Back Ukrainian media actors took part in the Conference “Media in times of war” in Tbilisi

Ukrainian media actors took part in the Conference “Media in times of war” in Tbilisi

On 12-13 October 2022, the Council of Europe held a two-day regional conference “Media in times of war” in Tbilisi (Georgia).

Patrick Penninckx, Head of the Information Society Department, Council of Europe, said in his introductory speech that the goal of the conference is to provide media representatives of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Armenia a platform to discuss common challenges and ways to overcome them.

"From February 2022, public authorities, journalists and media in the region will experience new challenges and acceleration of existing trends, such as countering disinformation, fighting the growth and uncontrollability of hate speech, challenges to the safety of journalists, expanding restrictions and spreading propaganda; as well as war coverage.

We see striking similarities in the media landscape in all five countries present here. That is why we decided to offer a platform to stakeholders from all five countries to share common issues/news and ideas about the future of media with each other,” he said.

The Council of Europe provides assistance to Ukraine within the framework of the Immediate Measures Package to the Public Broadcaster, a media regulator to perform important functions during the war. Support was provided to local media organisations to cover the war for local residents. Expertise on media legislation, safety of journalists and accessibility in the media was also provided.

On 12 October a separate panel session “Media in Ukraine before and after 24 February 2022” took place, where representatives of the Ukrainian media community shared their experience on how the media landscape in the country has changed over the last months and discussed the current challenges.

Svitlana Ostapa, Chair of the Supervisory Board of Ukrainian Public Broadcaster, said that with the beginning of the full-scale war of Russia, the Public Broadcaster of Ukraine had to fulfil three main tasks: to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the company, to create conditions for the safe work of employees, and to promptly provide the public with verified information through all possible communication channels (television, radio, online platforms).

Even before February 24, several crisis scenarios were developed which helped to quickly regroup the company and take appropriate measures:

  • relocate the central broadcasting and head office from Kyiv to Lviv;
  • strengthen the safety protocol of work during military operations;
  • ensure smooth operation of all regional branches;
  • receive support from partners, including international partners, who helped journalists get bulletproof vests, helmets, satellite phones, etc.;
  • introduce insurance for correspondents working in frontlies.

"Since February 24, the Public broadcaster, thanks to the 24/7 operation of all platforms, provides Ukrainians with news from the first sources, the UA:Pershiy channel has a six-hour slot in the United telethon of major Ukrainian TV channels and broadcasts it continuously. Suspilne is the leader in observing journalistic standards in this telethon," she said.

Svitlana Ostapa also elaborated on other results achieved during the full-scale invasion:

  • ensured Ukraine's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, where the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won;
  • the membership of Russian mass media in the European Broadcasting Union was suspended, Russia was removed from the Eurovision Song Contest;
  • European channels use the stories of Suspilne’s journalists to create news;
  • journalists of Public Broadcaster help to document the war crimes of Russians within the global initiative "Break the cycle of impunity for Russian war crimes";
  • produced about 16,000 hours of own product on television, radio and digital;
  • the investigative film "Bucha 2022" about the crimes of the Russian military was released;

etc.

According to Gradus Research, the trust rating of Ukrainians in Suspilne.News today is 87%.

Olga Rudenko, Editor-in-Chief of the Kyiv Independent, shared her experience in the development of the newly created editorial office in wartime conditions. The online edition was launched in November 2021 and within a few months faced the challenges of war, and during this time the editorial office was able to increase the number of readers from 14 thousand per month up to one million. Kyiv Independent is funded by readers.

"Since we publish materials exclusively in English, we see our mission as informing the whole world about what is happening in Ukraine. And with a full-scale invasion, this mission became especially important," the editor-in-chief noted.

The editorial team currently consists of more than 30 people, majority of whom are Ukrainians, but there are also journalists from Canada, France, Australia, etc. When the full-scale invasion of Russia began, the team was much smaller, had a small space to work in, and the biggest fear was that the Internet would disappear and it would be impossible to transmit information. Since February 24, the editorial office has been working around the clock, covering the events of the war for an international audience, all resources are streamlined only into this aim.

