THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
In the co-working space of the Zaporizhzhia Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), a meeting of the Center‘s coordinators and activists took place with Inna Bakhtina, a representative of the regional branch of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, which takes care of the life and development of territorial communities. They talked about joining efforts to support local print media; as for the front-line communities having no electricity, communication, or Internet connection, newspapers became almost the only carriers of objective and truthful information about the war and the life and activities of these communities.
Support of local print media is one of the main activities of the Zaporizhzhia JSC. With its support and the help of the NUJU and foreign partners, the publishing of two local newspapers, which had to stop their publishing and evacuate to Zaporizhzhia at the beginning of the war, has been resumed. The newspapers are Trudova Slava (Orikhiv) and Holos Huliaipillia. Two more local print media – Dniprovski Vohni (Vilniansk) and Nashe Zhyttia (Novomykolayivka) did not stop publishing and informing people about the war, our heroic army and the life of communities in the front-line territories. The Zaporizhzhia Community’s Chervonyi Promin newspaper continues to be published in an electronic form because there are not enough funds for a printed one.
“In cities and villages destroyed, mutilated by shelling and bombing, people look forward to every issue of their local newspaper and reread it literally from the first to the last page. The readers are, first of all, interested in the situation at the front and in their community. It is not easy to prepare each edition of the newspaper in the conditions of the front-line region. NUJU’s support alone is not enough for everyone. But communities that form their own budgets have the opportunity to support their newspapers, because they work for them. Such cooperation for the sake of development, for the sake of our joint victory, will undoubtedly be mutually beneficial,” said the coordinator of the Zaporizhzhia JSC and Honored Journalist of Ukraine, Nataliya Kuzmenko, opening the meeting.
As the participants in the meeting noted, now, more than ever, the local press really needs comprehensive attention and help because newspapers will not be able to survive for a long time only on the enthusiasm of the editors-in-chief and funds, which, from time to time it is possible to attract at the expense of partners and grants. The communities should support them because the word of truth is our main weapon, and everyone needs it.
Inna Bakhtina, a representative of the regional Association of Ukrainian Cities, agreed with such an opinion.
“Of course, we raised a very important issue at the meeting today. For my part, I can say that the Association is ready to take over the organization of meetings of the coordinators and journalists of the JSC with the heads of communities where local newspapers are published (and I personally participate in them) to discuss and determine specific ways of supporting their print media. This is truly mutually beneficial cooperation for the sake of the development of communities, for the sake of our victory,” noted Inna Bakhtina.
Call the Zaporizhzhia JSC at 096 277 5352 (Nataliya Kuzmenko and Valentyna Manzhura, the Zaporizhzhia JSC coordinators). The Center’s address is 152 Sobornyi Avenue.
ABOUT JSC
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.
ABOUT UNESCO
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.
Valentyna Bystrova
Photo by Dariya Zyrianova
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