The other day, a meeting with foreign colleagues took place at the Zaporizhzhia Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU). The columnist of the French newspaper Le Monde, Florence Aubenas; the correspondent of the German radio, Tatjana Om; and the journalists of the NOS TV company, which is the public broadcaster of the Netherlands, Alex Van Hcog and Martyn Pet, visited the JSC.
They talked with the coordinators of the Center/honored journalist of Ukraine, Nataliya Kuzmenko and Valentyna Manzhura. They also conducted interviews for their publications with displaced journalists Alla Shamrai, a correspondent of the Na Dotyk radio from Enerhodar (Zaporizhzhia Region), and Ivan Kushnirenko, a well-known media person and a historian/editor of a newspaper from Huliaipole (Zaporizhzhia Region).
“It was a fascinating and fruitful conversation. After all, Alla is from the city where the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located. We learned a lot of useful things about the NPP itself and the people of this brave city, about those currently under occupation. We wish you victory! We tell our readers about your struggle for freedom,” said Florence Aubenas.
In general, foreign journalists constantly working in Zaporizhzhia – a city near the front – in their time spare from traveling to the front, come to the JSC of the NUJU both for professional matters and to chat. Also, when there is an opportunity, they participate in the activities of the Center. Recently, American and Polish TV presenters, journalists from news agencies, and newspapers from Italy, Spain, and Germany have also visited the JSC.
Call the Zaporizhzhia JSC by dialing 096 277 5352 (Nataliya Kuzmenko and Valentina Manzhura, co-coordinators of the Zaporizhzhia JSC). 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: Dariya Zyrianova
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