The Ukrainian government has launched an English-language website called The Gaze to inform the world about events in Ukraine, its culture, and economy. The platform, which is entirely funded by the state budget, has already cost the country 60 million hryvnias in its first four months, and expenses appear to be on the rise. However, many articles on the site are simply reprints from other media.
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SubscribeWhy was this new project needed? NGL.media explained. The Ministry of Culture already supports several other English-language media outlets, but in June 2023, it launched The Gaze specifically for audiences in the USA, UK, and other countries.
The General Director of the State Enterprise "Multimedia Platform of International Broadcasting of Ukraine," Yulia Ostrovskaya, believes that content for a Western audience should be a subtle mix: a bit about Ukraine, but not overly intrusive. However, the question arises - how justified are the investments in this project?
So far, 60 million hryvnias have been spent from the budget on creating and maintaining the site. Almost everything published on The Gaze is produced by contractors. For example, 35 million hryvnias were spent on video content, and 11 million on written content. The number of people involved in this project remains unknown, as contractors have chosen to keep this information confidential.
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The company "Marker Media" was previously owned by Russian showman Alexander Tsikalo and Belarusian Ruslan Sorokin, but is now owned by 33-year-old Denis Sezin from Bucha. According to him, the company's shows are popular abroad, but official data indicates that The Gaze distributes its programs exclusively online and they are not aired on TV.
The platform also features historical programs, but these are produced by various contractors, such as "1+1 Production" and other private companies.
When discussing the "cost of the issue," each short news item costs around 4000 hryvnias, while an article costs 8500. This is quite high for the Ukrainian market, especially considering that many publications are not original materials, but reprints from foreign media.
Natalia Ligacheva, editor-in-chief of "Detector Media," states that for such a sum, one would expect more serious content. But in reality – the news includes stories about the sale of the oldest whiskey in Europe, discussions about Arnold Schwarzenegger, or plans to legalize cannabis.
The Gaze publishes not only articles but also videos on YouTube. However, the view counts are unimpressive – in four months, 1100 videos have garnered just 2.8 million views. If we look at the average popularity of videos on the channel, they receive anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred views, with rare exceptions where an individual video performs slightly better.
The site's content also seems to attract few readers. Approximately 65,000 visits in four months is very low compared to other projects. For instance, the English-language "Ukrinform" gathered nearly 8.8 million visits during the same period, while the private outlet The Kyiv Independent received around 18 million.
Additionally, a significant portion of the content for The Gaze is produced by third-party contractors. They received direct contracts awarded after creative competitions. However, none of the contractors have disclosed how much they actually pay their editors and writers.
Indeed, an online job listing was found offering an editor a salary of 20,000-40,000 hryvnias per month, which is quite generous.
Critics, as well as those involved in the project, believe that The Gaze has a commendable goal – to present Ukraine as part of Europe. However, the way this idea is communicated raises questions:
"I do not understand why the news feed should interest an English-speaking reader? Why should they read on a site supposedly dedicated to Ukraine about Schwarzenegger? We want to showcase Ukraine in a European context, but we fill the news feed with copy from English-language sources that an English-speaking reader can read in those sources," says Natalia Ligacheva, editor-in-chief of "Detector Media."
Despite doubts about its effectiveness, the site will continue to receive funding. Currently, its maintenance costs taxpayers approximately 12 million hryvnias per month. Many believe that such expenses are far from a priority during wartime, but according to the project management, the platform addresses important tasks by helping to shape Ukraine's image.