46.3% in the Central region, and 44% in Kyiv (see the graph below).

Graph. Survey of media consumers

How and Why Ukrainians Avoid War-Related Content

According to the survey, among the practical steps and actions taken by respondents at least once to avoid news about the war, the most common are scrolling through the news feed (on average, 47.1% of respondents who previously indicated that they tend to avoid news about the war) and turning off notifications in news apps (28.8% respectively) or completely stopping consuming news in news feeds and social media channels (22.9%) or completely stopping consuming news media resources (19.1%). 

This is true for all age groups. The graph below shows other ways of avoiding news mentioned by respondents.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

According to respondents who had previously indicated that they avoid the news, the most common reasons for selectively avoiding news about the war are as follows:

  1. Anxiety caused by news - on average (across Ukraine) 36.9% of respondents who previously indicated that they avoid news about the war;

  2. News overload - 34.6%;

  3. Excessive sensitivity to war-related news - 28.5%;

  4. Feelings of frustration and sadness after watching news about the war - 26.6%;

  5. Distrust of the news - 23.4%.

Regional differences. Anxiety over the news is most often reported by respondents in the North-Eastern (44.4%) and Southern (40.3%) regions. Similarly, excessive sensitivity to war-related news is most frequently observed among respondents in the North-Eastern region (34.6%).

News overload is most frequently reported in the Western region (38.4%). Feelings of frustration and sadness after watching such news are most often mentioned by respondents in Kyiv (30.5%). Among the analyzed regions, the North-Eastern region shows a relatively higher level of distrust in the news, at 30.8%.    

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Regarding the emotions and psychological states that arise after consuming news, respondents most often reported experiencing anxiety (18.9%), emotional exhaustion (16.1%), fear (12.0%), a sense of devastation (9.2%), and hopelessness (9.7%).

At the same time, respondents who practice news avoidance showed the highest level of agreement with both types of statements — those expressing fatigue from war-related news and those conveying patriotism and hope about the country’s situation. For instance, 78.1% of respondents agreed with the statement “News of destruction and casualties makes me sad,” and 58.5% agreed with “I am tired of repeated or identical messages about the war.” Meanwhile, similarly high levels of agreement were recorded for the statements “I feel proud when I read about the Ukrainian resistance” (65.4%) and “I feel hopeful when I read about the success of the Ukrainian military” (63.5%).

It is equally important to note that opinions about the excessive amount of materials, not just their content, are high, such as "I receive more news than I can process" (54.0%), "The amount of news about the war depresses me" (52.7%).

The visualization shows all the statements for which respondents expressed different levels of agreement. For example, for the statement "News of destruction and casualties makes me sad" 78.1% of respondents expressed a high level of agreement, 15.1% - a medium level of agreement and 6.8% - a low level of agreement.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

In general, the majority of respondents who had previously indicated that they avoid news about the war stated that this practice helps improve their emotional and psychological state, to varying degrees, across all regions of Ukraine. Among the analyzed regions, the South recorded the highest proportion of respondents (20.5%) who answered “Yes, it helps to improve my emotional and psychological state.” Meanwhile, the share of respondents who reported that avoiding news about the war does not help improve their emotional and psychological state ranges from 8.7% in Kyiv to 14.9% in the Central region.

Instead of news about the war, the largest share of respondents prefers entertainment content (63.6% of women and 49.4% of men), music content (27.6% of women and 33.2% of men), humorous content (25.1% of women and 31.2% of men), and similar types of material.  

To stay informed, respondents who avoid news about the war to varying degrees primarily rely on communication with friends, family members, colleagues, and military personnel. This tendency is observed across all age groups, most commonly among people aged 25–34 (49.3%) and least commonly among those aged 55–60 (30.7%), according to responses to the open-ended question. It is also worth noting that a considerable number of respondents refrained from answering, choosing options such as “Hard to say,” “Other,” “All,” or “Nothing.”

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Request for Local Information

According to the survey, the majority of respondents across all age groups follow local news about their communities.

Age differences. Among respondents aged 55–60, 43.6% report following local news regularly, while 40.2% of those aged 45–54 do so. In the younger age groups (18–24, 25–34, and 35–44), approximately 33–37% of respondents stated that they “constantly follow local news.” A similar proportion in each age group indicated that they “follow local news from time to time,” whereas the options “rarely” and “occasionally” were chosen more frequently by respondents aged 18–34 (see the graph below).

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Regional differences. In the regional context, the North-Eastern and Southern regions stand out with relatively higher proportions of respondents who “constantly follow the local news of their communities” — 49.4% in the North-Eastern region and 44.0% in the Southern region, compared to 29.8% in the Western, 33.9% in Kyiv, and 34.8% in the Central region.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Among the topics of greatest interest to Ukrainians who follow local news, “war-related dangers” ranks first (58.5%). In contrast, relatively low levels of interest were expressed in topics related to civic initiatives, public services, and education.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

When asked which topics about their city, village, or town would be of interest (see the visualization below), respondents generally found it difficult to identify specific areas. The most frequent answers were “Everything is interesting,” “Hard to say,” and “Other.” However, among the clearly defined topics, “Events at the front and the end of the war” attracted the most interest across all regions — including the North-East (10.6%) and the South (10.1%). In Kyiv, this figure was lower (7.1%), followed by the Central region (5.7%) and the Western region (3.5%).

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Interest in Topics of National Importance

The strong public interest in the war, its potential end, and the situation at the front is further confirmed by responses to the question about interest in topics of national — rather than local — importance. The graph below presents these topics in descending order of interest, all of which relate to wartime events and post-war recovery:

  1. Negotiations to end the war — 69.0% of respondents indicated the highest level of interest in this topic;

  2. The situation at the front — 67.6%;

  3. News related to the war — 66.4%;

  4. Rocket attacks and destruction — 58.1%;

  5. Post-war reconstruction — 50.6%.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Residents Awareness of Local Affairs

According to the survey, 66.2% of Ukrainians feel informed about the situation in their community to varying degrees.

Regional differences. Overall, 71.6% of respondents in Kyiv consider themselves informed to varying degrees, compared to 71.8% in the North-Eastern region, 64.5% in the Central region, 62.3% in the Western region, and 60.9% in the Southern region.

Respondents feel the most informed in Kyiv, where 34.0% consider themselves fully informed about local news in their communities, and 37.6% consider themselves informed but would like to know more.

Insufficient awareness was reported by 20.7% of respondents in the North-Eastern region, 27.2% in the Western region, 24.7% in the Central region, 30.0% in the Southern region, and 21.3% in Kyiv. In addition, between 3% and 7% of respondents across different regions stated that they know almost nothing about their community.

It is worth noting that respondents in the North-Eastern region expressed the strongest desire to learn more about local news (47.1%).

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Age differences. All age groups demonstrated a relatively similar level of awareness about the situation in their communities — ranging from the lowest at 24% among respondents aged 55–60 to the highest at 32% among those aged 25–34.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Finally, to learn about events in their communities, people in Ukraine most often rely on the following sources: Local media that inform on communities affairs - 29.5% of respondents;

  • National media or news websites - 30.6%

  • Social media pages that share local news - 28.2%;

  • Social media pages focused on national events in Ukraine - 29.9%;

  • Social media feeds, where 28.9% of respondents read what appears in their timeline.

Graph. Survey of media consumers

Section 2. Content  Analysis

We conducted a content analysis of ten local media outlets covering an eight-month period from January to August 2025. The primary objective of this stage of the research was to examine the thematic structure of local media content. During the study period, 1,878 publications were analyzed. The analysis also helped identify the keywords most frequently used in journalistic materials. Based on these findings, a list of keywords was compiled for subsequent media monitoring .

Anna Shpurik at the scene of the Russian attack in Sumy. Photo by Tsukr

Content

The vast majority of content (80.5%) is of local significance, confirming the role of the monitored media as the primary source of information for their communities.

We observe an almost equal distribution between military and non-military content: 48.5% of all publications are related to the war, while 51.5% are not directly connected to it. These findings indicate that local media fulfill the function of providing comprehensive information to their communities, combining wartime reporting with coverage of everyday local issues.

