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A Comprehensive Program for Journalists

Solution Journalism

сhallenge

The war in Ukraine, rising prices, the COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine restrictions caused by it — because of these and other problems, more and more Ukrainians want their media to not only offer a description of events, but also practical advice and steps to solve them.

In addition to answers to the classic questions of journalism “who, what, when, where, and why?” people are interested in the question «what to do next?». Thus, Solution Journalism (SJ) is becoming more and more relevant to our media market. This journalism is not focused on simply describing problems, but rather on ways to solve them.

However, many Ukrainian editors and journalists are unfamiliar with this approach to journalism. Media professionals need to understand the basic principles of the SJ format and acquire skills to work with it.

solution

To explain the essence of the Solution Journalism genre and teach journalists to create these sorts of materials, Internews Ukraine created a comprehensive program.

Trainings and webinars

For all those who want not just to write, but also to affect changes in society with their materials, we conducted workshops and webinars. During these events, we discussed the principles of SJ and key elements of materials written in this format. Our experts also talked about the sorts of problems and solutions that Solution Journalism can focus on and how to write about reforms during the corona crisis.

In the summer of 2019, we conducted a Training of Trainers with 10 journalists.

The speakers of the event were:

  • Anatoliy Martsynovsky, media coach;
  • Tetyana Matychak, editor and specialist in media literacy and anti-manipulation.

Anatoliy and Tetyana promote Solutions Journalism as part of the Media Program in Ukraine and other projects.

Solutions Journalism: From Constructive Journalism to Solving Public Challenges

On April 14, 2021, we organized the first online forum on Solutions Journalism in Ukraine. Participants and media specialists discussed the features of SJ, how to find ideas for publications, and develop this field in Ukraine.

The discussion was attended by domestic and foreign experts, including:

  • Peter Yeung, journalist with the Guardian, National Geographic, and the BBC;
  • Tena Perisin, licensed trainer of the European Broadcasting Union;
  • Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy;
  • Andriy Kulykov, presenter, Head of the Board of Hromadske Radio.

Videos of the forum are available at the following links:

Scholarships for creating SJ materials

We conducted three competitions for Solutions Journalism media materials for independent journalists, — one each for print, online, TV and radio. Special preference during selection was given to journalists from the South and East of Ukraine.

With the start of the pandemic, Internews Ukraine organized its Stay in the Profession scholarship program, in which journalists who had lost their jobs or funding through the COVID pandemic were awarded grants to create 30 articles in the SJ genre.

Here are just a few articles written by the program’s participants:

outcome

Since 2019, we have helped create more than 180 materials in the field of SJ. 194 journalists have taken part in our trainings and webinars. We also trained a training of trainers (TOT) in Solution Journalism for 10 specialists. Our online forum has received almost 40,000 views on Facebook.

One example of effective work in the SJ genre is the coverage by the news website Vostochnyi Variant of plans for the extraction of zirconium near the village of Nikolske in Donetsk Oblast. Their article on the environmental impact of this mining project resonated widely and helped the local community defend its rights. After a series of analyses by the site and civil lawsuits, the sale of the land was suspended.


The program was organized by Internews Ukraine with the support of the Media programme in Ukraine financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the international organization Internews.

Events and News

Event
Antibot: How to Expose Information Manipulation?

16–18 березня у Києві відбудеться тренінг «Антибот: як викривати інформаційні маніпуляції». Участь безкоштовна.

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We helped 40 local media outlets boost their positions in the Ukrainian media market, digitalize, and overcome the crisis in the Ukrainian media industry. We conducted 200 expert consultations, provided over UAH 1.6 million in grants, and provided essential upgrades to 3 publications.

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Ukrainian Regional Media Guide

The original English-language report on the regional media sphere of Ukraine. It provides a review of over 500 regional publications throughout the entirety of Ukraine.