The Media Development Foundation investigated the financial support of the media, including the lowest and highest salaries. The study helped to identify the main risks and trends in 2023-2024.
This study “Financing independent media in Ukraine 2023: salaries and trends” is important for understanding the financial support of independent media organizations, which is an important component of media market transparency and institutional development of the media in times of crisis.
Analysis of models of financial support of editorial offices and trends showed that for small and medium-sized editorial offices at the central and regional levels, the biggest challenges are ensuring the remuneration of their employees, as well as the personnel crisis associated with the departure of specialists, mobilization and low salaries, in particular in regional editorial offices.
Here are some conclusions of the study:
- Donor and reader support, as well as advertising publications, became the key sources of financial support for the media last year.
- After the full-scale invasion, grants became the main sources of funding for most of the surveyed media. About 76% of regional media have between 70 and 100 percent donor funding in their models.
- For media organizations, donor aid has become both an opportunity and a challenge in wartime. Now, some editorial offices note that they are working in a “war for funding” mode. This also leads to an additional burden on teams.
- There is a tendency for journalists on news feeds to have the lowest salaries, while “universal fighters”, investigators and war reporters at the national level have higher salaries.
- Freelancers in the media can earn 3-4 thousand hryvnias for completing one task: photos from the scene, audio transcription, a short report or a full-fledged material of low complexity. However, some editorial offices report that they can offer even higher salaries — 5, 8, 10 or even 15 thousand hryvnias.
- These risks will be the focus of attention for most independent editorial offices, and the financial transformation of the independent online media market in 2024 will depend on how they respond.
The research was conducted using two methods: a survey and a case study. The survey involved 37 independent regional media outlets. In-depth interviews were conducted with 7 heads of regional newsrooms and 8 national ones.
This research was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Media Development Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