Among the materials directly related to the war, the largest share (14.2%) consists of news and reports about Russian attacks on strategic infrastructure, shelling of cities, destruction in the rear, and other consequences of enemy strikes. The next most common military topic concerns casualties among the military and civilian populations, accounting for 7.0% of all analyzed content.

Among the content not directly related to the war, the largest share is occupied by criminal news (12.2%). The “society” category also holds a significant portion (6.9%). Notably, within this category, the topic of social support and inclusion is widely represented. It encompasses coverage of barrier-free environments and accessibility, programs for people with disabilities, stories of resilience, psychological assistance centers, rehabilitation initiatives, social benefits, and support for vulnerable groups.

Content Thematic Structure

Dynamics of Military vs. Non-military Content

An analysis of the ratio between military and non-military content in local media during the study period shows a relatively stable balance between these categories. Overall, the share of military-related topics fluctuates between 43% and 52%, indicating a balanced information agenda and the absence of any significant shifts in media focus.

Graph. Content analysis

Structure of Thematic Categories

The distribution of local media content across the three main categories demonstrates a clear hierarchy of priorities, with noticeable fluctuations throughout the monitoring period. Basic critical information needs consistently hold a dominant position, accounting for more than half of all content — ranging from 51% to 62%.

Military topics, ranking second in terms of volume, show more volatile dynamics. The highest figures of 42.2% and 40.5% were recorded in February and March. A sharp drop to a low of 31.4% in May was characteristic, followed by stabilization at 35% in the summer months.

Political topics occupy the smallest share in the content structure, but demonstrate the largest amplitude of fluctuations. The initial high rate of 10.9% in January sharply decreased to 5.9% in February-March, reaching a minimum of 4.6% in June. Noteworthy is the gradual recovery of political topics in the second half of the year with a peak of 10.3% in August.

Graph. Content analysis

Regional Distribution

Chart below illustrates significant regional differences in the thematic orientation of content related to the full-scale war. The highest share of war-related content is observed in the Eastern region (73.4%)—almost three times higher than in the Northern and Western regions (32.1% each). The Southern region occupies an intermediate position, with 54.4% of military content, while in the Central region this figure stands at 38.6%. The Western and Northern regions demonstrate the largest share of content not related to the war (67.9% each), indicating a more diversified thematic structure of the media space in these areas.

These findings reveal a direct correlation between geographical proximity to active hostilities and the intensity of military coverage. Media outlets in the East and South—regions most affected by the war—naturally prioritize content that addresses the immediate needs and concerns of their local audiences. In contrast, the Western, Central, and Northern regions, being relatively distant from the front line, maintain a greater balance between military and non-military topics. This trend may suggest that Ukrainian society is gradually adapting to prolonged martial law while preserving interest in a broader range of public issues.

Graph. Share of War-Related Content by Region (%)

Limitations of the Content Analysis Study

The study used a clear coding sheet to distinguish between military and non-military publications (see Appendix 2). However, the classification of materials was partly based on the researcher's interpretation. Even the news that is not formally related to hostilities (e.g., education, culture, economy, etc.) can in many cases reflect life in war or the consequences of martial law. Nevertheless, if the main purpose of the material was to inform not directly about the course of the war, but about other aspects of public life, it was classified as one of the categories of critical information needs, or "Other". This approach implies a certain level of subjectivity in the coding process and may affect the accuracy of the boundaries between categories.

Section 3. Media monitoring using LOOQME.IO

At this stage of the study, using quantitative indicators (more specifically, the number of mentions of keywords in publications on a particular topic), we sought to see one of the important indicators to answer the question: whether the Ukrainian media take into account the growing fatigue of traumatic news among their readers and whether they change their editorial policy.

Here, our hypothesis was as follows: if the editors are interested in maintaining their own audience amid growing fatigue from psychologically difficult and uncomfortable information for the reader, they are likely to filter, and therefore reduce, the number of publications about the war, shelling, and, for example, the loss of territory over time. And vice versa - to increase the number of materials covering other topics. Mathematically, this should lead to an increase or decrease in the number of mentions of certain words in publications (for more on keywords, see the Methodology section). 

Even if the editorial policy does not change dramatically in a strategic way, we assumed that media representatives themselves (i.e., editors of any level or newsmen themselves), observing the number of views of materials on their own websites, can make adjustments to the share of publications on a particular topic. Roughly speaking, an editor who sees that the number of views of news on a particular topic has been growing over time is more likely to post other news in the same section of the site in the future. In addition, it can be assumed that articles on a more popular topic will be more detailed and longer, which will also affect the number of keyword mentions in them. 

To analyze the publications, we chose LOOQME.IO, an automated online mention monitoring service. The monitoring period was 6 months - from March 1 to August 31, 2025. The preliminary content analysis mentioned above made it possible to select 5 keywords for 9 topics ("war" and 8 critical information needs). These words were most often found among all publications on these topics. Using the LOOQME.IO service, we counted all mentions of these keywords in the materials of the monitored media during the six months. We emphasize that this is not the number of publications, but rather the number of times the keywords were mentioned in the publications. 

Below is a list of keywords whose number of mentions has been calculated. For the sake of completeness, close synonyms and their grammatical derivatives are also included here. 

Key words:

Theme
War
Emergencies and public safety
Health care system
Education in the region

Keywords

  1. War

  2. Russians

  3. Attack / shelling

  4. TCC

  5. VLC

  1. Consequences of the accident / shelling

  2. The victims

  3. Damages

  4. Accident / accident

  5. Rescuers

  1. Medicine

  2. Hospital

  3. Patient

  4. Disease

  5. Health

  1. Education

  2. School

  3. Training

  4. Student

  5. University

Theme
Local transportation systems
Economic development of the community
Environmental protection
Public initiatives and public services
Local politics and governance

Keywords

  1. Transportation

  2. Route

  3. Infrastructure

  4. Traffic

  5. (Ukr)railways

  1. Finance

  2. Economy

  3. Business

  4. Enterprise

  5. Taxes

  1. Ecology

  2. Animals

  3. Reserve

  4. Nature

  5. Pollution

  1.  Society

  2. Surveys

  3. Support

    4. Barrier-free

    5. Culture

  1. Budget

  2. City Council

  3. Restoration

  4. Repair

  5. Utilities (services)

Which media were selected for analysis? For the automatic monitoring, we involved the IMI White List for the second half of 2024 - those editorial offices that cover the whole of Ukraine (except for the branches of Suspilne) and were designated by the Institute of Mass Information as transparent and responsible media. At the same time, the LOOQME.IO service analyzed publications on the websites of 80+ regional media outlets with which MDF has either cooperated for some time or which we have analyzed and recognized as independent in previous studies (including the study on "News Deserts in Ukraine"). In addition, we have added all the branches of UA:PBC in the regions to the list of these regional media.    

National media

Regional media 

 "IMI White List"

80+ media outlets in the regions with which MDF cooperates, plus regional branches of "Suspilne"

We are fully aware of the limitations imposed on our research by the rather short timeframe for observing media trends. After all, in six months, changes and fluctuations may not be very significant or seasonal. That is why our conclusions at this stage are extremely cautious - they need to be discussed with media experts, which was done later.  

The graph below shows the absence of sharp changes in the abstract trends in the schedule of publications about the war in all media (local plus national) that were included in our automatic monitoring for the entire 6 months. 

Graph. Monitoring with LOOQME.IO

The following line chart demonstrates the synchronous dynamics of the number of mentions of all keywords - military topics and each of the critical information needs separately - during the study period.  

Графік. Моніторинг з LOOQME.IO

If we try to find at least a somewhat stable trend among the main topics in the news, we can pay attention to the curve of mentions of economic development, which shows a rather significant and stable drop in mentions from 5,860 to 4,260 (about 27% from March to August) over the 6-month period. The curve of mentions of local politics and self-government looks somewhat unexpectedly stable, as in recent months the media have been increasingly speculating about the upcoming elections in Ukraine after the ceasefire in the war. As we can see, this information had virtually no effect on the change in the number of mentions that would indicate an increase in the interest of editorial offices in political topics.  

