Nuances of preparing materials about volunteers: what should and should not be written about

How should journalists write about volunteers, where to look for information, and how to fact-check respective organizations? These were the issues discussed during a meeting of journalists and public activists with the Head of the Ukrainian Youth Union (UYU) regional board in Ukraine, Andrii Fendyk. The meeting took place in the Lviv office of the Unified Western Ukrainian Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU). Andrii Fendyk made a presentation called Media Coverage of Volunteer Activities During War: What Should and Should Not Be Written About.

Andrii Fendyk is an active Ukrainian volunteer and public figure. With the beginning of the full-scale war, the UYU, under his leadership, significantly intensified its volunteer activities. He, along with like-minded people, focused on helping both military and civilians and even animals.

Today, in times of war, volunteers have become real heroes, providing help to those who need it most. They not only delivered food and medicine but also provided moral and psychological support. The media often write about the activities of volunteers and spread information about various meetings.

But no matter how unfortunate it is, sometimes there are fraudsters among the volunteers. So, the speaker drew attention to the nuances of preparing materials about volunteers, told where it is better to look for information, and how to conduct fact-checking of a volunteer organization.

When creating material about volunteers, journalists should always ask themselves several questions:

• Who are they?
• How can they be shown?
• How can the activity be demonstrated?
• Is there anyone else doing the same thing?

“Volunteering is selfless activity and voluntary help to others. It should be remembered that an important moment when we demonstrate the activities of volunteers is to highlight the very essence of volunteering. It is doing good, selflessly, for good deeds in order to help someone else. And, of course, we should promote volunteering, namely doing good deeds. That’s why we do good things! Let’s be volunteers. We support their activities as best as possible,” noted Andrii Fendyk.

Call the Unified Western Ukrainian JSC at 097 907 9702 (Nataliya Voitovych, the Lviv JSC coordinator, Volodymyr Bober – assistant). The Center’s address is 5 Solomiyi Krushelnytskoyi Street.

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.

Dariya Markova