“Without fixers, many reports about Ukraine simply would not have appeared in the international information space,” participants in meeting at Ivano-Frankivsk JSC

The work of a fixer for foreign media covering the events of the russian-Ukrainian war – this was the main focus of the conversation in the coworking space of the Ivano-Frankivsk Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) when journalist-publicist Oksana Bybliv, a volunteer, public figure, and fixer in Ukraine for Italian media, visited her colleagues. The famous Carpathian journalist Ivan Kharuk, a regional correspondent of the Espresso TV channel, also joined the conversation.

The participants in the meeting discussed the role of domestic fixers in creating high-quality and accurate international content about Ukraine, especially in times of war. They noted, in particular, that the fixer profession remains little visible to the general public, but is critically important for international journalism.

Oksana Bybliv, who has been working with Italian media since 2014, shared her own experience working with foreign colleagues on covering events in Ukraine during the anti-terrorist operation and the full-scale war.

She highlighted the main stages:

• Organizing logistics. That is, fixers help find a temporary place to live, if necessary, agree on renting equipment and protective gear to ensure safety (if it comes to working in wartime, at the scene of emergencies), and resolve other issues related to staying and working in Ukraine.
• Establishing contacts and providing access. Fixers help coordinate all issues regarding obtaining permission to film, recording interviews with the right people.
• Providing information and consultations. Fixers, if necessary, should provide more detailed information about a particular region where foreign media workers will work, and advice on safe work in a particular locality.
• Providing translation – both simultaneous and, if necessary, decoding of the collected material.
• Solving problems and overcoming obstacles. Fixers must be ready to solve any unforeseen problems that arise during the work process.

“Without fixers, in particular, many reports about Ukraine simply would not appear in the international information space,” Oksana Bybliv emphasized. She also paid particular attention to the challenges faced while working in wartime, including issues of ethics, psychological exhaustion, and safety. In the context of the latter, the coordinator of the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC, Viktoriya Plakhta, emphasized the importance of cooperation between domestic media professionals, including fixers, with the network of JSCs, where, if necessary, you can temporarily borrow protective equipment, work in co-working, etc.

During the conversation, the project called Partnership for Victory was also discussed, which for the third year in a row has been implemented by the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC in cooperation with the Italian volunteer association, Anteas Alessandria, (headed by Luciano Cartolano), the Charity Fund Misericordia of the Ivano-Frankivsk Diocesan Administration of the UGCC (director – Father Ivan Stefurak). Oksana Bybliv, as a translator, has repeatedly participated in joint events of the project participants that took place in Ivano-Frankivsk.

It is worth noting that the meeting was an opportunity not only to learn more about the “invisible front” of the information struggle, but also to emphasize the importance of cooperation between Ukrainian and foreign media professionals in countering disinformation.

Oksana Bybliv also gave an interview about her work, experience, and international cooperation with colleagues. We plan to publish it on our resources.

The network of Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, implemented in collaboration with the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO, and with the support of the People of Japan. Our primary goal is to assist media professionals working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers are active in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk. The project is part of UNESCO’s broader efforts to support the Safety of Journalists and Freedom of Expression in Ukraine.

Contact the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC at 066 677 0726 (Viktoriya Plakhta, the coordinator of the Center). The Center’s address is 25 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street.

Bohdana Zasidko

Ivano-Frankivsk JSC