Information-analytical Center "Publicity" has completed a study of titles in the Title of the Week Rating. Such project in Ukraine has been realized for the first time.

The research was conducted for 6 months - from June 1 to November 29, 2009. Monitoring and content analysis was carried out weekly for determination of the best and the most negative headlines.

In total were analyzed 13,015 titles of 15 periodicals.

The most striking titles were in such periodicals: Business (9), Zerkalo Nedeli (Mirror of the Week) (7), Focus (7), Korrespondent (6) and Delovaya stolitsa (Business Capital) - (6).

During the content analysis of titles IAC experts identified the following ratios of mode: positive - 3051 (23%), negative 4667 (36%), neutral - 5927 (41%).

Thus, at the end of summer and autumn of 2009 the analyzed periodicals mainly contained neutral titles, although the proportion of negative is significant.

The research helped to find dynamics, to predict and identify trends of "negativization", "pozitivization" or "neutralization" of mass media.

The rating of the frequently cited words in positive, negative and neutral headers allows experts to conclude what events often become negative or positive information occasion.

For example, mostly in the negative headlines were used words: Ukraine, bank, president, deputies, the crisis, gas, credit, to lose, money, market, insurance.

The analyzed information also helped to determine the rating of the most cited politicians and bureaucrats in headlines. Thus, the most mentioned among politicians in headers of all moods was Yulia Tymoshenko. While, names of foreign politicians in the headlines were appear rarely.

"Title of the Week Rating allowed us to determine the mood of the key messages of the leading Ukrainian media. After all, the title - is a concentrated essence of the articles’ information. It's no secret that decision to read the article or not is influenced by the headline. Moreover, titles determine the overall atmosphere orientation of the issue. We hope that our research has attracted attention of mass media and society about the quality of titles, their correctness, as well as the importance of balancing positive and negative in media," said Rouslana Plis, the head of IAC Publicity.

Results of the Title of the Week Rating’ summer 2009 can be read in Russian here

Results of the Title of the Week Rating’ autumn 2009 can be read in Ukrainian here

List of the most brilliant titles during the research is here in Russian:

About research

The weekly Title of the Week Rating was held by IAC Publicity by monitoring of 15 business and political periodicals. The list of media included: Business, Vlast’ deneg (Power of Money), Delo, Delovaya stolitsa (Business Capital), Zerkalo Nedeli (Mirror of the Week), Investgazeta (Invest Magazine), Contracts, Comments, Kommersant, Companion, Korrespondent, Profile, iStatus, Focus, Ekonomicheskiye Izvestiya (Economic news).

Monitoring includes all the titles of articles and essays, published in editions that were printed for current week (formatting 1 / 8 page for A3 +, and ? of the page for A4 + press media).

Titles ranged by mood: negative, positive, neutral. While analyzing the mood also were taken into account the content of sub-headings (in those materials where they exist). Contents of articles were not analyzed.

Titles containing words with obviously negative sense, as well as contents, which are negative in general, were grouped into "negative" or "rather negative".

Headings, which are positive in content, and contained the words with known positive sense were classified as "positive" or "rather positive".

Neutral were classified as such that did not belong to the two above mentioned categories, and did not cause any clear positive or negative emotions.

Titles of the week were determined by the editorial of web-site Publicity.kiev.ua , with the assistance of independent experts (philologists, psychologists, specialists in content analysis), in two nominations: "The most striking title" and "The most negative title."

Background

Information-analytical Centre Publicity operates on the market since 2008. It is concerned in: media monitoring and analysis, researches and consulting, press-erlease writing and distribution.

For more information please contact: edit@publicity.kiev.ua