THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
On the occasion of Journalists’ Day in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded 37 journalists and media professionals from Ukraine and around the world for their significant contributions to journalism and for telling the truth about Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
Among the awardees, the Order of Princess Olga, III Class was awarded to former Voice of America correspondent, now Media Advisor with Razom for Ukraine, freelance journalist, and NUJU member Kateryna Lisunova.
Exactly a year ago, on June 6, NUJU awarded Kateryna a Certificate of Honor for her outstanding work covering Ukraine–U.S. relations during wartime, both at the United Nations and on Capitol Hill.
NUJU expressed its appreciation that its members, previously recognized by the Union, are now receiving recognition at the state level.
We spoke with Kateryna after the Presidential Office officially released information about the award on the President’s website, and she expressed special gratitude to NUJU for its support of free and independent Ukrainian journalism.
“Being a journalist is always difficult and always a challenge, but being a Ukrainian journalist is many times harder. So having organizations and people who are trying to help you and make your burden a little lighter is a real blessing. I see that in the work of NUJU, for which I am tremendously grateful”- Kateryna said.
Speaking about the prestigious Ukrainian civil decoration, the Order of Princess Olga, Kateryna emphasized that such recognition is important in acknowledging journalists’ work.
“It’s an honor to share it with so many great media colleagues. It’s a small moment of appreciation that gives you additional strength to keep making Ukraine’s voice heard in the world. And then, after this short moment, you immediately go back to deadlines and important articles,” – she added.
She also noted that the presidential award helped bring greater attention to Ukrainian journalism abroad.
“Many of my American media colleagues, readers, and followers did not know that Ukraine has a National Journalist’s Day. They also didn’t know who Princess Olga was. I received many interesting questions about this, which inspired me to publish more about the historical figure of Princess Olga and Ukraine’s long history in general. So these kinds of dates and recognitions are very important for highlighting Ukrainian history and freedom of the press in Ukraine,” – Kateryna explained to NUJU.
More about Kateryna Lisunova’s journalistic journey can be found in the article “From the UN to the Capitol Riot to Capitol Hill: How a Ukrainian Journalist Is Shaping the Ukraine Narrative in the U.S.” – written by Maksym Stepanov, NUJU Information Service.
Read as well: Among the awardees, the Order of Merit of the 3rd degree was presented to the President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, Sergiy Tomilenko.
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