Media leadership: Authorities must realize journalists’ role in achieving victory and assist them

Local media heads at the Lviv Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) discussed the threats Ukrainian mass media face daily.

At the beginning of the meeting, JSC Head Andrii Bolkun familiarized those present with the activities conducted and opportunities offered by the Lviv Center. In particular, he emphasized that each editorial office could receive military protective equipment for its journalists planning to go on a trip to the war zone. The equipment includes helmets, bulletproof vests, and first-aid kits. Besides, at the service of media workers is an office space equipped with a backup generator, computers, and Wi-Fi so that it can be used even during power outages.

“Today, talking about journalistic solidarity is not devoid of its meaning. It helps us, the guardians of freedom of speech and real fighters against corruption and lies, to survive. Journalists should put their competition away and create a real corporate community united by common values and a vision of building a civilized, democratic, legal state in Ukraine. The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers are an ideal platform for this, a place for dialogue and discussions in a professional environment,” Andrii Bolkun emphasized.

During the discussion, the media leadership noted that building an effective civil society in Ukraine necessitates a constructive dialogue between the authorities and the media since they have the same goal – victory in the war with Russia and the development of a European and legal state. However, quite often, the mechanisms for embodiment of these aspirations differ significantly. Journalists feel a certain censorship, closedness, and non-transparency in the authorities’ activities, officials’ interference in editorial policy, and their non-acceptance of criticism.

In such a situation, the participants in the event noted that the help of Western donors and partners to the Ukrainian mass media is extremely important.

At the meeting, they shared their fears that authorities may utilize the newly-enacted law On Media to curtail freedom of speech and pressure journalists. The editors also expressed surprise at the changes in the legislation initiated by the parliamentarians regarding the existence of the so-called unidentified accounts on social networks. Local media leaders agreed that this idea is good in theory, but it is harmful to information and propaganda work in times of war.

Call the Lviv Journalists’ Solidarity Center by dialing 067 370 0440 (Andrii Bolkun, the Lviv JSC coordinator). The JSC’s address is 5 Solomiyi Krushelnytskoyi Street.

As earlier reported, the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.

Lviv Journalists’ Solidarity Center