"Your mission is your voice. Ukrainian Journalists on the Frontline" is a training for media representatives who are ready not only to cover the most pressing issues, but also to do so safely and professionally.
The event took place on September 19-21, 2024 in Kyiv and was organized by the Academy of Ukrainian Press in partnership with the Center for Media and Digital Literacy at the Free University of Berlin.
The training brought together a diverse audience - from young aspiring journalists to experienced media professionals from all over Ukraine. The speakers shared their own experience of working in the most dangerous conditions, including in the frontline areas, and provided practical advice on how to survive in the profession during the war.
"We have a group of young people who are just starting out in journalism and experienced colleagues from different regions. Thanks to this, the training was full of questions and answers, practical exercises and exchange of information about working in the frontline areas," said Ivan Antypenko, one of the trainers and a correspondent for Radio Liberty.
Special attention was paid to working with press officers. According to media trainer Andriy Yurychko, a lecturer at the Institute of Journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: "To prepare good material from the war zone, you need to understand the specifics of the work and capabilities of press officers. Proper request form and friendly relations have never hindered journalists. PIA tries to introduce both the former and the latter to each other. Our goal is to produce high-quality materials about the war in Ukraine."
The second day was devoted to the psychological aspects of journalists' work in war. Trainer Natalia Umerenkova, PhD in psychology and trauma therapy specialist, emphasized: "Today, journalists work with various sensitive topics and often become the first to hear a person's story. That is why one of the key issues during the training was how to help yourself when you are experiencing emotions and how to support the person you are with."
On the third day of the training, participants focused on the physical safety of journalists. Instructors from the Realist Security Hub conducted first aid classes, including airway management, stopping massive bleeding, and other aspects of survival in extreme conditions.
We sincerely hope that the training has become an important step towards improving the safety of Ukrainian journalists, providing them not only with new knowledge but also with practical skills that can save the lives of both journalists and their interlocutors.
The Center for Media and Digital Literacy of the Institute for Media and Communication Studies at the Free University of Berlin (Germany) became a partner of the Academy of Ukrainian Press in the implementation of the training project.
* The Center for Media and Digital Literacy (CeMIL) at the Free University of Berlin is part of the Institute for Media and Communication Studies and has state-of-the-art expertise in media literacy. It has many years of experience in conducting trainings and research with journalists and communication scholars from Eastern European countries. He has also successfully managed other projects under previous rounds of the Eastern European Partnership Programs.
