MEDIACENTER UKRAINE and Crimean Human Rights Group within Framework of Crimea Platform Expert Network presented a report on covering the topic of Crimea in the English language mass media. The survey object was publications of the most mainstream English language media of the US, the UK and Canada for June 2023 – May 2024.
Survey Methodology
The content analysis method was used to analyze publications of 10 mainstream media of each of three countries. The total number of surveyed publications was 4,337, with most being from the US media (2,062). The United Kingdom and Canada had almost the same number of hits, with the UK media slightly prevailing.
Key Results
The survey revealed a substantial dependence in considering the topic of Crimea from the overall situation at the front and coverage of the war in Ukraine. The topic of Crimea was mentioned most actively in the summer of 2023, during the Ukrainian counter-offensive, namely in June – September when the publications mainly focused on military actions, and prospects of Crimea liberation. However, after October 2023, the media focus shifted to other events, such as the conflict in the Gaza Strip, that resulted in decreasing the number of Crimea hits.
Pro-Ukrainian and Pro-Russian Narratives
Generally speaking, the Crimea topic coverage in the English language mass media may be considered neutral – positive for Ukrainian narratives. The best illustration for this is the Western media reaction on the destruction of Kakhovka HPP, when the Western media, while covering the Russia’s statement, did emphasize a probable responsibility of Rusia for this war crime.
During the counter-offensive actions of summer 2023, the Western media were active in covering Ukraine’s success in Crimea and the Black Sea. But, after the October, with the Russian propaganda intensifying and reducing the attention to the Ukrainian counter-offensive, the pro-Russian narratives gained strength. The Russian media became more active, substantiating their messages in the publications and statements that caused the decreasing of Ukrainian narrative support.
Conclusions
The survey proves that though the Western media usually support the Ukrainian narratives, the situation in the information space is dynamic. Changes in the global media landscape and political situation may have a significant impact on covering the topic of Crimea that flags a need to monitor the media on a permanent basis to understand the changes in the international narratives.
A full version of the survey report is available at