Graph. Monitoring from LOOQME.IO

At the same time, we can see that in the summer months of 2025, the number of news items with words like "consequences of the accident/shooting" increased quite radically compared to the spring (60% increase in mentions from March to August). This is due to the escalation of the situation at the frontline and the increase in the number of air attacks by Russia.

Graph. Monitoring with LOOQME.IO

The analysis of the total number of keyword mentions (see pie charts below) showed that for six months the topic of war dominated at all levels of Ukrainian media. However, its share was higher in national media (35.2%) than in local media (28.5%).

Graph. Monitoring with LOOQME.IO

Graph. Monitoring with LOOQME.IO

Conclusions after the research stage of LOOQME.IO monitoring:

1. Stable content

The study showed that over the course of 6 months (from March 1 to August 31, 2025), the number of mentions of keywords about the war and other critical needs in Ukrainian online media remained stable, without significant fluctuations. This may indicate that Ukrainian media practically did not change their editorial policy on covering such topics during this period, despite the growing fatigue of readers from traumatic news.

2. Dominance of military topics

According to the results of the six-month monitoring, publications about the war at the national and regional level account for the largest share of content - 30.1% of the total. This confirms that the topic continues to dominate the media space, significantly outpacing other topics critical to the functioning of society, such as emergencies (14%), economic development (10.1%), education (9.9%), etc.

Limitations of this LOOQME.IO monitoring

It is important to note that the conclusions are preliminary and cautious due to the relatively short observation period (6 months). Short-term fluctuations may be insignificant or seasonal, so further research (with a longer retrospective) and discussions with experts are needed to draw more reliable conclusions.

Section 4. Analysis of Google data Analytics

The analysis of Google Analytics data allowed us to investigate how the thematic interests of regional media users changed over the course of a year - from August 2024 to July 2025. The sample included 10 independent local media outlets from different macro-regions of Ukraine (two each from the North, South, West, East, and Center). This stage was aimed at identifying trends in content consumption, identifying topics that consistently hold the attention of the audience, and recording a potential decline in interest in military topics. 

The analysis of the constructed weeks allowed us to trace not only the dynamics of views, but also broader patterns of information fatigue and selective avoidance of news among local media users.  

To comply with the condition of anonymity granted to the participating editors, all media included in the sample were anonymized. The report does not include full names of media outlets, links to their websites, or any other identifiers that could allow them to be identified. Instead of names, each media outlet was assigned a unique code (Media 01 - Media 10), which remains unchanged throughout the analysis. To preserve the analytical logic, the macro-region in which the respective media operates (North, South, West, East, or Center) is also indicated.

To analyze the Google Analytics data, we coded the content of each media outlet included in the sample. The basis for developing the coding scheme was the list of critical information needs (CIN), which covers key topics without which it is impossible to fully inform local communities (Emergency situations and public safety; Healthcare; Education; Transportation systems; Economic development; Environment; Public initiatives and public services (civic information); Politics and governance). In the course of the work, a thematic code "war" was also added to the scheme, which was not initially part of the list of critical information needs, but is an important body of information for local audiences in any part of Ukraine. 

During the coding process, it became clear that some media in the sample publish part of their content in English, targeting foreign audiences. Since the study is aimed at analyzing the behavior of the Ukrainian audience, only content in Ukrainian was included in the further analysis. Materials created in English or other languages were labeled as "Other," which allowed us to focus the study on the national information environment and avoid distorting the results due to differences in target audiences.

In the course of the coding process, a number of subcodes were added to the coding scheme, which allowed us to more accurately reflect the content of publications and identify more nuanced topics that aroused increased interest among users. The development and refinement of the coding scheme was based on an iterative approach (phronetic iterative approach, as described in Qualitative Research Methods, 2020, Sarah J. Tracy). This approach involves a consistent and constant return to the data to refine the analytical categories in order to take into account new emerging themes in the content in the analysis.

A detailed description of the approaches to collecting, structuring and analyzing Google Analytics data is provided in the Methodology section of this report. 

The analysis of Google Analytics data revealed significant differences in the thematic structure of content between media outlets from different parts of Ukraine. Certain macro-regions, in particular the East and South, are characterized by a high share of materials related to military events, evacuation, war crimes, mining, and blackouts. At the same time, these topics attracted fewer views among media audiences in the West and Center. Such differences indicate the different information context in which local newsrooms operate. They also reflect different levels of security risks, proximity to the frontline, and differences in the local information needs of the population. In order to more accurately show the specifics of the content and audience interests, the results are described separately for each macro-region.

East

The Eastern macro-region demonstrates the highest concentration of military topics among all the media studied. This correlates with the findings of the content analysis, one of the previous stages of the study. The content of the local publications included in the sample for Google Analytics analysis is largely focused on the topics of hostilities, shelling, destruction, mine danger, evacuation of the population and the consequences of war crimes.

In the end, the media in the East remain a unique example of how the audience adapts to a prolonged war by reorienting attention within the war itself. This becomes clearer when analyzing the content of two media outlets from the East macro-region included in the study sample. 

Media 03 (East)

Media 03 (East). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The analysis of the dynamics of thematic codes and subcodes in Media 03 (East) demonstrates a steady predominance of military topics. During most of the twelve weeks, news on the topic "War" remained the main source of views, periodically increasing at times of aggravation of the situation at the front or news about the deaths of soldiers. This content serves as a basic emotional background for the local audience living in close proximity to the fighting. The peaks of military news views were observed at the beginning and end of the study period, when readers' attention was focused on massive shelling, reports on the consequences of air attacks, news from the frontline and news about military personnel.

The Local News category ranked second in terms of views, demonstrating a stable demand for information about community life, cultural events and decolonization processes, including street renaming. At the same time, its dynamics is less sharp than that of military news, which may indicate the formation of a routine in media consumption: the audience systematically turns to local news, even in periods of lower overall information tension.

Emergency situations also play a significant role, generating noticeable waves of interest and views, for example, when the focus was on fires or the consequences of shelling of civilian infrastructure. The topic "Education" is rather auxiliary, staying in the lower range of views. At the same time, its coverage in the media is also conditioned by the war, as it is often news about the organization of shelters for educational institutions. 

Media 03 (East). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

At the sub-code level, the largest number of views was received by materials related to "air attacks", "frontline", "military personnel" and "fires". They create characteristic red zones on the heatmap, concentrated in the first and last weeks of the period. This indicates the reactive behavior of the audience and, as a result, an increase in views in response to threats or events with a high emotional load. 

In general, Media 03 (East) demonstrates a gradual transformation of the audience's attention to military topics. If at the beginning of the period the viewership of materials about hostilities and shelling prevailed, later the focus shifted to news related to mobilization, the work of the TCC, prisoners of war and the humanitarian consequences of the war. This may not indicate a decrease in interest in the war in general, but rather a desire of the audience to understand how the military reality directly affects the lives of local communities. Such selective response may also be a manifestation of information adaptation, when users avoid excessively repetitive or traumatic news, but remain engaged in topics of personal and social importance. 

Media 08 (East). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The content of Media 08 (East) shows a clear focus on the war and the security situation in the frontline region. A significant part of the views is accounted for by materials about shelling, the consequences of attacks, mobilization and the work of the TCC. 

During the 12-week research period, the dynamics of views by thematic codes remained stable. Military topics dominate throughout the entire period, while the share of news about local events increases mainly when resonant topics with a social or cultural focus appear. For example, when the documentary "2000 meters to Andriivka" won another award at an international film festival. Such news temporarily shifts the audience's attention away from daily reports of hostilities to topics that emphasize the resilience and cultural unity of the region.

Media 08 (East ). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

To summarize, Media 08 (East) reflects the media consumption of residents of the frontline regions: a combination of high sensitivity to security-related topics and a desire to maintain a sense of belonging through content about community life.

South

An analysis of Google Analytics data shows that media outlets in the Southern region demonstrate heightened attention to topics related to the restoration of basic infrastructure amid the war and the daily life of local communities under these conditions. The content of Media 04 (South) and Media 06 (South) combines two major informational domains. On one hand, there are practical reports on water and electricity outages, tariffs, and local utility issues; on the other hand, there are thematic sections devoted to occupation, de-occupation, the consequences of military operations, and the documentation of war crimes.

