In the midst of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, media professionals face daunting challenges, including physical dangers from military actions, unstable utilities, and psychological strain from constant exposure to war. These conditions have led to a shortage of skilled journalists, as many have either joined the armed forces or left the profession due to burnout. This situation underscores the urgent need to protect journalists and support their work, ensuring the continued flow of critical information to both local and international audiences. At the same time, according to the Ukrainian Institute for Mass Information (IMI), 234 media outlets had to close since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion.
MiCT has been addressing this challenging situation through a range of different projects:
1) The Fellowship for Critical Voices addresses this shortage through educating and supporting the next generation of journalists in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the invasion, MiCT has supported 90 young journalists under 25 in Ukraine with stipends, psychological support, technical equipment, educational trainings and a co-working hub. Beyond the direct support, this also created an active community that supports each other and lasts beyond the immediate support program. MiCT Fellows have published over 2000 news items in 2023. The program is part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
2) Subsidizing Publications of media outlets in crisis situations. With the support of the German Foreign Office, we worked with more than 30 regional Ukrainian media outlets to publish more than 500 articles. More than 5 million Ukrainians were reached with those publications across all of Ukraine.
3) Connecting regional journalists and national journalists in Ukraine. The aim of the project was to strengthen networking and exchange between national and regional media and journalists in Ukraine. 5 analysis collectives were formed, which worked together on a specific topic for 2 months. Each analysis collective consisted of an experienced mentor from a national media outlet and 4 journalists from various regional media outlets. The analysis collectives focused on the following topics:
I) Children of war: contemporary witnesses of the Second World War tell their stories (Hromadske)
II) The cost of PR: Municipalities in Ukraine and their PR expenditure (Bihus)
III) How war affects the environment and the lives of animals in Ukraine (Zaborona)
IV) Life at war: stories of hope and resistance (Dzerkalo Tizhnya)
V) Tax evasion: insights and consequences in Ukraine (Hraty)
The publications that resulted from the project reached more than 100.000 people in Ukraine and created lasting connections between the journalists. They were presented on a conference in December 2023 in Kyiv.