Almost 60% of Ukrainian media face crisis as US support suspended – IMI survey

Fifty-nine per cent of Ukrainian media professionals believe the suspension of US support could devastate independent media outlets, potentially forcing closures or significant downsizing. These are the results of the latest Institute of Mass Information (IMI) survey, conducted from January 27 to February 2, 2025, gathered responses from 120 media representatives across Ukraine.

The study highlighted the media’s heavy dependence on US funding, with 35% of outlets receiving more than 75% of their funding from American grants and another 15.8% relying on US funds for 50-75% of their budget. While 30% of respondents expressed confidence in finding alternative funding despite expecting significant negative impacts, only 4.2% predicted minimal impact on their operations.

The immediate effects of the funding suspension have already manifested, with 7.5% of outlets reducing staff, 9.5% facing office space issues, 11% cutting content production, and 10.5% implementing salary reductions or transitioning to part-time work.

If international funding for the media sector is not resumed within three months, the surveyed media professionals said they expected the following consequences (multiple options could be selected):

• 41% of respondents will definitely reduce content production;
• 40% of media outlets and media organizations will have to lay off some of their staff;
• 35% will switch to part-time employment or cut salaries;
• 35% will lose access to critical resources for content production;
• 32% will be unable to rent an office and will switch to remote work;
• 12% will have to resort to non-transparent sources of financing (gambling ads, jeansa, etc.);
• 8.5% of surveyed media and NGOs will close down;
• only 19% of surveyed media outlets said they would continue working the same as before after the suspension of grant support.

If grants are not resumed in six months, 33% of media outlets and media organizations said they would have to close down. A year without international support could cause 51% of the surveyed media outlets to close.

However, 49% of the media outlets surveyed by the IMI did not consider closing down as an option at all and were ready to keep fighting, look for new solutions and support the work of their media outlet even with the funding ceased or significantly cut. This means that Ukraine’s media sector is quite healthy and capable of developing and adapting even in the harshest conditions.

In a year without grants, 84.5% of the surveyed media outlets will definitely reduce the volume of content they produce and lay off some employees.

As for jeansa and non-transparent ways of earning money, 28% of the surveyed media outlets said they would be forced to resort to such sources of income in six months without grants in order to survive. In a year without financial support, 34% of the media outlets surveyed by the IMI will have to make such a decision.

This shows that the closure and weakening of independent media may give more space to actors with less editorial independence and increase the influence of pro-Russian structures that may operate undercover.

The surveyed media professionals are now considering the following alternative funding sources (selecting multiple options was possible):

• 84% – looking for grant competitions by European donors;
• 53% – looking for commercial partnerships, more advertising;
• 48% – crowdfunding, taking donations and creating communities to support the media outlet;
• 11% – state funding;
• 10% – advertising gambling businesses and cryptocurrency;
• 9% – introducing paid subscriptions to the media outlet;
• 8% – publishing jeansa (covert promotion of businesses and politicians).

Earlier, the annual IMI survey showed that 80% of journalists used various forms of international support during 2024.

The study was conducted through a quantitative anonymous online survey of a simple random sample of potential respondents (working journalists and editors). A total of 120 responses were received from media professionals from all regions across Ukraine. The maximum margin of error is 5%. The survey took place on January 27 – February 2, 2025.

Previously, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that US President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including over $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders denounced this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and journalists doing vital work into chaotic uncertainty. RSF called on international public and private support to commit to the sustainability of independent media.

Since the new American president announced the freeze of US foreign aid, USAID (United States Agency for International Development) has been in turmoil: its website is inaccessible, its X account has been suspended, the agency’s headquarters was closed and employees told to stay home. Elon Musk, whom Trump chose to lead the quasi-official Department of Government Efficiency, called USAID a “criminal organization” and said, “We’re shutting down.” Later that day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he was named acting director of the agency, suggesting its operations were being moved to the State Department.