ONLINE SCHOOL FOR BEGINNER JOURNALISTS
MEDIAZLIT
challenge
REGIONAL MEDIA ON GUARD FOR INFORMATION SECURITY
A failed state that has failed in all its reforms — this is the narrative about Ukraine that is pushed by Russian propaganda. The targets vulnerable to these sorts of falsehoods are residents of southern and eastern Ukraine. That is why the work of local media is extremely important in these regions. Regional journalists that are close to their audiences are meant not only to objectively report reality, but also to counteract hostile disinformation. According to a study by Internews-USAID, Ukrainians’ trust in regional media went up significantly in 2020.
But local media specialists also have many of their own problems: a lack of funding, dependence on ownership and other influential people in their regions, the technological gap they face with their colleagues in the national media, and the uncertainty that comes with the coronavirus crisis. They also face a lack of human resources, since when young journalists are entering the field, they tend to prefer to look for work in the national media.
Today, there is an urgent need to support independent media and qualified journalists at the regional level, particularly the East of Ukraine. They are the ones who, with their skills and enthusiasm, hold down a key front for the whole nation’s information security.
solution
ONLINE SUMMER SCHOOL FOR BEGINNER JOURNALISTS
To expand the pool of professional young journalists in Eastern Ukraine, Internews Ukraine organized and held an online summer school called Mediazlit. Its goal was to prepare multipurpose professionals who could meet the modern requirements of the profession: to not only write texts but to also be a photographer, operator, video editor, and social media specialist.
Why did we name the school Mediazlit? The word zlit has several meanings in the Ukrainian language. Its main meaning is to move to a higher level, or to advance forward. Thus, Mediazlit aimed to help journalists gain new knowledge and improve their skills to work successfully in the media. Zlit can also mean a sort of professional conclave. Mediazlit brought together media specialists from different areas of journalism and regions of Ukraine to share their experiences and knowledge. The program began on June 17 and lasted until August 31, 2020. 29 experienced media experts and well-known journalists held 29 webinars for the participants, with a total duration of 65 hours. The most popular was a master class by Roman Vintoniv (Michael Shchur), which reached over 75 thousand Facebook users.
Holding the school online was the answer to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of quarantine. Mediazlit offered participants the opportunity to study online while using various digital tools, like webinars, communications on social media, and remote mentoring.
The program consisted of four thematic modules: the first two were theoretical, and in the last two, put their instruction to use by preparing their own materials.
The school’s main instructors and mentors
Tetyana Matychak, Ukrainian journalist, editor, media instructor, a specialist in countering propaganda and manipulation. Worked as a journalist and editor at LIGA.net, Korrespondent.net, and the newspaper Segodnya. She was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the website Stopfake.org.
Anatoliy Martsynovski, media instructor and journalist. Worked for the periodical European Pravda, the newspapers Golos Ukrainy and Gazeta.ua. He specializes in international topics. He authored two textbooks for journalists: European Union: Writing, Telling, Showing and Association with the EU in Your Media.
outcome
HIGHER, BETTER, STRONGER
In total, we received more than 350 applications for participation, which demonstrated considerable demand from media specialists to hold such events. 70 beginner journalists from the East of Ukraine and other regions received the opportunity to study. Among them were students, young professionals and those interested in switching to journalism. There were also two high school students who are aspiring journalists.
Over a 2.5-month period, there were 29 webinars conducted and filmed. In addition to training, the school’s participants were able to prepare materials with the support of mentors. At the end of the program, 45 beginner journalists graduated from the Mediazlit online school.
Participants who received the highest marks at the end of the program or who received the maximum score on the article they prepared received a scholarship. These winners included 20 female and one male student.
Participant Maria Lyashchenko from the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut deserves special recognition. Her piece Progressive Bakhmut: Stories of People Developing Ukrainian Culture in Front-line Territories was published by the local website Bahmut.in.ua. Her article received over 1000 views, as well as interest from the site’s editors for future cooperation. As a result, our graduate has now been working for this outlet for over a month. Another student, Iryna Zaloga of Kyiv, has started her own podcast.
These are just the first steps of our program participants. We are confident that the knowledge and support they gained from Mediazlit will help them bring their ideas and projects to fruition.
Here are some of the reviews we received from our graduates:
"Thank you! I advise all my colleagues, especially beginner journalists, not to be afraid and take part in schools like this!” Daria Serba (Dnipro)
“You are real professionals who not only provide knowledge and practical advice, but also inspiration and motivation! It was serious, interesting and fun to work with you! You are awesome! Thank you for the evaluation of my work and gifts! I hope to see you again because I’m already missing you!” Anna Bondarenko (Kostiantynivka)
“There was so much new information that I wanted to record everything. It was a really great experience and knowledge that no university could give you. It was certainly a great step forward for me. Also, thanks to all the participants; we became a real family during this time. I made friends here. For me, this media school became a turning point in my life.” Victoria Pylypenko (Sievierodonetsk)
“I was amazed by the preparation of our instructors for the webinars. Everything was clear and understandable. Each of your questions will get an answer. Special thanks to the organization, studio, and camera operators; they made participating convenient even though we were working from our computers. So many interesting topics! It turns out that although I work as a journalist, I didn't even know that there was a genre called solutions journalism! It's good that we moved past old standards and talked about modern ones - it allows us to take a step forward."
“Mediazlit is like my new family, and I’ll miss them. I already got into the habit of going on Zoom every two days and listening to lectures. This was a very cool project that answered many questions for professional journalists and beginners alike. We are often afraid to ask our chief editor or teacher about something, so as not to seem unskilled. But Mediazlit taught me to show interest and ask about what is unclear. I learned this from the very first seminars. Our lecturers were of the highest level. I never even thought that such respected experts would teach me!"
Mediazlit is over, but for its graduates, everything has just begun. We continue to follow their success and believe in the future of Ukrainian journalism.
The holding of the Mediazlit online school was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The school was organized by the NGO Internews Ukraine under the USAID Democratic Governance in Eastern Ukraine project, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).