Ukrainians’ Perception of Journalistic Investigations: Understanding the Results of an Empirical Study

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to introduce into the academic discourse empirical knowledge about the perception of journalistic investigations by the Ukrainian audience, expectations and trust in the content produced by investigators at the regional, national and international levels.

Research methodology. The methodological apparatus of the study is provided by the use of methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization, and descriptive-analytical method with elements of functional analysis. In order to determine the attitude and orientation of Ukrainian users of digital media towards journalistic investigations in the period 04‒10 December 2023, an electronic survey was conducted using the method of surveying Ukrainians using the Google Forms service, n=65 respondents who answered questions, mostly of the closed type.

Results. It was found that 72.3% of Ukrainians follow and pay attention to investigative materials in the media with varying frequency. The vast majority of survey participants fully trust or will trust depending on the arguments given in the investigations (62.5% in total), 37.5% rather do not trust or are completely skeptical of them. The thematic orientation of journalistic investigations correlates with the projects offered on the information market. Thus, the highest level of interest is kept by investigations devoted to political corruption (73.8%) and corruption in the economic sphere (72.3%). On demand of time, there is a request among Ukrainians for justice in the field of corruption during the war in Ukraine (27.7%), the recovery of Ukraine (12.3%), and the public sphere (10,8%).

The novelty of the article consists in supplementing the academic discussion with an empirical understanding of how the Ukrainian audience perceives journalistic investigations, what their expectations are, and what the level of trust in investigative content created at the regional, national, and international levels is.

Practical significance. The research materials and results have the potential to be used by journalism theorists as part of further research in the field and investigative journalist practitioners to examine the expectations, levels of interest, and inclusion of Ukrainians in the anti-corruption discourse through the media.

Key words: anti-corruption journalism, fight against corruption, economic journalism, information space, journalistic investigation, media support for the recovery of Ukraine.