74% of Ukrainians read news mainly on social networks – these are the results of the USAID-Internews survey on attitudes to media in 2022. 60% of respondents prefer Telegram.

Agree, reading news in Telegram is convenient: publications are available even with a weak connection, messages are often short, and most importantly — up-to-the-minute. At the same time, in Telegram, readers are at the greatest risk of falling under the influence of Russian propaganda. The fact is that, unlike Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter, content in Telegram is hardly moderated. This frees the hands of propagandists and gives them more methods to influence the population.

VoxCheck analyzed more than 5,500 messages from almost 60 Russian and pro-Russian Telegram channels and identified 19 main disinformation narratives. This research was made possible with the support of Democracy Reporting International with the assistance of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

At the trainings, the VoxCheck team will share key observations based on the research and their experience in identifying hostile channels, narratives, and fakes, as well as tips for visualizing key research findings.

Training starts:

📅 on December 30

🕔 at 5 PM Kyiv time

💻 in Zoom (link will be sent after registration)

Working language - English

Training topics:

1. How to identify a Telegram channel that spreads hostile disinformation (17:00-18:00)

At this training, we will introduce the methodology of our research on Telegram channels. We will focus on why it is important to analyze narratives, how they differ from fakes, and how to identify Telegram channels that spread Russian propaganda narratives.

The training will be conducted by Myroslava Markova, VoxCheck senior analyst

2. The main narratives and techniques of Russian propaganda in Telegram (18:15-19:15)

In this part, we will analyze the frequency of dissemination of disinformation cases in Telegram according to the 19 narratives formed in the study and explain how, through various methods, propagandists maintain the credibility of disinformation. During the Q&A session, we will discuss the possibilities for countering disinformation in Telegram.

The training will be conducted by Svitlana Slipchenko, head of VoxCheck 

3. Data visualization for analytical materials. VoxUkraine Case Study (19:30-20:30)

Based on VoxUkraine's data research, we will show which tools can be used to transform large arrays of input data into interactive graphics that are understandable and interesting to the audience.

The training will be conducted by Nazar Moshniaga, DataVox analyst