THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
The Network of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) has won the Media Freedom Award, the most prestigious award at the Voices European Journalism and Media Freedom Festival. The award was presented to NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko on March 11 in Florence at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino during a ceremony.
Sergiy Tomilenko took to the festival stage with the NUJU flag and the frontline newspaper Trudova Slava from Orikhiv, a town in the Zaporizhzhia Region, just a few kilometers from the russian army positions. According to Tomilenko, it is such frontline newspapers that remind us why journalism matters even during wartime.
“We cannot stop the war,” said the NUJU President. “But we can help journalists protect themselves.”
He emphasized that in reality, JSCs are not just about equipment — bulletproof vests, drone detectors, etc. (although all of this is critically important). Solidarity is key.
“We do not know what challenges tomorrow will bring. But we know one thing: journalists should not feel alone,” Sergiy Tomilenko emphasized.
The decision to nominate the network for this award was made by the Steering Committee of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) in recognition of the exceptional contribution of JSC to preserving independent journalism in the conditions of a full-scale war.
“For many journalists during the war, JSCs became a real hotline of support. Fifteen people in different cities of Ukraine work every day under air raids, during blackouts, and in conditions of constant stress, trying to help journalists in need,” Sergiy Tomilenko emphasized.
The jury especially noted that the model of Ukrainian JSCs has gone beyond the borders of one country: Media JSCs have been created in Khan Yunis, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City, which provide safe working spaces for local journalists.
“And this award shows that journalistic solidarity truly has no borders,” says Sergiy Tomilenko. “It is a great honor for us that the JSC network received the main award of the Voices festival this year. This is an award for the entire Ukrainian journalistic community.”
The JSC network was founded in April 2022 with the support of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and UNESCO; NUJU journalists from Norway, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Greece, and other countries joined in its funding.
Six JSCs, located in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv (with a presence in Chernivtsi), contribute to the safety of local and international journalists by providing them with communication facilities, protective equipment and stable internet access – especially during periods of large-scale blackouts, when the JSCs were sometimes the only place with a reliable connection to transmit materials.
In three years of operation, the JSCs have received more than 9,000 requests for assistance, and hundreds of journalists have benefited from direct support, from protective equipment to financial assistance and relocation assistance.
The Voices festival, held for the third time this year and running until March 12, brought together over 70 speakers and hundreds of participants from across Europe for discussions on press freedom, disinformation, journalist safety, and the future of independent media. Voices – European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom — The European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom — is an international platform for discussing freedom of speech, journalism, and media literacy in Europe. The festival is organized by a consortium of leading media organizations, including the EFJ, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (EUI), European Centre for Press and Media Freedom ECPMF, Deutsche Welle, European Broadcasting Union, and other partners. The festival is co-financed by the European Union.
As earlier reported, on March 11, during the Voices festival, NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko and the representative of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Yousef Habash, held a joint discussion — the first in this format. It was noted that the experience of NUJU’s JSCs attracted attention at the international level. The headquarters of the IFJ and UNESCO recommended the Ukrainian model to colleagues from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. As a result, the Gaza Strip has its own JSC media solidarity network – currently three: in Gaza, Deir el-Balah, and Khan Yunis.
NUJU Information Service
Photo: Facebook / Sergiy Tomilenko
Discussion about this post