This thematic structure reflects the unique informational reality of the South, where the everyday life of communities is inseparable from the ongoing threats and consequences of hostilities. Accordingly, in this region, local media perform not only an informational role but also a vital function in fostering community resilience. Both Media 04 and Media 06 also show a low but stable audience interest in weather news — likely because, under constant disruptions to electricity, heating, and water supply, such information carries strong practical value for residents.

However, despite sharing a common regional context, the news content of these two Southern media outlets demonstrates different thematic emphases, which are examined in more detail below.

Media 04 (South)

Media 04 (South). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The analysis of the dynamics of thematic codes and subcodes in Media 04 (South) shows a clear predominance of local news and, at the same time, a stable presence of the military context. The news grouped under the "Local news" thematic code is the most watched news throughout the 12-week research period. Peaks are observed in the beginning and middle of the week, when the greatest audience attention was paid to stories about utility tariffs, water supply, power outages and everyday problems of residents. This may indicate the sensitivity of the audience to practical and socially important topics that directly affect people's daily lives.

Military topics (thematic code "War") maintain a stable level of interest, but are inferior to local news. The peaks of views in this category occurred in the weeks when the media reported on evacuations, massive shelling or humanitarian consequences of the hostilities. Thus, the war remains a constant background of the information field, but the audience responds primarily to those aspects that have a direct impact on the region and the lives of local communities.

Media 04 (South). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The thematic code "Politics and governance" demonstrates moderate but stable dynamics. Its main peaks are associated with news about local government, local budget expenditures, street renaming, and decisions of local councils. The topics "Education" and "Economic Development" have an occasional presence, not forming sustainable trends, but maintaining the diversity of content in the feed.

The analysis of subcodes shows that the highest viewership rates were consistently generated by "utility tariffs", "blackouts" and "evacuation". They create the most saturated areas on the heat map and explain the periodic spikes in attention to content about local issues. Instead, cultural or entertainment topics remain in the background of the Southern audiences.

In general, Media 04 (South) demonstrates a consumption pattern in which local everyday life pushes military topics from the foreground, but does not eliminate them completely. 

Media 06 (South)

Media 06 ( South ). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

Analysis of the content of Media 06 (South) shows that the media focuses on topics that reflect the experience of life in the territories that have been occupied or remain in the zone of increased danger. The largest share of views is generated by materials related to the occupation, mining, air attacks, military activities and the consequences of hostilities. Such news consistently remains the focus of the audience's attention, reflecting real threats to local communities. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, two southern regions, Kherson and Mykolaiv, are second in terms of the number of documented war crimes. These regions also remain among the areas of Ukraine most contaminated by mines.  

The category "War" remains in the focus of the audience's attention, forming the highest peaks in the first weeks and at the end of the study period. News about military personnel, occupation, shelling of residential areas and air attacks received the highest number of views. This indicates the continued attention of the audience to security threats and materials related to the frontline. 

At the same time, Local News maintained a stable interest throughout the entire period, securing the second place in terms of total views. The audience actively responds to news that demonstrates community life during the war: cultural initiatives, volunteering, self-organization of residents and the restoration of urban space. The data also shows isolated spikes in views of materials about declarations of local government officials. This may indicate that the audience is still interested in the topics of transparency and accountability of the authorities even in a crisis environment.

Media 06 ( South ). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The category "Sports" forms a separate segment of attention - its views increase during periods of news about local athletes and sports achievements, which can be interpreted as a request from the audience for the type of content that reminds them of life outside the context of war. Other topics, such as "Education" and "Emergencies", are episodic in nature.

In summary, it can be noted that the audience of this media outlet is more likely to pay attention to topics that record the long-term consequences of the war rather than to the operational news that records its daily course.

Center

The central macro-region is characterized by relative security stability, so local media often focus on practical information: tariffs, utilities, community projects, and social services. In terms of audience behavior, this is reflected in a stable interest in applied topics.

At the same time, the intensity of views of military materials that have no direct connection to the region is gradually decreasing. For example, news about fallen soldiers from local settlements and prisoners of war receive a consistently high number of views. The analysis of Google Analytics data also showed a situationally intense reaction to news about air attacks, their consequences and blackouts. At the same time, news about combat operations or changes at the frontline receive much less views. 

Among the general topics of media content from the Center, news about road accidents, corruption cases, and recruitment of citizens by enemy special services stand out. The focus on these topics may indicate the audience's desire to monitor risks in the immediate environment, at the level of their own community. 

Media 02 (Center)

Media 02 ( Center ). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The analysis of the dynamics of thematic codes and subcodes in Media 02 (Center) shows that the audience consistently responds to stories that combine the military context with local dimensions. The highest viewership rates are recorded for news about fallen soldiers from local communities and prisoners of war, which indicates the personalization of the war experience. The audience's attention is focused not on frontline reports, but on events that directly relate to familiar places and people. This forms a special consumption model in which the war is perceived through specific human stories rather than generalized national narratives. 

Media 02 ( Center ). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

There are also stable viewership rates in the subcodes related to road accidents, corruption cases, and recruitment of citizens by enemy special services. These topics capture social anxiety outside the context of direct hostilities and may indicate a broader perception of security: from direct physical security to security within local communities.

Against the backdrop of military and criminal topics, local news retains a stable share of views, reflecting the demand for familiar, pragmatic content: information about communities, everyday life, tariffs, public transport and local initiatives. 

Media 07 (Center)

Media 07 (Center). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The audience of Media 07 (Center) shows consistent engagement in consuming news that combines the military context with a local perspective. Most of the views are accounted for by stories about fallen soldiers and prisoners of war from local communities, as well as news related to the activities of the TCC, changes in the rules for booking critical infrastructure workers, and mobilization. News about air attacks and their consequences also consistently attracts a large number of views. The audience perceives such news not only as a source of facts, but also as part of ongoing risk monitoring and a way to take care of their own safety.

The attention to news about local governance, local budget transparency and corruption at the local level is also noticeable. 

Media 07 (Center). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The dynamics of topic codes shows that even with the stable dominance of military topics, the audience is looking for a wider range of topics. During periods of relative calm, it switches to social and cultural topics or local news.

North

The Northern macro-region is characterized by a combination of strategic proximity to the war zone and previous experience of occupation with relative stability of the information environment. Local media outlets maintain a balance between operational reporting on attacks, the effects of shelling or the activities of the defense forces and news about social initiatives, infrastructure restoration and community functioning.

Media 09 (North)

Media 09 (North). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The thematic structure of Media 09 has a noticeable focus on local news, community social life, and the economy. The materials are devoted to local initiatives, issues of improvement, infrastructure development and cultural events. 

Unlike most of the media in the sample, the share of war-related content in this publication is significantly lower. Military topics appear sporadically, mostly in the context of volunteer activities, support for veterans, or coverage of the consequences of hostilities for the community. However, it is not central to the audience.

During the monitored period, the most attention was paid to stories about the local community and stories about community members, transportation systems (including roads), and education. This may signal an established demand for utilitarian local information related to the needs of local residents.

Media 09 (North). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

In general, the data from this media outlet demonstrates a decrease in the dominance of military topics and a gradual shift of the editorial staff to more civilian, locally oriented content. The trend may indicate the adaptation of information policy to the needs of the audience during the protracted war and information fatigue.

Media 10 (North)

Media 10 (North). Dynamics of views by subtopics (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The content of this media is characterized by a clear local focus. The audience reads a lot of news about community life, transportation infrastructure, and social services. The publication regularly covers issues of public transportation, road repairs, and transport links with other regions, which may indicate a focus on the practical needs of residents and the problems of daily mobility.

Military topics are moderately represented here: they are mainly covered through stories about volunteering, support for the military and veterans, news about prisoners of war, or in materials describing the indirect impact of the war on the local economy and infrastructure. Such audience behavior may indicate attempts to reduce the emotional burden of content consumption and instead maintain a sense of stability in local life.

Media 10 (North). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The structure of the content also shows attention to environmental and environmental issues, which are combined with the general flow of local news. These stories do not dominate, but form a recognizable part of the content.

