The National News Agency of Ukraine (Ukrinform) is the official state-run news agency in Ukraine. It was established in 1918 as the Bureau of Ukrainian Press (BUP).
The agency also runs the television channel UA TV, which was designed as a media outlet speaking to foreign agencies. As of March 2020, the channel has been rebranded as Dom (Home) and its programming repurposed to target the people in the Russian-occupied parts of the Donbas and Crimea regions of Ukraine.
Media assets
News agency: Ukrinform
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Ukrinform’s operations are overseen by Government Decree No. 749 of 1997, which was subsequently amended in 2008 by Government Decree No. 631. The agency was established as a state-owned news agency, the legal successor of the Ukrainian National News Agency, which was previously the news agency of Ukraine and has since been liquidated.
The General Director of Ukrinform is selected by the government. The agency is managed by a board of directors, whose members are appointed by the General Director. Additionally, Ukrinform has a supervisory board, whose composition is approved by the government.
Source of funding and budget
Ukrinform is financed through a combination of state funding and commercial revenues, primarily derived from the sale of content. Nevertheless, the state subsidy represents the majority of Ukrinform’s budget, with estimates from local experts and journalists indicating that it accounts for over 80%. In 2020, Ukrinform received a state subsidy of UAH 257m (equivalent to US$ 10m).
Editorial independence
As a state-run agency, Ukrinform is legally bound (by the government decree that establishes the agency) to ensure coverage of state policy and public life in Ukraine, provide information to public authorities, and disseminate official information on significant political, social, and other processes in the state.
The agency is responsible for distributing official documents from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Parliament), the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers (Government) of Ukraine, ministries, and other bodies of state power on significant domestic and foreign policy matters. Additionally, the agency covers the official stance of the heads of state on current issues.
The same decree stipulates that the agency should operate in an independent manner, free from the influence of political parties and public organizations. However, in practice, this particular stipulation does not provide the agency with complete immunity from governmental influence.
In light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the agency has been subject to significant censorship in order to safeguard the interests of the Ukrainian government.
There is no domestic statute in place, nor is there an independent assessment or oversight mechanism, that would validate the editorial independence of Ukrinform.
September 2024