Strong Media — Strong Society

challenge

Russia is waging an information war, primarily in Ukraine's east and south. The local media needs help

Ukraine has been at war since 2014. Experts refer to it as a hybrid because the information component is critical. Due to the territorial proximity and political ambitions of the leadership of the Russian Federation, the Russian media focused their propaganda primarily on Ukraine's eastern and southern regions. Researchers note: the goal of this information warfare was to isolate these regions and increase the level of mistrust in the authorities, reforms, and even residents of other regions.

It was nothing short of a formidable challenge for independent, high-quality content to reach its intended audience, as numerous editorial offices were under the control of pro-Russian oligarchs. These collaborators deliberately limited access to Ukrainian media.

In 2022, the loss of advertisers and the outflow of employees became more apparent, with cyberattacks and physical threats increasing. Throughout the first 11 months of the full-scale war, Russia committed 477 crimes targeting journalists and media in Ukraine. At least 217 newsrooms either completely or partially ceased operations due to the ongoing hostilities and occupation. Continuing professional activities, especially in the surrounding and frontline cities, became dangerous.

decision

Support local media and journalists and help them create quality content

To strengthen Ukraine's position in the information war, we launched the comprehensive program "Strong Media — Strong Society" in October 2021. As part of this initiative, our team accomplished the following:

• implemented an employment program for novice journalists in partner newsrooms;
• held a series of online meetings to facilitate the exchange of expertise among media professionals from the eastern, southern, and western regions of Ukraine;
• shared knowledge, skills, and tools related to social media management (SMM).

In the face of a full-scale invasion, we managed not only to sustain our project but also to expand our support to address new challenges. We organised a series of consultations on digital security and launched an Emergency Assistance Program. These measures enabled local newsrooms to operate in safer conditions and effectively report on the events of the ongoing aggression and the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

result

Internships for aspiring journalists, emergency media assistance, and half a million viewers

We successfully bolstered regional media outlets and facilitated the creation of over 450 high-quality media materials, reaching an audience of nearly 500,000 people.

As a result of the program, 21 aspiring journalists gained invaluable experience through mentorship, either launching their initial career steps or enhancing their portfolios. These interns worked for 11 well-known regional media organisations, collaborating with their mentors to produce 20 pieces of truly impactful material. Subsequently, the majority of them were offered a position in the newsrooms where they had completed their internships.

"We increased the capacity of the editorial office and broadened our team. As evidenced, the program's participants produced outstanding materials and generated socially significant content, as the views reflected," stated Anastasia Rudenko, editor-in-chief of Skhidny Variant (East Variant).

Additionally, program participants had the opportunity to participate in a content competition. The competition's winners were Yevgenia Vovk, who wrote an article highlighting the efforts of doctors in the blockaded city of Mariupol; Hanna Peshkova, who explored the stories of displaced schoolchildren; and Iryna Golovko, who produced a video piece in the subway dedicated to safety training. They were rewarded with vouchers to purchase professional equipment.

Reflecting on her experience in the program, Hanna Peshkova, one of the participants, shared, "Thanks to this project, I had the chance to meet inspiring individuals who are making significant contributions to our country. I interviewed volunteers, military personnel, rescue workers, and artists, and engaged in conversations with ordinary Ukrainians who have endured challenging trials."

10 media partners received scholarships and mentoring support to prepare materials about the war and its challenges. The media partners included IA "Vchasno", TRC "Kherson Plus", "Tribune", "IRTA", "TV-7", "Slobidskyi Kray", "Inform.zp.ua", "0512. Site of the city of Mykolaiv", "Informer.od.ua" and "Litsa". Additionally, 10 regional newsrooms were granted scholarships to cover hosting, cloud storage subscriptions, and data protection software costs. 

Media professionals had the opportunity to establish valuable networks and collaborate on joint projects during the experience-sharing meetings. For example, journalists from the "Anti-Crisis Media Center" (Kramatorsk) and "ZAXID.NET" (Lviv) wrote an article about volunteers from Sloviansk and Lviv who are together rebuilding the country. And the teams "Bakhmut IN.UA" and "Rayon.in.ua" produced two pieces on residents evacuated from Bakhmut to Lutsk, underscoring how they developed a long-term partnership.

The program was implemented with the support of the USAID project "Democratic Governance in Eastern Ukraine" (DG East).