In general, Media 10's materials show a noticeable shift from crisis reporting to applied local journalism, where transportation, improvement and quality of life are the main topics. This structure demonstrates the media's desire to remain as close as possible to the daily needs of the audience.

West

The information field of the western regions of Ukraine is characterized by the highest level of thematic diversity among all the regions studied. Relative security stability allows local media to maintain a balance between covering war-related topics and local events that determine the quality of life of communities. The share of materials about public life, education, culture, economic initiatives, and community development is noticeably increasing in the content structure. 

Despite the relative stability, the war remains present in the content of Western media, mainly in the formats of social participation, support and assistance. News about honoring fallen soldiers, volunteer initiatives, and fundraising for the Armed Forces receive the most attention from the audience. 

Media 01 (West)

Media 01 (West). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic within twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The analysis of the thematic dynamics of Media 01 (West) shows a more or less stable content structure, where military news coexists with everyday local topics. Although the thematic category "War" retains the highest viewing rates, more detailed subcodes in this category differ from the frontline regions: the audience is more likely to respond to materials about mobilization, the military training center, volunteering or supporting the military than to news about events at the front. We can assume that the military experience here is perceived through the daily consequences for the local community and public participation.

The Local News thematic code demonstrates a stable level of attention to social and communal topics: tariffs, infrastructure restoration, and the work of local services. Such materials provide the most stable viewing figures, emphasizing that practical information that helps to organize everyday life remains a priority for the audience of the region.

Media 01 (West). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

Another notable thematic group was news on the topic of "Emergencies".  They did not form sharp waves, but remained a constant source of attention, which maintained the level of general anxiety and at the same time satisfied the demand for operational local news. 

Instead, subcodes such as "recreation" or "cultural participation" turned out to be secondary news for the audience, accumulating only a few thousand views per week. Political subtopics, such as "declarations" and "corruption," had occasional but noticeable peaks when high-profile cases appeared. Thus, the analysis demonstrates a duality in audience behavior. On the one hand, there is a stable and long-lasting attraction to military and emergency topics, and on the other hand, there are sharp, situational outbursts around local crises or local governance news.

Media 05 (West)

Media 05 (West). Dynamics of views by sub-topic (Subcode) within the top 15 most popular subcodes. The color intensity reflects the total number of views of each sub-topic during twelve weeks. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

The analysis of the dynamics of thematic codes and subcodes in Media 05 (West) shows stable attention of the audience to local and socially important topics. 

The largest share of views was generated by stories in the Local News category, which covered transportation, utilities, household issues and other aspects of everyday life. The peak of views occurred in the tenth week, when news about the cold snap and frosts that directly affected the daily lives of residents garnered significant attention.

The War category maintained a moderate but constant share of attention. Within this area, news about fallen soldiers from local communities received the largest number of views. Stories related to volunteering also had high rates: for example, stories about local residents helping the military. These news generated short-term waves of increased interest, reflecting the perception of military topics in terms of local volunteer initiatives or local servicemen and women who needed support from their communities.

Media 05 (West). Dynamics of views by Topic code during the twelve weeks under study. The lines reflect the change in the total number of views within each topic. The data is based on the results of Google Analytics analysis for the respective media.

A separate group of news with a high level of engagement was made up of materials related to declarations and financial transparency of officials. The largest number of views was collected by a story about the Lutsk prosecutor, which had more than 27 thousand views and significantly exceeded the average for this media outlet. Such episodes indicate that the audience selectively pays attention to news with elements of conflict or public accountability.

In general, the dynamics of views on Media 05 (West) demonstrates a combination of a steady interest in practical local information with occasional bursts of attention to socially resonant or personalized topics.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEWSROOMS: STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME AUDIENCE FATIGUE

To prepare the recommendations, we summarized the study results and invited media experts to provide their comments. The experts we interviewed included:

Andriy Boborykin

Executive Director of Ukrayinska Pravda, specialist in digital marketing, media product development, media community building, and designing sustainable funding models for media organizations.

Andriy Dikhtyarenko

Editor-in-Chief and Owner of Realna Gazeta, leading host of Suspilne TV projects and a key expert on media content in MDF.

Alla Skoryk

Director of the Regional Content Department, Suspilne TV Channel

Valeriy Bolgan

Editor-in-Chief, Intent (Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson)

Surveys of consumers and experts, combined with an analysis of content and media trends, suggest that local newsrooms in Ukraine are both facing and recognizing a decline in audience engagement with their own materials due to “war fatigue.” Our research indicates that this problem tends to intensify when editorial teams lack a strategic response. Therefore, the first and most important recommendation is to acknowledge the challenge itself. The next step is for newsrooms to develop a detailed plan to minimize the associated risks.

The key expert advice is that newsrooms should accept the normalization of media consumption, which will inevitably lead to a decline in overall reach. This is not a sign of mistakes in strategy, but rather a reflection of the fact that audiences are moving away from the ‘hysterical consumption’ typical of wartime. This decline is observed everywhere — from YouTube, where clickbait no longer works, to Telegram. The return of traffic to pre-war levels, as we see at Ukrayinska Pravda, is a completely normal stage in society’s adaptation.

Andriy Boborykin

Executive Director of Ukrayinska Pravda, specialist in digital marketing, media product and community development, and sustainable media funding models.

The conscious partial rejection of informational content observed among Ukrainian news consumers should not be viewed as a total withdrawal from information, but rather as a shift in audience demand. Expert interviews indicate that by recognizing and adapting to these changing needs, local media can not only maintain audience attention but also increase engagement with their own content. Based on discussions of our research findings with experts, we have developed the following recommendations for local media:

1. Ethical communication: Avoiding Manipulations

Given the prolonged emotional strain and the risk of re-traumatizing audiences, the media should reconsider its role — shifting the focus from eliciting emotional reactions to providing support and promoting information hygiene.

а) Consciously avoid gross emotional manipulation and the excessive saturation of the information space with negativity.

In my opinion, the media should move away from gross emotional manipulation, as it unfortunately has been doing for many years... It is much more important now to help people get through this moment.

Andriy Dikhtyarenko

Editor-in-Chief and Owner of Realna Gazeta, key media content expert at the Media Development Foundation.

b) Provide information that helps people endure and support themselves, shifting the focus toward hope and resilience.

It’s important to move away from the negative emotions brought by the war and focus on something that gives hope, relief, and faith in oneself.

Andriy Dikhtyarenko

Editor-in-Chief and Owner of Realna Gazeta, key media content expert at the Media Development Foundation.

c) Adhere to the principles of information hygiene by delivering an objective and fact-based portrayal of daily events, even when it may seem routine.

Our misfortune and our strength is that we do not build our information policy around audience preferences. We present the picture of the day — as it is. If it was a boring day, it will be boring on our pages. We won’t embellish it, we won’t add drama, and we won’t ‘spice it up with hot pepper.’ And our audience appreciates that. Of course, not everyone does — but I am glad that this share of our audience is gradually growing. People are beginning to understand what healthy information consumption truly means.

Alla Skoryk

Director of the Regional Content Department, Suspilne

2. Differentiation of Content by Geography

The media should operate differently for audiences in the rear and those near the front, as their needs and perceptions of threats differ radically.

For frontline areas, news about security risks is a matter of life and death. Information must be delivered as promptly as possible, and threats should never be understated.

You shouldn’t underestimate the level of threat, because your information is critically important for people making life-changing decisions. It truly is a matter of life and death.

Andriy Dikhtyarenko

Editor-in-Chief and Owner of Realna Gazeta, key media content expert at the Media Development Foundation.

For media further from the front: raising the information value threshold. Local media should consider limiting coverage of routine military topics and refrain from publishing reports on isolated or typical events — especially when such information has already been covered by national media or widely circulated on local Telegram channels. The inclusion of content should be justified by its scale, resonance, or uniqueness.

At our quarterly meeting, we decided to reduce the number of such news stories. For example, if it’s about fugitives, there should be at least a dozen caught at once. If it’s about collaborators, then it should also be something out of the ordinary.

