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Monitoring methodology

How the rating works

The rating on the Ministry of News website is an analytical score based on open publications from media outlets and public Telegram channels. It helps assess how stable the history of published materials is: whether they remain available, are edited after publication or are later deleted.

The rating is not an assessment of a person’s reputation, integrity or professional qualities. Nor does it determine whether a particular publication is true. It is a tool for monitoring an information trail, allowing readers to see the broader picture quickly and proceed to the original sources.

  1. 01Open publication
  2. 02Changes recorded
  3. 03Analytical score

What data is considered

The system automatically monitors materials from Ukrainian online media and posts from public Telegram channels. The state of each publication is preserved when it is first found, while subsequent checks record edits or deletion.

The score takes into account:

  • the total number of publications found;
  • the share of materials that were edited or deleted;
  • the nature of the recorded event;
  • how recent the publications are;
  • the amount of data available for analysis.

Deletion is a stronger signal than editing. Changes to a text or headline may be part of routine editorial work — correcting errors, clarifying facts or updating information. An edit is therefore not treated as equivalent to deleting a material.

What each rating shows

01

Person score

A person score is calculated from publications in which the system identified a reference to the relevant public figure.

What matters is not the absolute number of edited or deleted materials, but their share within the overall set of mentions. The same number of deletions may mean different things depending on how many publications about the person were analysed in total.

When there is not enough data for a well-founded conclusion, the system displays a neutral value. This prevents sharp assessments based on only a few incidental publications.

A higher score indicates a more stable history for materials mentioning the person. A lower score means the system recorded a more noticeable share of edited or deleted publications among the analysed mentions.

The score describes the information environment around a person, not the person’s actions or intentions.

02

Media or Telegram channel score

For media outlets and public Telegram channels, the score reflects the stability of their own publications.

A higher score means that most analysed materials remain available in their original or near-original form. A lower score indicates a greater share of publications that were edited or deleted after publication.

This score does not assess editorial policy, the quality of journalism or the reliability of content. It reflects only the publication history recorded by the system.

03

Organization score

An organization score summarizes the scores of public figures associated with it. It provides a broader view, but it is not an assessment of the organization’s work, decisions or all of its representatives.

When there is insufficient data about associated persons, a neutral value is displayed.

How to read the rating

High value

Most analysed publications remain available without recorded substantial changes.

Medium value

The system sees a mixed picture or does not yet have a sufficient body of data.

Low value

A substantial share of changes or deletions has been recorded among the analysed materials.

What the rating does not determine

The rating does not establish:

  1. whether published information was true;

  2. why an editor or author changed a material;

  3. who initiated an edit or deletion;

  4. whether a change is directly connected to the person mentioned;

  5. whether a person, media outlet or organization is “reliable” or “unreliable”.

The system records observable changes, but does not attribute motives to those involved or make legal, political or moral judgments.

05

Methodology principles

We explain publicly the main factors that affect the rating, but do not disclose the exact formula, internal weights or technical thresholds. This protects the system from artificial score manipulation and attempts to adapt publishing behaviour to the algorithm.

At the same time, the rating is not a “black box”: readers can review the materials found, their preserved versions and the changes recorded by the system. Original sources, rather than any single number, remain the basis for drawing conclusions.

Original sources matter more than any single number.