Nothing is True? The Credibility of News and Conflicting Narratives during ‘Information War’ in Ukraine

• In Event: Exploring Country Images and Nation Brands Building

Abstract

Recently Ukraine has been central to contradictory strategic narratives about international affairs, with the Russian government competing for credibility against the Ukrainian and Western governments in a so-called ‘information war’. This paper examines how Ukrainian news consumers decide where to get their news and what to believe in a media environment where ‘propaganda’ and ‘disinformation’ are considered major threats to national security. Data come from 30 audio-diaries and in-depth interviews conducted among adult residents of Ukraine's Odesa Region in 2016. Through qualitative analysis of the diary and interview transcripts, the paper reveals how participants based their support for one narrative over another based on what they considered important (their ‘priorities’), not just what they thought had happened (the ‘facts’). The attribution of importance to different foreign policy issues was associated, in turn, with varying personal experiences, memories and individual cross-border relationships.

Author

• Joanna Szostek, Royal Holloway, U of London