Valeriy Bolhan

Editor-in-Chief of Intent

3. Partial Reorientation of Thematic Coverage

According to our experts, to overcome information fatigue, audiences are now actively seeking compensatory content that provides a sense of connection to the past, community, and positivity. This trend should be taken into account when adjusting editorial policy:

а) Write more about local culture, the achievements of local residents, and regional distinctiveness — this serves as a “common code” that connects people to their home communities. Such content can be particularly effective for audiences who have left their hometowns or for those in temporarily occupied territories, where themes of local history and nostalgia can also be meaningfully applied.

...This nostalgia gives a huge number of views. Culture is a common code that connects people with the past...

Andriy Dikhtyarenko

Editor-in-Chief and Owner of Realna Gazeta, key media content expert at the Media Development Foundation.

b) Focus on topics directly related to everyday life in the local community, highlighting issues of practical importance such as education, daily challenges, and economic development.

We don’t need to try to play the general content game — we need to go deeper into local issues. We didn’t focus on this before, but this year we’ve probably been information partners for various events at least ten times — even for a literary festival, I think. Although it might seem that we’re not exactly the kind of outlet that would cover a literary festival.

Valeriy Bolhan

Editor-in-Chief of Intent

The photo shows Olha Tsyktor, then a correspondent for Suspilne Odesa, at the entrance to  the Kherson region after the de-occupation. Photo by Suspilne Odesa

4. Adapting to Platforms and Combating "Telegram Blindness"

According to our experts, the massive shift of audiences to Telegram is driven by the platform’s brevity and speed of content consumption, which also allows users to “protect” themselves from excessive emotional strain. For this reason, it is worth investing in short video formats (such as TikTok and Reels), as they meet the growing demand for fast, easily digestible content.

We switched to the video format [TikTok], and in my opinion, we’ve been very successful with it... Our TikTok following grows by several thousand every month.

Andriy Dikhtyarenko

Editor-in-Chief and Owner of Realna Gazeta, key media content expert at the Media Development Foundation.

We now have a fully functioning department with a head and two or three ongoing projects where we produce different kinds of Reels. And they’re doing fairly well. In other words, we’re being forced to adapt to the audience — to the fact that a very large part of it wants to watch what is essentially TikTok-style content.

Valeriy Bolhan

Editor-in-Chief of Intent

In addition, according to several media managers whose editorial offices were relocated from the temporarily occupied territories (TOT), TikTok can even serve as the primary distribution channel for reaching audiences who remain under occupation.

For example, TikTok is a key platform through which we communicate with people in the occupied territories. We closely track comments, the number of shares, and the number of bookmarks where people save our videos. Our bookmark rate on TikTok is quite high — this means that users are saving videos about the problems faced by people under occupation, likely to show them to relatives or friends. TikTok’s statistics clearly indicate that our videos are being watched in Luhansk, Donetsk, and other cities. By monitoring the comments, we can also see that people living under occupation really care.

Andriy Dikhtyarenko

Editor-in-Chief and Owner of Realna Gazeta, key media content expert at the Media Development Foundation.

At the same time, experts warn about the phenomenon of “Telegram blindness” — when audiences read only a media outlet’s Telegram channel without visiting its website. Editors should counter this by, for example, rethinking headlines so that they encourage readers to open the link to the full material.

5. Strategic Importance of Communication with Audience

In the context of critical dependence on their local audience, the media in the regions, according to experts, are forced to constantly analyze, learn, experiment and look for new channels. It is worth using various ways to study your local community, including conducting surveys. This helps to understand what the audience needs and what irritates them.

We can't afford to sit back and stop in this difficult period. We need to analyze, look into, change our approaches...

Alla Skoryk

Director of the Regional Content Department, Suspilne

Community development should be a long-term strategic goal. Some of our experts expressed the opinion that in the current environment this could be a key factor in the survival of local newsrooms:  

After the victory, we will all run to our audiences. Many are already going to their audiences to not miss the moment. If we fail to attract the audience that is now donating to the Armed Forces to regional, especially independent media, we risk losing regional media altogether

Valeriy Bolhan

Editor-in-Chief of Intent

6. Responding to changes in Google's algorithms and AI trends

The media market is experiencing a significant decline in traffic due to changes in Google’s algorithms and the introduction of AI Overviews. For local newsrooms, which are often critically dependent on Google Discover and search traffic, this challenge calls for an immediate revision of content strategies.

As a regional media outlet, we’re highly dependent on Google search results. Now I see a significant decline, and I’ve also heard the same from my colleagues. It’s very hard for me to say whether it’s even possible to influence Google, because the Discover algorithms are completely unclear to everyone.

Valeriy Bolhan

Editor-in-Chief of Intent

Recommended Actions:

а) Avoid publishing low-value or clickbait materials (e.g., horoscopes), prioritizing instead unique, high-quality local reporting..

If a person does not see such [clickbait] materials in the feed, he or she does not look for them on purpose

Andriy Boborykin

Executive Director of Ukrayinska Pravda, specialist in digital marketing, media product and community development, and sustainable media funding models.

b) Use the decline in traffic as an incentive to optimize content strategies and focus on producing higher-quality journalism.

The model of scaling through a sheer volume of news will no longer work. Websites will be forced to cut costs — either by keeping small teams that survive on advertising or by switching to other models. This will serve as an incentive for media outlets to optimize their approaches and focus on producing better content.

Andriy Boborykin

Executive Director of Ukrayinska Pravda, specialist in digital marketing, media product and community development, and sustainable media funding models.

The photo shows Vladyslav Kritsky at the site of a drone strike on the residential sector in Sumy on January 21, 2025. Photo by CUKR

Blitz Recommendations for Local Media Based on Consumer Survey Responses

  1. Balance the content

Since the main reasons for news avoidance are anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and an overload of negativity, newsrooms should consciously adjust their content strategies. Mandatory messages about threats and dangers should be complemented with stories that evoke positive emotions. It is important to remember that respondents who avoid news about the war still report feeling proud (65.4%) of Ukraine’s resistance and hopeful (63.5%) about the military’s successes.

  1. Integrate entertainment content 

It may seem “out of place,” but in the context of war fatigue, audiences — particularly women — increasingly prefer entertainment content. Local media can respond by producing “compensatory” materials such as light local stories, event reviews, and cultural features that provide relief and emotional balance.

  1. Monitor the volume of news

More than half of respondents believe they receive more news about the war than they can process. Therefore, local media should avoid duplicating national coverage and instead focus on providing local perspectives, interpretations, and implications.

4. Develop a Strategy for Engaging Young Audiences

The strongest tendency to avoid news is observed among young people aged 18–24, which calls for a dedicated engagement strategy. Content should be adapted for platforms such as YouTube and Telegram: while this age group is less likely to follow local news regularly, they express a desire to learn more. Use infographics, short videos, and direct, less formal formats to communicate effectively with this audience.

RESOURCES

  1. Skovsgaard, M., & Andersen, K. (2019). Conceptualizing News Avoidance: Toward a Shared Understanding of Different Causes and Potential Solutions. Journalism Studies, 21(4), 459-476. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1686410

  2. Skovsgaard, M., and K. Andersen. 2022. "News Avoidance." In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Journalism, edited by G. A. Borchard, 1099-1103. SAGE.

  3. Svenja Schäfer, Dominika Betakova & Sophie Lecheler (2024) Zooming in on Topics: An Investigation of the Prevalence and Motives for Selective News Avoidance, Journalism Studies, 25:12, 1423-1440. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2338114

  4. The Impact of Information Sources on the Mental Resilience of Ukrainians, Razumkov Center (2025) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HT0lzFoxq9kAATtxU_VmDD9YpZeCuP5q/view 

  5. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023. Nic Newman with Richard Fletcher, Kirsten Eddy, Craig T. Robertson, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

  6. "Ukrainian Media: News Consumption and Trust in 2025" (research by Internews Ukraine) https://internews.ua/media-research 

TEAM

Ievhen Kohen

Researcher at MDF Research Lab, graduate of the Master's program in History of Philosophy at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, with experience in national and regional media.

Polina Lypova

Researcher at MDF Research Lab, graduate of the Master's program in Communications at NaUKMA.

