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Democracy on the frontline: why Ukraine’s independent media needs y(our) support

2023-07-10. New Ethical Journalism Network report underscores the essential need to bolster international support for independent media in war-ravaged democracy, particularly at local level.

by Lucinda Jordaan lucinda.jordaan@wan-ifra.org | July 10, 2023

Independent, ethical and local journalism in Ukraine needs greater international support, says the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) in a special report on the country’s media landscape.

The report, ‘Ukraine media: defiance and truth-telling – the frontline struggle for information and democracy,‘ includes a series of essays on the challenges facing media in the current conflict – and makes a comprehensive set of recommendations to strengthen journalism in Ukraine. 

Although not a comprehensive study of the media in Ukraine, the report provides insights into challenges that the media face, as news organisations strive for high standards of reporting at a time of war and when journalists are under pressure from political and commercial pressures.

United action: a vision for the future

The report’s key recommendations include:

  • a radical overhaul of journalism education across the country to modernise teaching of reporting and editing skills, particularly related to use of information technology, embedding principles of ethical reporting and strengthening the capacity for investigative journalism
  • more support for local media, including funds to sustain local news outlets threatened with closure and fresh initiatives to counter propaganda, disinformation and the turmoil caused by war and the transformation of the media landscape
  • swift action to find and bring to justice those responsible for the targeting and killing of journalists, so that they can be brought to trial and held to account
  • restrictions on journalists’ access to conflict zones to be lifted
  • new dialogues between the government and media-support groups to strengthen the independence of journalism and create an enabling environment for safe regulation of media, and
  • more unified action within the media to strengthen rules on transparency, ownership and journalistic independence.

See Also: Stand With Ukrainian Colleagues, WAN-IFRA’s call for a renewal of international solidarity and an increase in support for colleagues in Ukraine, and how you can donate

The EJN report underscores the importance of international donor support for media, and the networks of international media support that are raising funds and urgently needed help for Ukraine media.

It also reinforces the importance of Ukraine’s home-grown efforts to build a professional journalistic landscape through the country’s ethics commission which, despite the war, continues to work to build support for independent journalism.

It gives voice to the concerns and views of media leaders and journalists in Ukraine and outlines their strategies for a new beginning for news media and journalism once the war is over and peace is restored.

In spite of the conflict, work to promote quality journalism continues with practical programmes that seek to minimise the risks that journalists face and create an enabling environment for the future of information and democracy in Ukraine based upon international standards of ethical and accountable journalism.

This report explores the environment in which journalism is practised to identify the needs of the media community and to better define the challenges of contemporary journalism. 

“As the EJN report concludes, Ukraine’s leaders have nothing to fear from the investigative instincts of good journalists. Ethical and professional reporters and a genuinely independent media system are critical friends. They can contribute to an anti-corruption ecosystem that will promote good governance throughout Ukraine’s war—and strengthen democracy in the reconstruction to follow,” notes report editor and  EJN President, Aidan White.

Also See: Ukraine’s journalists battle for their independence

It is produced in partnership with the Evens Foundation and the Fritt Ord Foundation. The section on journalism education was supported by the DESTIN Journalism Education for Democracy in Ukraine: Developing Standards, Integrity and Professionalism, an Erasmus+ KA2 project.

 “Independent media are essential, not just to counter ‘the constant drumbeat of propaganda and the presence of disinformation which pose deadly threats to media freedom,’ but as a cornerstone of the country’s democratic future.” Ukraine media: defiance and truth-telling

Download the report here.

Also See:The Kyiv Independent: Opinion. Why it is important to conduct journalistic investigations during war (VIDEO)

 


Show your solidarity

Our colleagues in Ukraine are battling to keep the independent press alive. Since the beginning of the war, WAN-IFRA members have generously donated over €200,000 to keep the presses rolling and the people of Ukraine informed. Without this support, countless stories would otherwise have gone untold and numerous titles would have disappeared. The costs of producing reliable news in a war zone are astronomical.

The Board of WAN-IFRA is once again calling on the international press to step forward with financial assistance: the coming weeks and months will be crucial for the survival of local news, and our colleagues in Ukraine are appealing for an urgent, impactful contribution to guarantee independent coverage over the coming six months.

Now is the time to act. Donate today at this link.

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