Media planning for investigative journalism: a case study

Abstract

Introduction. In today’s information environment, media planning can be a key tool for dis seminating journalistic content and increasing its impact on the audience. Its importance is grow ing significantly in the context of information warfare and the need to counter disinformation. Relevance of the study. In the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion and war crimes in Ukraine, effective communication strategies are essential to promote information and attract in ternational attention. This study aims to quantify the organic dissemination of socially important information and test the hypothesis that Systematic Journalistic Processing of raw activist data, paired with a formal media plan, increases the reach and institutional impact. This research seeks explicitly to calculate the degree of dissemination (RQ1), identify optimal future media strategies (RQ2), and measure the resulting visibility and impact on official institutions (RQ3). Methodology. This study employs a single case study methodology focusing on devel oping and implementing a media plan for the KibOrg investigation series on child abduction from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. The research uses a mixed-methods approach: Quantitative analysis was applied to measure reach and engagement, while Qualitative analysis was used to assess the strategic effectiveness and impact on law enforce ment, validating the study’s central hypothesis. Results. The implemented media plan achieved a measurably high degree of organic dissem ination. Key results demonstrate that the systematic journalistic processing of raw data, coupled with strategic synergy between media channels, significantly increased the organic reach and pub lic interest. The investigation results led to direct interaction with Ukrainian law enforcement and international organisations, confirming the heightened impact. Conclusions. This study confirms the hypothesis that the journalistic processing of data dumps, amplified by strategic media planning, significantly enhances activist information’s or ganic dissemination and institutional impact. The success confirms that media planning is critical to achieving high public visibility, catalysing action, and facilitating cooperation with key institu tions.