Tetiana Gordienko

Researcher at MDF Research Lab, PhD in Media and Communications, Mohyla School of Journalism, NaUKMA

Marta Puhach

Researcher at MDF Research Lab. Alumna and lecturer of Master's programs in Political Science and Eastern Europe at the University of Kansas (USA), University of Warsaw (Poland) and Ostroh Academy (Ukraine).

Dariya Orlova

Research editor at MDF Research Lab, PhD in Mass Communications, media and journalism researcher, associate professor at the Mohyla School of Journalism at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Ksenia Filyak

Analyst at MDF, graduate of the Master's program in Public Administration at the Yuriy Fedkovych National University of Kyiv.

Sophiia Yevhan

Project Manager at MDF, graduate of the Master's program in Law at NTU, student of the Master's program in Public Administration at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

ANNEXES

ANNEX 1. Explanation of the Concept of "Critical Information Needs"

Critical Information Needs (CIN) refer to the essential types of information that enable citizens to navigate political, economic, and social processes and make informed decisions affecting their daily lives. The CIN framework serves as a key criterion for identifying media outlets that systematically and consistently inform their communities. It assumes that citizens require access to a broad and diverse range of information about situations and services in order to make well-grounded choices.

There are eight categories of Critical Information Needs:

1. Emergency Situations and Public Safety

Information about immediate and long-term emergencies and risks, including hazardous weather conditions, natural disasters, environmental or biological outbreaks, threats to public safety (including terrorism), and issues of law enforcement and public order within a community, municipality, or district.
In wartime conditions, this category also covers topics such as mass shelling, occupation, evacuation, frontline developments, and the liberation of territories during counteroffensives.

2. Healthcare

Information about healthcare services, including family and community health. This includes details on the availability, quality, and cost of local medical services; access to public or municipal healthcare facilities; wellness and preventive programs; recreational institutions (e.g., sanatoriums); and local clinics and hospitals.
It also involves timely updates on disease outbreaks, vaccination schedules, and information on local health campaigns and interventions.

3. Education

Information covering all aspects of the local educational system, particularly when education is central to public debate, decision-making, or resource allocation. This includes data on the quality and governance of local school systems; performance of schools in specific districts or regions; educational opportunities such as public and private school rankings, tutoring, and extracurricular development programs; and adult education options including language courses, vocational training, and access to higher education.

4. Transportation Systems

Timely information about local transportation networks, major transit services and fares for urban, intercity, and international travel, as well as updates on traffic conditions, roadworks, and weather-related disruptions that may affect mobility.

5. Economic Development

Access to a wide range of economic information, including employment and job opportunities within the region; workforce training and upskilling; small-business and startup support; access to capital resources; and major local economic development initiatives that influence regional growth.

6. Environment

Information about the state of the local environment in both short- and long-term perspectives. This includes data on air and water quality, timely alerts about environmental hazards, and potential risks such as toxic waste or radiation pollution. It also covers natural resource management, ecosystem restoration, environmental sustainability, and public access to natural and recreational areas.

7. Civic Initiatives and Public Services

Information about civic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and community associations, including their services, accessibility, and opportunities for citizen participation. This category also encompasses access to libraries, cultural and artistic activities, recreational facilities, nonprofit initiatives, social programs, and religious institutions.

8. Politics and Governance

Information about changes in authority, decisions, resolutions, new laws, and public tenders; coverage of government activities at local, regional, and national levels; and updates on local and regional decisions regarding public policy issues and government initiatives that directly affect communities.

APPENDIX 2. Coding Sheet for Content Analysis

Goal:The content analysis will be conducted to identify the main current topics within local media content and to compile a list of keywords most frequently used in publications.

RQ 1: What is the thematic structure of local media content for the period January – August 2025?

RQ 2: Which keywords most frequently appear in journalistic materials and can be included in the final list for further media monitoring?

Code
Category Name
Description
Examples
TECHNICAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL DATA

Name of coder (employee performing the coding)

Date of coding

MEDIA DATA

Name of the media outlet

Region where the media operates

Locality (city/town/village) where the media operates

MEDIA TYPE

Public and Political

Niche

(If niche, specify the focus area of the media outlet): culture, investigations, history, local studies, technology, lifestyle. In the corresponding cell, indicate the relevant category and keyword that describes the focus. For example: (a) culture, (b) history, (c) technology, etc.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLICATION

Title of the publication

Date of publication

Hyperlink to the publication

IN WHAT FORMAT THE TEXT IS CREATED

News

A brief message about a current event, fact, or statement. Has a clear structure: what happened, where, when, and to whom. No author’s opinions..

Longread

An in-depth informational piece providing context, background, quotes, and details. Often based on news but broader and more analytical.

Special project

A large multimedia or serial project on a specific topic. Usually includes visualization, interactivity, or investigative depth.

Reportage

A vivid description of events from the scene, focusing on the journalist’s personal impressions and environmental details.

Opinion column

The author’s personal view (journalist, expert, or public figure) on events, phenomena, or policies. A subjective format.

Interview

A conversation with one or more persons, presented in a question-and-answer format. Can be classic, thematic, or blitz.

Explainer

A text that explains something complex in simple terms: an instruction, background piece, or explanation of a phenomenon, process, or term.

Announcement

A short official notice about an event, recruitment, schedule, registration, etc. Often issued on behalf of the editorial team or an organization.

Investigation

Journalistic disclosure based on data collection, source verification, and document analysis. Includes clear evidence.

Analytical text

A piece that explains causes and consequences of events, offers assessments and comparisons, and provides logical conclusions.

Review / Critique

Evaluation or analysis of a cultural, technical, or social product: a film, book, exhibition, law, or event.

Other

LOCALIZATION OF CONTENT (LOCAL OR NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE)

Local

Local (regional) content

content that is most likely to be of interest to residents of a specific locality, district, or region, as it contains information about local events or local actors. This information is of practical value to residents of the corresponding territory.

National

Nationwide content

content that may be of interest to all citizens of Ukraine, regardless of their place of residence. For example, this includes information related to national-level legislation, state policy, economic changes, war updates from the front, or large-scale historical, political, cultural, or sports events.

ТOPIC

war – frontline

Combat actions / information from the front

Situations on the front line: course of battles, offensives, retreats, changes along the frontline, statements by the General Staff, control of territories, tactics.

“Ukrainian troops repelled an attack near Kupiansk”; “The Armed Forces advanced in two directions near Melitopol”; “The General Staff reported the elimination of enemy units.”

war – shelling

Attacks / shelling

Missile and artillery strikes on military targets and civilian infrastructure: destruction, fires, evacuations, casualties, damage to utilities, restoration efforts.

“Rocket attack on Kharkiv destroyed a school”; “In Kramatorsk, a hospital was damaged due to shelling”; “Nikopol was shelled again, no casualties reported.”

war – politics

War and politics

Political and diplomatic processes related to the war: statements by politicians, adoption of laws, sanctions, international aid, negotiations, visits.

“Biden announced a new aid package for Ukraine”; “The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on collaboration”; “The G7 summit supported Ukraine’s recovery plan.”

war – mobilization

Mobilization

Conscription, mobilization campaigns, draft offices, preparation of military personnel.

“Mobilization campaign launched in Ukraine”; “A man detained while trying to evade mobilization at the border”; “The regional recruitment center began accepting reservists.”

war – casualties

War victims / human losses

Deaths, injuries, and losses among military and civilians; commemorations, remembrance events, casualty statistics.

“At the front, fierce fighting continues”; “Kyiv says farewell to three fallen defenders”; “Number of Ukrainian casualties near Odesa rises to 14.”

war – volunteering

Volunteering related to the war

Fundraising, humanitarian aid, assistance to the military or civilians affected by war.

“Volunteers raised 2 million UAH to support the Armed Forces”; “A charity drive was held in Lviv to aid hospitals”; “Residents of Mykolaiv delivered 500 helmets to the front.”

war – other

Other war-related topics

Topics related to the war context but not covered by other categories: cultural or educational projects, veterans’ stories, military museums, commemorative events or dates.