Olha Rudenko emphasised that one of the central challenges for independent Ukrainian media is funding. Partnership with other organisations also plays an important role.

Olena Leptuga, Editor-in-Chief of Media Group Nakypilo (Kharkiv), said that the organisation discussed the plan of action even before the start of the war, since Kharkiv region borders Russia, as well as Donetsk and Luhansk regions, it was important to prepare.

In particular, the new action plan included:

  • stocks of food and medicine, cash;
  • creation of conditions in the editorial office, which became a certain refuge place not only for journalists, but for those who needed it;
  • partial team relocation.

According to Olena Leptuga, regional independent media always lacked funding during the war. "But I am very proud of my team, that did not stop its work in Kharkiv for a single moment, which in various situations adhered to the standards of the profession, fought against disinformation, and helped colleagues from abroad. Regional media are on the front line of this war. I also thank all the international organisations that help us work under the conditions of war and tell the truth about it," she said.

Olga Herasymiyuk, Chair of the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine, reminded of the danger not only of Russian missiles, but also of Russian disinformation aimed at spreading panic among Ukrainians.

"The activity of the Ukrainian media during the Russian aggression is subordinated to a single national goal - physical and information resistance to the invaders. Unfortunately, the enemy understands the importance of our information struggle - when the Russians enter Ukrainian cities and villages, they destroy the entire information infrastructure, aim at TV towers. But the equipment is repaired as quickly as possible. Networks are repaired sometimes even under fire" she said.

Olga Herasymiyuk also added that as of September 1, 2022, 128 broadcasters have stopped their work due to the full-scale invasion of Russia, 124 companies have partially or completely lost their equipment, the amount of material losses is more than 10 million dollars, and thousands of people have lost their jobs.

As she said, the national regulator supports Ukrainian broadcasters in every possible way during the war. Even before the invasion, a series of training sessions were held for regional media on how journalists should act in emergency situations, communicate with the authorities, etc. The National Council also appealed to the Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the General Staff with a request to establish communications with the media in the first place.

The National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine also initiated the ban on Russian media in European countries.

Galyna Petrenko, Director of CSO “Detector Media”, recalled that her organisation has been fighting Russian disinformation for many years, and said that Telegram channels are currently one of the main sources of disinformation. She said that a few days before the full-scale invasion, dozens of new Telegram channels appeared, aimed at specific settlements, which Russia then either occupied or tried to occupy.

"Sociological studies on where Ukrainians get information during the war have shown that social networks take first place, and the number one network is Telegram, which is the easiest way to spread disinformation. And even a year ago, only 12% of Internet users used Telegram as a source of information," she said.

The photo exhibition “The Russian war against Ukraine: Work of journalists” also was held on 12 October.

In general the conference provided five thematic panel sessions, focusing on major challenges faced by media in times of war and armed conflicts: 

  • safety of journalists during the war: mission (im)possible?
  • combatting information disorder and propaganda
  • hate speech in the media: how Russian aggression against Ukraine accelerated already existing challenges (for media) and what is the way forward?
  • media regulation in times of war and armed conflicts
  • conflict-sensitive media coverage, with a focus on war reporting.

Media stakeholders and journalists from five Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) as well as Council of Europe international experts were engaged in discussions over above-mentioned topics during the Conference.

The Conference is jointly organised by co-operation projects in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine, implemented by the Division for Co-Operation on Freedom of Expression, Information Society Department, DGI of the Council of Europe.

The adjusted priorities of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2018-2022 have been adopted and the Project “Support to Safety of Journalists, Media, and of Access to Information, including communication strategy for the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine” is being implemented. It aims to support the Ukrainian media community in addressing current needs and consequences of the Russian aggression and war in Ukraine. In particular, the grants have been provided to the Ukrainian Public Broadcaster and local media organisations to support their capacity to work during the war time in Ukraine.

Follow the news of the Project on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CoEUPSIS/.

TBILISI, GEORGIA 14 OCTOBER 2022
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