Kherson Regional State Administration spokesperson became a favorite of the telethon

Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, head of the press office of the Kherson Regional State Administration , became the most popular guest of the United News telethon in October

According to a study by Detector Media, in October, the United News telethon held 1404 conversations with guests, including 571 unique speakers. This month, Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, the head of the press office of the Kherson Regional State Administration, was the most frequently invited guest. His participation in the marathon totaled 30 appearances over the month, which is almost equal to the number of days in October.

Tolokonnikov became the undisputed leader among the guests, although he appeared on TV only five times in September. Prior to that, in August, he was in second place with 24 appearances, behind only military expert Oleksandr Musiyenko, who had been ranked first in terms of the number of invitations since June. In October, Tolokonnikov replaced Musienko, who now ranks second.

Who appeared on the air of the marathon and how many times. Infographic: Media Detector

Other guests of the marathon include Mykhailo Podolyak, the permanent advisor to the head of the Presidential Office, and political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko.

The topics of the marathon also reflect the key interests of the audience: 31.7% of the airtime was devoted to military events, 17.7% to international relations, 16.6% to social issues, 13.7% to Ukrainian politics, and culture was mentioned on average once a day.

The United News telethon began broadcasting on February 26, 2022, shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. It is broadcast by several national TV channels, including Rada, 1+1, Suspilne, ICTV/STB, Inter, and We Ukraine (this channel replaced Ukraine 24). The project is funded by the state budget, and UAH 1.5 billion is planned to be spent on its support in 2025.

Meanwhile, the international organization Reporters Without Borders has called on the Ukrainian government to abandon the joint telethon "United News", which threatens pluralism in information coverage.

It is currently being harshly criticized by civil society and has low ratings.

"The United News telethon was useful and effective in combating the unprecedented wave of Russian disinformation that swept across the country in February 2022, but it is outdated and, above all, now undermines media pluralism," the statement said.

Ірина Глухова