“An exhibition of children’s drawings about the war opened at the school.”“A veteran created a personal photo exhibition.”“A memorial to fallen soldiers was unveiled in the capital.”

national politics

National politics (non-military)

Government personnel decisions, decrees, laws, national programs, and issues of state administration (outside the military context).

“A new Minister of Education was appointed.”“The Parliament adopted a law on pension reform.”“The government launched an energy efficiency program.”

international politics

International politics (non-military)

Diplomacy, international summits, conferences, and visits of foreign delegations (without a military context).

“The President attended the Economic Forum in Davos.”“An international cultural summit was held in Ukraine.”“The EU and Japan signed a trade agreement.”

local government

Local governance

Activities of local councils, regional military administrations, staff appointments, decrees, and decisions related to local infrastructure.

“The city council approved a new family support budget.”“In Cherkasy, the mayor allocated additional funds for road repairs.”“Four streets in Kropyvnytskyi were renamed by local authorities.”

utilities

Communal services

Communal services, repairs, and infrastructure maintenance.

“84 apartments were left without gas in Kropyvnytskyi due to emergency works.”“Residents received utility bills from ‘Svitlovodskoblenergo’.”

economy

Economy

Economic condition, inflation, prices, business, entrepreneurship, investments, employment.

“Inflation in Ukraine rose by 12.6%.”“A new factory was opened in the region.”“The unemployment rate has decreased.”

crime

Criminal and legal topics (non-military)

Administrative and criminal offenses; traffic accidents, theft, fraud, corruption, domestic violence.

“A burglary was reported in a Kyiv apartment.”“Three people were injured in a road accident.”“Police exposed a corruption scheme in the city administration.”

emergency

Emergency situations (non-military)

Natural disasters, accidents, technological hazards, evacuations, and other emergencies not related to the war.

“A warehouse caught fire in Kharkiv.”“Residents were evacuated after a gas explosion.”

education

Education and science

Schools, universities, education system, achievements of students and teachers, education reform, preschool and professional education.

“School graduation ceremonies were held online.”“A new educational hub was opened in Lviv.”“Students switched to distance learning.”

culture

Culture and arts

Festivals, exhibitions, concerts, cultural and artistic events.

“An art exhibition opened at the city museum.”“The Night of Museums event took place in Vinnytsia.”“A literary festival was held in Ivano-Frankivsk.”

society

Civil society and social life

Activities of NGOs, religious communities, libraries, social services, charities (non-military context).

“The Red Cross opened a new center to assist the elderly.”“Free English courses were launched at the library.”“A local community organized a charity fair.”

sports

Sports

Competitions, achievements of athletes, sports events.

“Ukraine won gold at the World Boxing Championship.”“A football club signed a new coach.”“A marathon took place in Kharkiv.”

health

Health and medicine

COVID-19, epidemics, medical services, disease prevention, health campaigns.

“Flu cases increased in Ukraine.”“A new cardiology department was opened.”“Residents were vaccinated against diphtheria free of charge.”

transport

Transport and infrastructure

Public transport, road repairs, street closures, tariffs.

“Public transport schedule changed due to power outages.”“Bridge renovation began in Poltava.”“Metro fare prices increased.”

environment

Environment and ecology

Air and water quality, environmental issues, pollution, ecosystem restoration, recreation areas.

“River pollution levels exceeded the norm.”“Ten thousand trees were planted.”“A new recreation zone was opened.”

other

Other

Everything that does not fall under the above categories.

“A local resident celebrated a 100th birthday.”“Regional harvest records were broken.”“A new monument was installed in the city center.”

ANNEX 3. Key Words for Media Monitoring

Below is a list of keywords, the number of mentions of which has been counted. Note that close synonyms and grammatical derivatives were also taken into account to ensure the analysis is as comprehensive as possible.

Key words:

Theme
War
Emergencies and public safety
Health care system
Education in the region

Keywords

  1. War

  2. Russians

  3. Attack / shelling

  4. TCC

  5. VLC

  1. Consequences of the accident / shelling

  2. The victims

  3. Damages

  4. Accident / accident

  5. Rescuers

  1. Medicine

  2. Hospital

  3. Patient

  4. Disease

  5. Health

  1. Education

  2. School

  3. Training

  4. Student

  5. University

Theme
Local transportation systems
Economic development of the community
Environmental protection
Public initiatives and public services
Local politics and governance

Keywords

  1. Transportation

  2. Route

  3. Infrastructure

  4. Traffic

  5. (Ukr)railways

  1. Finance

  2. Economy

  3. Business

  4. Enterprise

  5. Taxes

  1. Ecology

  2. Animals

  3. Reserve

  4. Nature

  5. Pollution

  1.  Society

  2. Surveys

  3. Support

    4. Barrier-free

    5. Culture

  1. Budget

  2. City Council

  3. Restoration

  4. Repair

  5. Utilities (services)

ANNEX 4. Coding scheme for Google Analytics analysis

Thematic Code
Indicators
Definition
Identification

War

air raid; shelling; killed soldiers; IDPs; evacuation; losses; army; veterans; wounded soldiers; humanitarian aid; volunteer assistance; mobilization; military service; General Staff; Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC); frontline; conscription; occupation; counteroffensive; de-occupation; Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU); demobilization; prisoners of war; security checkpoints; air defense; military exercises; draft; reservists; missile strikes; explosions; border; military benefits; etc.

Materials in a military context: combat actions, shelling, mobilization, war politics, volunteering, etc.

If the headline or content mentions the front, shelling, mobilization, or other military and political processes in a war context. For materials in foreign languages (e.g., English) use the “other” category if they do not include war-related indicators.

Emergency Situations

road accidents; fires; floods; natural disasters; criminal incidents; emergencies

Dangerous events in a non-military context: fires, natural disasters, technological accidents, rescue operations.

Signs of emergency/hazardous incidents not related to the war: fires, natural disasters, rescue operations. For materials without clear signs of emergency, use the “other” category.

Local News

local community; tariffs and utilities; culture; civic engagement; volunteering; recreation; real estate; disconnections; fishing; weather; history

Assistance to community members, culture, and local traditions unrelated to the war; community activities, information on utilities, infrastructure, and local events.

Events of local importance — community competitions, cultural activities, local infrastructure, utilities, or social initiatives. Use this category for local or community-oriented content. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Politics and Governance

corruption; construction; declarations; budget; national or political news; reforms; international politics (non-military)

National and international politics; government decisions; reforms; appointments; materials related to budget spending and planning, anti-corruption, and local governance.

If the news is related to reforms, budget, appointments, or meetings of government officials (without a military context). For foreign-language materials, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Healthcare

self-care; diseases / epidemics; children’s health; births; disabilities; vaccination

Materials describing the state of medical institutions, provision of medical services, access to healthcare, disease prevention, and vaccination.

Medical services, prevention, hospitals, or medical announcements. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Religion

church calendar; religious holidays

Religious communities, services, statements, and activities of religious organizations.

Religious holidays, services, or interfaith topics. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Economic Development

employment; investment

News about local business, markets, enterprises, and entrepreneurship in a local or national context.

Prices, salaries, investments, business openings or closures, market changes. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Sports

sports news; local athletes

Sports events, competitions, development of sports infrastructure, news about local athletes and sports achievements.

Matches, tournaments, sports achievements, sections or initiatives. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Transport Systems

roads; public transport; vehicles; Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways)

Materials about public transport, road repairs, tariffs, routes, and logistics.

Schedules, repairs, road closures, tariffs, new routes, or logistic updates. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Education

educational institutions; universities; schools; extracurricular education for children

School, vocational, and higher education; science; educational initiatives and reforms.

Educational process, admissions, graduations, reforms, or educational events. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Environment

State of the environment, pollution, natural resources, environmental risks, and ecological measures.

Monitoring of air or water quality, pollution, reforestation, ecosystem restoration. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Explainer

Instructional or explanatory materials, such as guides, advice, manuals, or practical explanations.

Materials with phrases like “how to…”, “what to do if…”, “explanation”, “step-by-step”, etc. For materials in other languages, apply the “other” category (without indicators).

Other

Materials outside the defined categories.

Use only in the absence of an appropriate thematic code. Materials in other languages are coded as “Other” (without indicators).